Don’t Make This Mistake When Traveling To A Small Town In The United States
When I told her I was from New Zealand the blank look on her face said it all…
Last month I traveled to the United States from New Zealand to attend my friend’s wedding. This was my 7th trip to the United States so I was fairly confident that I had my travel plans all sorted.
What I didn’t take into account was the fact that I was going to be visiting a small town that is not particularly well set up to accommodate the needs of international travelers. The first sign I should have paid attention to was the fact that I couldn’t fly into the city.
My journey to Mount Vernon Illinois began the day after arriving from New Zealand, which involved 3 flights totaling around 20 hours and an 11-hour stopover in Los Angeles. After a fantastic night’s sleep and a morning in St. Louis, Missouri, I hopped on the Greyhound bus to take the 1 ½ hour trip to Mount Vernon. I decided not to hire a car as I was traveling alone and did not feel comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road.
One of my favorite things to do when traveling is sit by the window on any drive and take in the new scenes of the place I am visiting. The bus was traveling to Nashville Tennessee, and Mount Vernon was the first stop on the way. As the bus pulled into the busy parking lot I could see a lot of fast food restaurants and gas stations all in their own blocks but relatively packed together. I thanked the driver, grabbed my large travel bag, and stepped off the bus. A girl walked up to me to ask a question about the bus as she was about to get on it to go to Nashville. Noticing my accent, she asked me where I was from.
When I told her I was from New Zealand the blank look on her face said it all, she had never heard of the country. It’s moments like these where you realize how far away from home you are.
It was hot out, so after my funny yet pleasant interaction I found some shade under a nearby tree to figure out how I would get to my hotel. A quick Google Maps check showed me that my hotel was only a 16-minute walk away. I considered walking and decided that with the heat and the size of my bag, I would be better off finding a ride. Surely a city that has all of your major fast-food restaurants and chain stores has Uber, Lyft, or something similar?
Think again.
Struck with mild panic, I quickly pulled myself together and attempted to look up a local taxi service. My search showed some almost promising results but after a few attempts and failed phone calls this option was thrown away. Time for the next option, I reluctantly strapped my large bag to my back and placed my smaller backpack on my front, and walked through the parking lot to the nearest footpath. It was going to be hot and a little bit painful, but I was going to have to make the 16-minute walk to my hotel.
Enter my next problem.
It took me around 10 minutes to finally reach the footpath, after traipsing through parking lots of various restaurants and stores. I could feel the sun on my head and shoulders and briefly considered digging through my bag for the sunblock but decided it would be too much effort and I was going to be at the hotel soon.
After a quick check of Google Maps to make sure I was headed in the right direction I looked at where I was supposed to be going and realized that there were no footpaths, so if I continued walking I would have to walk on a major road which was not going to happen. Feeling a little deflated, I shuffled back through the parking lots to the safety of the bus stop tree. It looked as if I was going to have to wait about 5 hours until my friend arrived in Mount Vernon with her car.
I decided to do one last check of transport options as I was certain that there must be a way to get to my hotel without a car. According to Google Maps, a bus would be arriving in 5 minutes that could drop me very close to my hotel (how did I miss this in the first place!?). Enter South City Transit to my rescue, a safe and reliable intra-city shuttle service providing riders access to work, education, medical appointments, and shopping. I’ll have to ask them to add “the rescue of international travelers” to their service description. The little shuttle pulled up right on time and only cost 50 cents for the trip. I gratefully handed the driver one dollar and he told me he didn’t have any change, I told him that it didn’t bother me I would have handed over $100 if it meant I could get to my hotel.
The remainder of my time in Mt Vernon was fantastic, despite mildly sunburnt shoulders. I spent a wonderful 3 days with friends and thankfully they all had cars with them so I was not going to be stuck in the same situation again. Everyone really enjoyed my story of getting to the hotel and we all had a good laugh at my naivety. The one piece of advice I have to offer is, if you are visiting a town or city for the first time, do your research on transport options within the location and plan accordingly, even if you are familiar with the country.
