Tell me about America!!

[ImnoGuru]

I would like to find out a bit about the real America. The good ( or bad ) places to live.
The cost of cars, accommodation, housing, cost of fuel, local shops and so on.

If anyone feels like replying, Im most open to discovering some detail about different locations before I make plans to come over there.
Thank you ImnoGuru.

[BC_Programmer]

what about their friendly neighbors to the north?

[fireballs]

or just over the pond to the east?

[ImnoGuru]

Well yes, there too actually, I did want to go skiing in Canada, skidooing in Florida, wrestle a few alligators and see New York.
Maybe even try some of the culinary delights of  Key Largo.

[ImnoGuru]

Thats OK Carbon thanks. I didnt know where to post this one.

[Dustinator]

Colorado is the state where you can do most every thing on the same day you can ski in the mountains and a lot of the times when you come back you can go for a bike ride. Denver is a great city with loads to do but not crazy like a new york or Detroit our economy is stable with a lot of computer jobs and it does not cost a lot to live here if you want more info just ask.

[kpac]

The cost of cars, accommodation, housing, cost of fuel, local shops and so on.

I don't live there, but when I was there last May, everything was for literally nothing. Maybe that's just a contradiction of living in Ireland, but everything is ultimately half of what it is in here.

Hope that helps....

[patio]

This query would be far easier to answer if you gave some paramaters on cost of living; climate; potential job prospects; etc. etc.

America is a big place...

[ImnoGuru]

Thank you for taking the time to answer Dustinator, kpac, and patio.

This query would be far easier to answer if you gave some paramaters on cost of living; climate; potential job prospects; etc. etc.

America is a big place...

I totally agree patio.
ATM air fares are soooooo cheap... so if I can get it all together??  I'd like to enter say on the west coast I suppose. Ive seen Hawaii but not the Islands yet, Im trying to plan that for on the way home.
Then travel to Florida, and see Horatio Cane at work at C.S.I. headquarters (joke).

I could spend as much or little time there as I like at this point really. So about a year or so should be enough to start.
Maybe a job along the way would help financially, Im easy there, I can wash dishes or get involved with the finance industry there or some thing in between.

Accommodation in the short term would be renting, boarding house, back packing type. So cheaper is better. Im not overly affluent, I have some money (not a great deal of money but enough to start with the travel part of the plan.)

Then if things go as planned maybe buy a car, ( lots of people have mobile homes, RV's, a good option) and travel around.

Maybe if I find a place I really like I might buy a couple of houses in different areas to generate some income while I'm there. Certainly worth investigating.

Its a living plan, so at any time it might all come to an abrubt end.

[Aegis]

Ive seen Hawaii but not the Islands yet

   Is not Hawaii the Big Island?

[mroilfield]

I live in Louisiana and things there are great. The food is excellent. People can be nice if you don't make us mad. Economy isn't hurting.

If you are planning on entering the country on the west coast and going all the way down to Florida I would suggest you rent a car and plan on taking about three weeks to get there. The U.S. is a large place and there are lots to see.

Who knows you might even be able to find some of the Computer Hope people during your journey that can take you around their part of the country and show you some stuff. I know that I would be more then glad to show you around some if you come thru my area.

[Laska]

Alaska is a big place and a wonderful place But then Louisianna is Also truly wonderful and Exctiting Place except for the climate why would you ever consider to leave ?

[x2543]

  Is not Hawaii the Big Island?

When they say Hawaii, they mean that complete group of islands out in the pacific which includes all the 8 little destinations you can visit. But if you talk Hawaii itself, it's nickname is the Big Island.

I've wanted to go to Hawaii on vacation some day, everyone says it's one of the most beautiful places you just gotta see!

[ImnoGuru]

Aegis, I didnt really get to know much about Hawaii back then, it was only later that I found out that they called it the Big Island. When we got there our luggage was missing so we spent a lot of our time checking the airport lost and found and buying new stuff. It was great fun though, sensational beaches, and the transport system was the best idea I've ever seen.
Seeing we spent so much on clothing and going out, we missed out on trips to the other Islands.

If you are planning on entering the country on the west coast and going all the way down to Florida I would suggest you rent a car and plan on taking about three weeks to get there. The U.S. is a large place and there are lots to see.

Yep I just made a few calculations last night about that and came to about the same numbers.

Who knows you might even be able to find some of the Computer Hope people during your journey that can take you around their part of the country and show you some stuff. I know that I would be more then glad to show you around some if you come thru my area.

What a great offer, mroilfield, thanks heaps. If I cal pull it together Id love to have you show me around.
That would make it a truely great experience, having local information.

[mroilfield]

Not a problem just let me know once you head over to the states and we will see what we can coordinate

[ImnoGuru]

This query would be far easier to answer if you gave some paramaters on cost of living; climate; potential job prospects; etc. etc.

I havent looked into working at all, there yet patio.
What the  requirements for travelers are?
I've heard heaps about a green card but have no idea as to what it really means.

As for climate .... I figure its either going to be hot or cold. If its cold I'll wear a coat, ... if its hot ...well shorts and a pair of good old Australian thongs are easy to pack.. Hahaha.

Im going to do the easy bits first and renew my passport, look into visa's for travelling... and the hardest part is along the way of the planning, SAVING MONEY.

Alaska is a big place and a wonderful place But then Louisianna is Also truly wonderful and Exciting Place except for the climate why would you ever consider to leave ?

Believe it or not I love winter sports like skiing but hate being cold.. I rug up with three layers to keep me warm..

I like the idea of seeing all the big ticket items: Grand Canyon, The Falls, Hollywood Bvd, Las Vegas, Disneyland, Empire State Building, and so on, but Id like to get to know about America from a different perspective, and I think I can only do that over time.
So, not a two week fly in fly out trip, maybe quite a long time about 6 mths to a year.

[paudashlake]

I just got back from Florida....  Soooo warm.  Not hot and muggy, warm and breezy--perfect.  Now, I'm back in Erie suffering through 40 degree weather and being right next to lake erie, instead of right next to the pacific ocean.

[ImnoGuru]

Sorry I haven't been around for a while.
It was one of those rare moments that I had some work to do, but I took advantage of it and got my passport applications in motion.

Alaska is a big place and a wonderful place.

Laska, is the salmon run upstream in your state?
That's one of the things on my bucket list.

[Laska]

NO THEY RUN DOWNSTREAM SO POOT YER BUCKEY AWAY DEN EH

[mroilfield]

That's one of the things on my bucket list.

Bucket List??

Your not about to die are you? I can't have you coming by the house and then suddenly kill over on me. 

[Aegis]

Or keel over, even...try not to do either one!

[Laska]

Bucket List??

Your not about to die are you? I can't have you coming by the house and then suddenly kill over on me. 

Yeah we dont need no sumbuddy killin over no's where's round here's now den

[x2543]

... and i thought you were just comin' over for vacation ..... 

[ImnoGuru]

Hahahaha NOooooooooo Wayyyyy. 
I've just got to do it b4 I get near there.
The Kids are all gone the wife divorced me and I live alone.

HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!!!!!!

Yep a BIG vacation x2543, Im going to spend up big time (if I can get it all together).

Im not going to spend 27 hrs (or something) on a plane, fly to America and spend it at some hotel or resort, then go home with a pack of happy snaps....

Im goin cruisin...

[x2543]

make it a cross country crusin'. you gotta spend good time here 'else you're probably gonna feel like the time passed too quickly. 

yeah, gotta do the homework, gotta make that good 'ol list of the 1000's of places you need to visit before your plane trip home arrives and no, I don't mean a killer's list, but a kill time list

[JJ 3000]

The Kids are all gone the wife divorced me and I live alone.

I'm sorry. 

You can come to the Appalachians and say hi to me if you pass through.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_Mountains

[ImnoGuru]

Thanks JJ3000, I'm building a list of where I'd like to go. I'm going to have a look at Google Earth for directions.
I've been researching the air fares from Australia .... to EVERYWHERE. The mind boggles. The air fares to Honalulu at the moment from here are Au $218.00 one way.
I can't even drive to Sydney for that sort of money. 
Maybe I should get some sort of Frequent Flyers campaign happening.

You can come to the Appalachians and say hi to me if you pass through.

 Like x2543 says,

make it a cross country crusin'. you gotta spend good time here 'else you're probably gonna feel like the time passed too quickly. 

yeah, gotta do the homework, gotta make that good 'ol list of the 1000's of places you need to visit before your plane trip home arrives

I looked at the craiglist for some transport and accomadation to include in the plan.
So there are plenty of options there.

Does anyone know of a website that I can use to research air fares from internal of America, domestic flights? Every time I look at Google for something like that, I end up getting lost. ( Its not the equipment, its the operator. Hahahahaha. )

[ImnoGuru]

Bucket List??

Oh dont you hate that... Fat finger syndrome on my behalf sorry.... I meant to hit the F.....   

[mroilfield]

Does anyone know of a website that I can use to research air fares from internal of America, domestic flights? Every time I look at Google for something like that, I end up getting lost. ( Its not the equipment, its the operator. Hahahahaha. )

www.aa.com                American Airlines
www.delta.com            Delta Airlines
www.continental.com   Continental.com
www.expedia.com
www.priceline.com

[ImnoGuru]

Wow, thanks mroilfield, Now I can really spend some quality time researching flight info.

I can set up a budget for flights across or back the country.

I wonder if they are as cheap as the ones I've seen from Au Airlines..... ( hope so  )

[ImnoGuru]

Its looking like it might be cheaper to travel over and back then pick a new destination....   

Go Figure!!!

[TorrentIt]

I would like to find out a bit about the real America. The good ( or bad ) places to live.
The cost of cars, accommodation, housing, cost of fuel, local shops and so on.

If anyone feels like replying, Im most open to discovering some detail about different locations before I make plans to come over there.
Thank you ImnoGuru.

Cars Can Range From: 1,000<BAD CONDITION - 500,000 <LAMORGINI Usd $
25,000 Can Get You A Newer Dodge Caravan,

Housing  You Can Get a Nice House For 120,000 In The Country,
In Huge Citys E.G New York City It WillCost, about 500,000 For A Nice House
USD Money
$

Fuel In Canada,
79 cents / Litre
3.57 $ / GALLON (3Litres) < USA

Lots Of Shops
NYC,
Is AMAZING!

Acconimy,
Canada,
FREE HEALTH CARE
USA! COSTS!
I Watched This Movie
About People having to Cutt there Finger off,
Because They Couldnt Afford It
People Dieing In Hospitals,
Costing Money,
If Someone had to get CANCER Treatment,
It would cost
so much
i would take the whole familys money,
You

I Suggest canada,
CANADA amazing,

i Moved here

[Aegis]

  

Acconimy,

Yes, the United States, where education is second to none...

[BC_Programmer]

Canada,
FREE HEALTH CARE

completely false. In fact, it's WORSE here, since you can't actually "shop around" for the best health insurance. you are REQUIRED to pay "medical fees" based on family size, ranging from 52$ a month for one person to over 400$ for a 5-6 person family.

Saying it's "free" is merely waiving the fact that it's paid through this method, which is really more a tax then a direct insurance payment, but the mechanics are the same.




As for fuel prices:

1 U.S gallon is 3.78~ Litres.


going by your fuel prices, the U.S price for a litre is 94 cents.

of course, we must take into account the exchange rate, where 84 cents CDN is 1$ U.S.

Therefore, in Canadian Dollars, a single litre in the U.S is  around 79 cents- save a few hundredths of a cent.

It IS less in the U.S, but one would save maybe- 5 dollars over the course of a year. Not quite a good reason to move

However I would rather live in Canada then the U.S. well, actually I do but that's beside the point, I suppose. Also, I've never been to the U.S, and don't plan to. (heck I've been on Vancouver Island for over 12 years).

[ImnoGuru]

Thank you for this information TorrentIt. There are lots of useful bits of info there.
A car for example.... I can hardly see myself getting a Lamborghini to cruise around in.. (unless I win the Lottery before hand that is), but a modest runabout that wont catch the eye of the local constabulary would do fine.
As for fuel... your fuel costs in America are well below what we pay here on a regular basis. Mostly our costs are Aus$1.15 per Litre unleaded, and premium or super/high octane is Aus$1.25 ish. I'm guessing the exchange rate might effect it though, but approximately 2/3 the cost.
So I save there, using any petrol.

Just as a side inquiry, do you have LPG readily available throughout the country?

Maybe I'll look for a little Volkswagen combiVan or similar.
I can sleep on the side of the road with something like that.

Health care is something that I'm really sus on..
Mostly, the information I have of the health system there is from movies, where they show lots of people in the emergency rooms waiting for hours on end. So if you pardon my preconceived ideas that your system is (crap.. (please pardon my conclusion)) less than satisfactory generally.
Here's hoping I dont get to find out from personal experience.

My biggest expense might be one of my favourite pastimes..... SHOPPING  and it sounds like I'll have plenty of opportunity there then.


BC_Programmer , our health system is much the same but we really get hit twice. Our tax system includes a 1.5% levy on income to be paid from each pay packet for the general ( what we call Medicare) medical services but we have the option of purchasing separate insurance from different companies at enormous personal cost from after tax dollars. Generally costing in the vicinity of $1500 plus per year.
Oh, and if we use that insurance there's also an additional $$ contribution to medical services because they only pay maybe 2/3 to 3/4 of the total cost. So not the greatest about, but maybe better than nothing I suppose.  .
I'm going to look into the travel insurance plans available.

[mroilfield]

Fuel In Canada,
79 cents / Litre
3.57 $ / GALLON (3Litres) < USA

You need to get around more or at least do more research.  The U.S. is such a big place that the prices for fuel will can and will greatly vary depending on where you are. My family out in California are paying around $3.00 a gallon yet in Louisiana where I live it is back down to $1.65 a gallon. Just giving one number for a gas price in the U.S. is just ridiculous.

Canada,
FREE HEALTH CARE
USA! COSTS!
I Watched This Movie
About People having to Cutt there Finger off,
Because They Couldnt Afford It
People Dieing In Hospitals,
Costing Money,
If Someone had to get CANCER Treatment,
It would cost
so much
i would take the whole familys money,
You

I Suggest canada,
CANADA amazing,

i Moved here

Was the movie you watched a documentary or some Hollywood made up story? If it was a documentary I am sure they didn't cover even 1% of the hospitals in the U.S.

There are people in every country that dies because they either can't or don't get the treatment they need.

I have been in the U.S. for close to 31 years now and I have to say we have a pretty good health care system. (OK it could use some adjustment but no country has a perfect system) I have also spent some time in various other countries and I still prefer the U.S. health care system.

[patio]

If you want to see how well health care works drive past the 5 Hospitals in Buffalo and count all the Canada plates in the parking lots...
Saying there is no waiting there is very innaccurate.

[ImnoGuru]

Thanks for adding some clarity to that mroilfield, either way and I really appreciate your input, the fuel prices compared to Aus are substantially lower. So I can drive more miles per $ input, so I go further for less.  ( that actually translates to being able to hang around places longer for me then because I wont be hassled with having to get to a fuel stop before the money runs out on the travel budget.

If you want to see how well health care works

The ultimate goal here patio, is NOT to find out. Hahahaa 

I'm rather hoping that travel insurance will be good enough to cover it if  I require anything.

[patio]

Sorry to wander off the topic...
A van would be a great way to see the Country...no schedule...no timeline.
My preferred method of travel used to be hitchhiking...but it ain't what it used to be.

[Aegis]

"Oh, honey - don't stop to pick him up - he looks like he works with computers!"

[BC_Programmer]

LMAO


good one

[ImnoGuru]

I dont think thumbing a ride would be as good as it sounds these days patio...
sure you have the freedom, but you are also resigned to go where the driver is headed, and that might be to the backwoods of Kentucky, Dueling banjo style. hahahaha

[mroilfield]

What ever you do don't go Kayaking down any rivers in Georgia.

[x2543]

but do take a pitstop in the yosemite, you just gotta see it

[patio]

That could be taken the wrong way...

[x2543]

That could be taken the wrong way...

how so?

[ImnoGuru]

Hello all. I'm back again. I've had a busy time of late planning some things.

Thank you for your recent posts, and sorry I haven't replied.

I had a haircut and color for the picture session for the passport photo..... and the hair cut turned out crap !!!

They tell me it takes 3 weeks to tell if you got a good haircut or not....
Well I decided early, I hate it.    
So now I'll have to try and fix it up... (wait for it to grow and lose a bit of the color).
I have to have a good photo for the passport. They last for ten years.

Everyone says I look like I've been at the Chernoble power plant site and are asking if I glow in the dark. Hahahaha

I'll have a read of these replies later and post to them.
Thanks ImnoGuru

[Aegis]

Color?  Really? 

[ImnoGuru]

Yes some color. I could sling you a whole yarn about the daughters going for her exams in the hairdressing academy, but thats a load o crap.
Reality is, I wanted it more blonde.
Guess my ego got the better of me and I just want to look younger than my accelerated years, (just in case some woman in the world might find me attractive enough to go out with me).
Surely there must one in the whole world!!!!!

[Aegis]

No, it's cool.  If I had something to work with, I might do the same! 

[ImnoGuru]

So, you keep the solar panel to the love machine well oiled then do you!!!

[quaxo]

"Oh, honey - don't stop to pick him up - he looks like he works with computers!"

Hahaha I nearly choked on my drink when I read that.

Sorry to wander off the topic...
A van would be a great way to see the Country...no schedule...no timeline.

Or a nice, fuel-efficient car and a few camping supplies in the trunk.

[ImnoGuru]

Or a nice, fuel-efficient car and a few camping supplies in the trunk.

Hi quaxo.Thanks for your post.
That's what I'm thinking. Get myself a good sized car with just the right amount of room to sleep in, some camping supplies and a way we gooooo...   

Ive been really busy of late. Sorry I haven't been able to get to reply to anyone.
I hadn't forgotten anyone, I just couldn't make any extra time to reply here.

I decided to paint the house before the trip so I can get the maximum valuation.
I'm thinking I might adjust my home loan to help cover trip expenses.  

Well the haircut is settling down now and starting to look good. (finally).