Getting There

By Plane

Several airports accommodate commercial service in Texas, and choosing which one to fly to will depend on which particular airline you want to use and the part of Texas you plan to visit. The state's major airports are Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW), El Paso International (ELP), George Bush Intercontinental (IAH), and William P. Hobby (HOU) in Houston, and San Antonio International (SAT). Major airlines include Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.ca), American (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com; hub is DFW), America West (tel. 800/235-9292; www.americawest.com), British Airways (tel. 800/247-9297; www.britishairways.com), Continental (tel. 800/525-0280; www.continental.com), Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com), Frontier (tel. 800/432-1359; www.frontierairlines.com), Midwest Airlines (tel. 800/452-2022; www.midwestairlines.com), Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), Southwest (tel. 800/435-9792; www.southwest.com), United (tel. 800/864-8331; www.united.com), and US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com).

Immigration & Customs Clearance -- Foreign visitors arriving by air, no matter what the port of entry, should cultivate patience and resignation before setting foot on U.S. soil. Clearing immigration control can take as long as 2 hours. People traveling by air from Canada, Bermuda, and certain Caribbean countries can sometimes clear Customs and Immigration at the point of departure, which is much faster.

By Car

If you're planning a road trip, it's a good idea to join the American Automobile Association (tel. 800/336-4357; www.aaa.com). In Texas, AAA regional headquarters is at 6555 N. State Hwy. 161, Irving (tel. 469/221-6006); there are also offices in many other cities, including Amarillo, Austin, Dallas, Houston, and El Paso. Members can get excellent maps, tour guides, and emergency road service; they'll also help you plan an exact itinerary. Members can get free emergency road service by calling AAA's emergency number (tel. 800/AAA-HELP).

More than 3,000 miles of interstate highways crisscross this huge state, connecting four major urban areas to each other and to cities in nearby states. Some relevant mileages: Houston to New Orleans, 350 miles; Houston to Phoenix, 1,180 miles; Dallas to Little Rock, 320 miles; Dallas to Kansas City, 550 miles; and Dallas to Denver, 880 miles.

By Train

Amtrak (tel. 800/USA-RAIL; www.amtrak.com) has several routes through Texas. The Sunset Limited has stops at Beaumont/Port Arthur, Houston, San Antonio, Del Rio, Sanderson, Alpine, and El Paso on its New Orleans-to-Los Angeles run; the Heartland Flyer travels from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth (where it connects with the Texas Eagle); and the Texas Eagle, which runs from Los Angeles to San Antonio (where you can connect with the Sunset Limited) and on to Chicago, with stops at El Paso, Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth, among others.