We are 3 English girls who have driven round Australia in a campervan and can't wait to do the USA - any advice on anything welcome!!

Emma, how about telling us where you are starting from, how long you will be in the states, what you like to do/see, and whether your budget will be $, $$, $$$, or $$$$$$? There is so much to see and do here, and we all want to welcome you by giving you the best suggestions! Maybe you could even manage to meet some of us, so we could give you a better insight of what it is really like over here! Welcome!

Well, we will arrive in LA on June 6 (maybe not the best time considering the amount of tourists) and then we want to get an internal flight to Seattle and drive the whole of the West Coast down to San Diego. Then, San Diego to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon (then of course covering all sights and National Parks on the way) make our way through New Mexico, Texas, Loisiana, New Orleans, then up to the Great Lakes through Iowa and to Chicago and Detroit. Then Canada to Niagara and dow to Maine then all of the East Coast to end up in Miami in November. Phew!
We want to spend as little as possible but staying in motels or Bed & Breakfasts and if possible to buy a car or do a car delivery type journey. I lived in Michigan for 6 years and went to University in Maine and have travelled a bit of the country (New York, Boston, Cape Cod)and can't wait to see the rest. We want a good route not on the big freeways, but a more scenic journey. Not sure also of the implications of wanting to get a bit of work along the way - apparantly this is pretty much no go!

Any advice on anything appreciated - looking forward to any responses. Thanks! Emma

For info on national parks, go to
www.nps.gov
then select
"Visit Your Parks", then "Detailed Regional Maps", then "Desert Southwest"
The latter map will have the numerous parts of the National Parks Service that will be of interest to you.

To save money and get closer to nature, I suggest you have a tent and sleeping bags for camping. When visiting national parks, there's something about waking up to the natural beauty around you to enhance the experience.

You are completely correct in that there is no legal way for you to find work along the way. Your only options would be selling your bodies, forged documents, or sweat shops. At *BEST* you'll risk immediate deportation.

Hi Emma,

I hope you have a wonderful time in the US - it sounds like a great trip. I agree that one of your least expensive alternatives would be camping as much as you can. You could spend as little as $6-$8 per night for rustic site (you can still go to the more modern capmgrounds to use the showers) and even the more modern sites are not that expensive. Otherwise, small motels (mom & pop type places) on the small highways will tend to be the least expensive and some chains like Motel 6 are inexpensive. Bed & breakfasts in the US are not the low cost alternatives that they tend to be in Britain. Here they are generally considered romantic getaways and the price tag corresponds to that. It can be difficult and expensive to get lodging close to popular sites like the grand canyon. If you cannot plan ahead and get reservations, try to arrive on Sunday late morning early afternoon, which is when many people will be vacating. Campgrounds often keep a few spots for walk-ins but they can fill up quickly. As with travelling anywhere, get most of your meals from the grocery store rather than eating out to cut costs. When you get to Chicago, make sure you do some blues clubs - B.L.U.E.S on Halsted is one of our favorites and tends to be a little less expensive than some of the others. The Green Mill has a cover of only $2 after midnight and is free after 2:00 a.m. - it's a great place for jazz and people watching. Consider going to a Cubs baseball game to get a real feel for our favorite American pastime. If you can get bleacher seats, they're the most fun and least expensive. Have a great trip!

Emma. Several people have mentioned camping as an alternative to motel stays. If you should choose that route you should have camping gear suited for cold weather camping. You said you were planning to be in Miami by Nov. that would put you in VA around Oct. and it can get pretty cold at night here. Plus many of the nat'l parks are in higher elevations. another thing you must be aware of is the possibility of a wild animal encounter. Bears would be the most dangerous. Read up on what to do to not attract them to your campsite. What choices you make have fun.

Hi, Emma,
Sounds like a lot of fun.
The essential thing about your car situation is insurance. As a nonresident you may have major difficulty obtaining car insurance if you want to purchase a car or van and then drive around. Insurance is mandatory and you'd be foolish to try to "go bare" (not "bear" as in campground companions). Not a big problem with rented transport, but of course the cost is a lot higher.
I'd recommend you ring up your insurance company in Britain and describe your plans, or possibly call the AA or RAC and see if they have any suggestions. One alternate is to have someone you know in the US buy a car for you (you pay), then have you named as co-insured on his/her policy. You pay his/her insurance bill, agree on how to dispose the vehicle when you leave, etc. I know it sounds like a hassle, and it is, but better plan now than be disappointed (or financially whacked by a car hire/leasing firm) when you arrive.
PS Don't miss the Samoa Cookhouse near Eureka, Calif.

Emma,

I'm very glad that you are including Iowa on your itinerary. We are often overlooked by travelers but our tourism industry has blossomed in the last few years. It's a good place to see "real America" or at least a slice of it.
I edit a statewide travel magazine called The Iowan and would be happy to help you with anything you need during your jaunt through the state. If you are here in mid-August, you'll want to spend a day at the Iowa State Fair, a grand event that includes free entertainment, big grandstand shows, a carnival, livestock and crop competitions and lots of food. It's pure Iowa and a great event that draws people from around the world. I imagine you will be driving down Interstate 80 so most of my suggestions are for attractions that are close to the interstate.

In western Iowa, you might want to stop in Council Bluffs to experience the Loess Hills, a geographical formation that is unique to two places in the United States: Iowa and China. It's beautiful and full of bed and breakfasts. Council Bluffs is also home to three riverboat casinos, if that's your kind of thing and has several good museums. (Omaha is just across the river and a good place for nightlift.) Coming out of Council Bluffs, be sure to stop in Elk Horn, a Danish settlement where you can see windmills, get a Danish meal, tour their fine immigrants museum, get fabulous pastry and see a replica of the Little Mermaid statue in Denmark. South of there, in Stanton, there's a fine Swedish museum. Closer to Des Moines is Winterset, home to John Wayne and The Bridges of Madison County of book and movie fame. You can visit the movie set for Bridges, John Wayne's home and, of course, the half dozen covered bridges. You are still in western Iowa but approaching Des Moines. Almost straight north of Winterset about 60 miles is a good splurge. A millionaire from California bought the old railroad hotel in Perry and turned it into a beautiful hotel. It is decorated in the Arts and Crafts period style and has a 4-star restaurant. It's wonderful and is called the Hotel Pattee. On the west side of Des Moines is Living History Farms, an outdoor museum where you can learn more about agriculture in Iowa through the ages. Des Moines is also the proud home of a fine art museum with a noteable collection of modern work. Nightlife here is a mixed bag but if you know where to look, you can hear good music and get good meals. In Eastern Iowa you may want to spend some time in the Amana Colonies, a communal living experiment that lasted for more than 100 years. Lots of shops, museums, a nice beer garden/brewery there. Cedar Rapids has a fine art museum with a very good collection of Grant Wood work. Iowa City is a nice university town and fairly compact. You'd enjoy it. Great night life. The Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum is worth a stop is you're a history buff. IT's located in West Branch. And the Quad Cities have a wide array of attractions: riverboat casinos, some nice restaurants, a terrific minor league baseball stadium (a nice contract to cricket) and great shopping districts and lovely bed and breakfasts.
If you want, I can get you in contact with the Division of Tourism for more information, including a comprehensive camping guide. I'd be happy to help you with any questions, too. (I will warn you that there'll be some snide remarks about Iowa, but only from people who have never been here). My magazine's website is www.iowan.com

Our forums are a place for travelers to talk to travelers -- you can ask questions, get advice, or share great stories from your trips. But please, no rudeness and NO ADVERTISING.

Alright, this is the second time this has happened to me. I mentioned my website (which is advertising free) because Emma said she is going to be in Iowa. So, if I recommended someone elses website (I note references all the time to Frommers, Lonely Planet, etc.) would it be ok? Really, I don't make a dime off my site; it's a service. Sorry you think I'm trying to pull a fast one.

Dear Emma:
Since you are starting your trip on the West Coast, don't make plans too far ahead, in case you're smitten by the incredible beauty of the region and decide you don't care to visit less beautiful parts of the country. Or you might just stay--as I did thirty-seven years ago.

To the top

You go girls! Wow, what a trip. I think renting or leasing a conversion van (I think that's our version of a camper van) is a great idea. I'm no so sure about the tent camping idea. That's a lot of extra work every day (set up and tear down) and seems to me that staying in a tent makes three woman somewhat vulnerable. Ditto the poster who said be careful camping in the national parks. If you don't know what you're doing, you can definitely be in danger of bear attacks, etc. My brother and his family go hiking in a different one every year, and last year they hiked in Glacier Nat'l. They were way up on some mountain in the middle of nowhere when they came across two German guys - one of them was hiking with a large sausage/pepperoni stick hanging off his backpack! Can we say grizzly bear? Also, if you're going into Canada, make sure you have the proper identification. Since the terrorist attacks, the bridges to Canada in my area (Buffalo/Niagara Falls) have become very security conscious. When you get to Niagara Falls, make sure you spend time on the Canadian side AND the American side. Have a great trip.

Emma, your trip sounds fantastic. You might try looking into hostels and colleges and universities for lower priced lodging. Some universities and colleges offer their dorms for use in the summer. Also, why not contact Mastercard for some sponsorship. They have a series of commericials where they show consumers using their mastercard to buy things (like baseball tickets), and it culminates in the adventure (two buddies going to every major league ball park for a baseball game) being "priceless". Your journey sounds like it might fit into their advertising scheme. Keep us posted!

If you check the date when this topic started (March 2000) and then notice the mention of June in Emma's second post, you'll probably realize her trip started in June 2000 and would already be over long, long ago. Even if her second post was referring to June 2001 instead of June 2000, anything else posted on this thread wouldn't be of any use to her now.

While I appreciate everyone's attempts to give a fellow traveler useful information, can we please stop treating this as a current topic? Thanks!

Contact some insurance companies in the U.S., like State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, etc., and tell them your situation. They can help you out with short-term insurance. I've had friends from the UK do this same thing several times. You can pick up a used car pretty cheaply (particularly when compared with the prices you're used to).

My friends who have done this typically end up having paid nothing for the car, as they were able to sell it for as much or nearly as much as they paid.

The first part of your trip is going to be HOT. I don't even want to think about Texas and New Orleans in June/July/August.

If you're looking for work, check with bars in cities or busy resort towns. These are the places most likely to hire someone without a work visa.