From Alaska to Patagonia, America is a vast land of diverse cultures, landscapes and infrastructures. You can criss-cross the roads of the United States, take a bus through the villages of the Andes or hop from one country to another by plane. There are many ways to travel to suit your budget and style. However, organizing your itinerary requires an understanding of the particularities of each region. Whether it’s a question of transport options, low-cost airlines or jet lag, you’ll need to be prepared.
The main means of transport
In North America
In the northern part of the continent (USA, Canada, Mexico), the choice of means of transport depends largely on distance/infrastructure.
- Car or motorhome: Road-trips are very popular, especially in the USA or Canada, where highways are well maintained. However, distances can be colossal, requiring a fuel budget and good organization.
- Plane: Domestic flights between major cities are frequent. This can be handy for saving time (e.g. between the West and East coasts of the USA).
- Bus: In Mexico, bus routes are numerous and relatively inexpensive. In the USA and Canada, some long-distance bus companies (such as Greyhound or Megabus) offer economical routes. However, you’ll need to allow several hours or even days for the journey.
In South America
Buses are the preferred means of transport between and within most countries (Argentina, Chile, Peru, etc.). Tickets are generally inexpensive, and you’ll find different levels of comfort depending on the company. On the other hand, journeys can be very long (several dozen hours), and reliability varies from one company to another. So be sure to check the reviews of the various transport companies. In addition, give preference to companies with a good reputation for safety and punctuality.
If your budget allows, you can opt for domestic or regional flights. Many low-cost airlines now make it easy to hop from city to city, saving you precious time.
Low-cost airlines
For low-cost travel, many low-cost airlines operate on the American continent, both north and south. Here are the best-known American low-cost airlines:
North America: JetBlue Airways (U.S.), Southwest Airlines (U.S.), WestJet (Canada).
These airlines often offer competitive fares on domestic flights and certain nearby international routes (Mexico, Caribbean), with sometimes restricted services (paid baggage, minimal on-board service).
South America: LATAM Airlines (present mainly in Chile, Peru and Brazil), Avianca (Colombian airline), Azul Airlines (Brazilian airline), Sky Airline (Chilean airline), Gol Airlines (Brazilian airline), Jetsmart (Chilean airline).
Even if some of these carriers do not systematically define themselves as “low-cost”, they regularly offer tickets at very affordable prices compared with traditional airlines. Always check baggage policies and extra charges before booking.
Understanding jet lag in America
Time zone differences can play an important role in planning your trip, especially when crossing several time zones. America covers a wide range of time zones, from UTC-10 (Hawaii) to UTC-2 or UTC-3 (some Brazilian states), including UTC-5 for the East Coast of the USA and UTC-6 for part of Mexico, not to mention the fact that many countries do or do not apply Daylight Saving Time (DST).
Example of a benchmark: GMT (UTC+0) is the international reference time (also known as UTC). When France is at UTC+2 in summer, the East Coast of the United States is generally at UTC-4 during the same period, which is 6 hours less than in France.
In South America, too, there are multiple time zones: Chile, for example, oscillates between UTC-4 and UTC-3 depending on the season. Brazil has several time zones (up to four simultaneously), which sometimes complicates domestic connections.
