Salt Lake City: Travel guide, prices and free housing · 2026

LKLyudmila Kovalevamila_kovaleva · Oct 15, 2011Read

September 11th was the day we left Cody... To say I was upset and depressed is an understatement... I was devastated! Of course, I understood that everything comes to an end eventually, but it's so hard to say goodbye to things you've grown used to and come to love... We received our last paycheck the day before and were shocked that our employers returned all the money we had paid them for hotel accommodation, explaining that they didn't want us to go home empty-handed, especially since we never managed to find a second job. We bought our tickets to New York online in advance (you need a Visa or Master Card for this... the best sites for booking are expedia and orbitz). Our flight was at 12:50 PM, so we had some time in the morning to say our goodbyes. We also said goodbye to our cozy little room, where so much had happened... I even apologized to it for the fire I started). Around 9:30 AM, Viki picked us up and drove us to the airport. As we drove, I couldn't stop looking at my favorite city... and I felt so sick realizing that I might never be able to walk these familiar streets again. As soon as we pulled up to the airport, we saw our American grandpa, who had also come to see us off. Since we still had time, we went to a cafe to have coffee and talk one last time. When it was time to leave Cody, Aselya and I couldn't hold back our emotions... We expressed our huge gratitude to Viki and Grandpapa for being so kind and treating us like family. After all, if it weren't for them, who knows what would have happened to us. It was a huge surprise that Viki and Grandpapa couldn't hold back their emotions either and started crying... you just can't imagine how touched we were that they valued us so much! Once I got on the plane, I couldn't calm down for a long time and was afraid the flight attendant would think I wasn't quite normal). Our flight wasn't direct; we had a layover in Salt Lake City... so we had to spend almost the whole day at the airport there. I desperately wanted to see the city, but Aselya said she wouldn't budge from her spot. But even at the airport, I managed to find us some trouble) Realizing there was no way to convince her, I decided to ask her to at least step outside with me to get some fresh air... but we couldn't find that damn exit! Finally, when we saw the long-awaited "Exit" sign, we happily headed straight for that door. Inside, there was a staircase going down and another door... and when we pushed that very door, an alarm went off, worse than the one we had at home. I felt like some kind of terrorist) Terrified, we bolted out of there and saw a sign on the door saying it was for airport staff only.) We immediately blended into the crowd and tried to act natural. After that, Aselya said she would never listen to me again in her life (and rightly so). Moral of the story: please, don't go through any unknown doors!)

ДЕДарья Евдокименкоevdokimenko_dari · Jun 22, 2016Read

So, travel! Thanks to those who made it to this section;) I hope the information will be helpful. I can't express how much we all dreamed of traveling. Working in a tiny resort village where the only entertainment was a supermarket and the ocean (with sharks). Naturally, we started planning in advance - there was nothing else to do... My cherished travel dream was always the Grand Canyon, the beloved California, and Yellowstone National Park - all these places are in the western US, but quite far from each other, so I doubted if I would manage to visit them all. Especially since everything is so expensive in America. Speaking of the financial side, we saved up plenty of money, so we could afford a budget of $2000, which is about what we actually spent. However, some guys chose to buy iPhones and other tech instead of traveling. Well, it’s up to you! How we planned the trip. First of all, I changed my return tickets. The IEC.Exchange should send you an email on how to do this. 2 weeks of travel seemed clearly insufficient to me, so I decided to stay in America for 10 days longer, which cost me $160. It's very expensive, but I came to America for the sake of travel. After Googling all sorts of tour booking sites (we took a two-week national park tour for $700) and tickets, we made a rough travel plan and decided on the amount. The approximate cost of a ticket, from NY to LA, for example, is $50-100. Here is a rough plan: Norfolk (the nearest large city with an airport) Orlando (3 days) Los Angeles Grand-Canyon Vegas Utah State - Salt Lake City Yellowstone National Park San Francisco Yosemite National Park Los Angeles (2 days) New York (3 days) We spent about $1000 on tickets, tours, and accommodation. We spent the same amount on shopping. During the trip, we visited about 10 states. And we have enough photos and impressions to last a lifetime. 3. Now I will tell you how we booked all this and what we used. All air tickets need to be compared on different sites. Prices may vary. Try: https://www.skyscanner.ru https://www.expedia.com https://www.aviasales.ru https://www.spirit.com - super budget tickets, but there may be delays, the planes are old, and you have to pay extra for luggage and carry-on. But if you are traveling with one backpack - this is definitely the best option. Always check if luggage is included in the ticket! Somewhere they will charge $20 for luggage, and somewhere even $100. Check the information on the airline websites. My friend spent $100-200 just on luggage. Overweight is paid from $50-100, an extra bag is about the same. If you only need a bus (I already wrote about them in more detail): https://www.greyhound.com http://www.gotobus.com http://www.chinatown-bus.org It's damn cold in all the buses! And it doesn't matter that it's +35 outside. I remember how the first time I laughed that Americans carry jackets with them on the bus. Now I always take a small blanket and terry socks with me. We took the tour itself on http://www.taketours.com - a Chinese company. The more of you go, the cheaper it gets! The tour includes transport and accommodation. You will have to pay separately for guide services ($8 per day), some excursions (optional), and food. Searching for tours is very convenient - you enter the place where the tour starts (we chose LA), then the place or places where you want to go, and suitable tours are shown on the screen. Of course, traveling on your own is more interesting. But we would never have visited so many places in just 12 days on our own. Accommodation booking: http://www.booking.com/ - hotel booking http://www.hostelworld.com - hostels www.airbnb.ru/c/devdokimenko1?s=8 - apartments or rooms. Sometimes it turns out quite inexpensive. Registering via the link will get you a bonus. https://www.couchsurfing.com - live for free in someone's apartment. They might just give you a bed, and sometimes you get a whole room. I personally used each of the options. Decide for yourself which one is