wanting to traveling around the U.S. for a year with a need help and advice
Jul 26th, 2008, 06:29 AM
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wanting to traveling around the U.S. for a year with a need help and advice
Hi, my friend and I are planning to travel around America and Canada for a year in 2011, would really love to hear from people who have done the same sort of thing about their experiances etc, and we would like to know if any one can give us a rough idea of how much it'll cost and how much to take with us, we know it isn't going to be cheap, so we need to start saving! thanks very much hope you can help 
Dan.
Dan.
Jul 26th, 2008, 07:30 AM
#2
Do you know how you are planning to travel? By plane, bus, train, or buying/renting a car?
I suggest starting with guidebooks from your library. Try to find a Lonely Planet, Rough Guides or Let's Go that covers US/Canada.
Also www.lonelyplanet.com has a forum called The Thorn Tree you can read & post.
I suggest starting with guidebooks from your library. Try to find a Lonely Planet, Rough Guides or Let's Go that covers US/Canada.
Also www.lonelyplanet.com has a forum called The Thorn Tree you can read & post.
Jul 26th, 2008, 08:42 AM
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For the USA, you need to budget $80 a day for accomodation (hostel or camping) and food (self-catering). Transportation is not included in that guestimate. Neither are entrance fees, drinks, souveniers. More like $120 a day if you plan on renting a car.
You will need to get a B1/2 tourist visa for a trip of up to 6 months in the USA. You apply at the US consulate in your country, bring documentation of funds, ties to your country, and pay about $131.
The B1/2 visa can be renewed while in the USA, but you must be able to show a reason why you need and additional 6 months, and the funds to sustain yourself without working.
If you are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program, you can enter the USA for up to 90 days. However, once you enter the USA, even in transit, the 90 days will include all time spent in the north American continent, which includes Canada, Mexico, and adjacent islands. There is no renewal for entry under the VWP.
You really need to buy the Lonely Planet guidebook and post on that board. This board won't give you as much budget travel information as Lonely Planet.
You will need to get a B1/2 tourist visa for a trip of up to 6 months in the USA. You apply at the US consulate in your country, bring documentation of funds, ties to your country, and pay about $131.
The B1/2 visa can be renewed while in the USA, but you must be able to show a reason why you need and additional 6 months, and the funds to sustain yourself without working.
If you are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program, you can enter the USA for up to 90 days. However, once you enter the USA, even in transit, the 90 days will include all time spent in the north American continent, which includes Canada, Mexico, and adjacent islands. There is no renewal for entry under the VWP.
You really need to buy the Lonely Planet guidebook and post on that board. This board won't give you as much budget travel information as Lonely Planet.
Jul 26th, 2008, 10:59 AM
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You don;t give your nationality - but unless you're American you really need to do a lot of work on the visa issue. And plan on being able to prove'
1) that you intend to return home (as in registere for school or have ajob to go back to)
2) you have enough money to support yourelf for the whole time (as in bank statements, credit cards with high limitis etc
Many young europeans come here on a tourist visa and stay illegally - working for cash under the table - and Immigration does everything it can to weed them out - since they can easily become a charge on the system.
(And, if you're not a citizen, or have a green card, working here is illegal - and no legitimate business can employ you.)
The first thing you need to figure out is travel. Train here isn't an option - so your choices are car rental (expensive), flights (fast but often expensive) and bus (cheap but extremely tedious) and doesn't go to many sights outside major cities.
1) that you intend to return home (as in registere for school or have ajob to go back to)
2) you have enough money to support yourelf for the whole time (as in bank statements, credit cards with high limitis etc
Many young europeans come here on a tourist visa and stay illegally - working for cash under the table - and Immigration does everything it can to weed them out - since they can easily become a charge on the system.
(And, if you're not a citizen, or have a green card, working here is illegal - and no legitimate business can employ you.)
The first thing you need to figure out is travel. Train here isn't an option - so your choices are car rental (expensive), flights (fast but often expensive) and bus (cheap but extremely tedious) and doesn't go to many sights outside major cities.
Jul 26th, 2008, 11:19 AM
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ah yes sorry, we're both british, planning to travel by buying an old cheap car (old cars are better for fun, I have a rough mechanical knowledge incase we run in to mechanical trouble)
Jul 26th, 2008, 12:56 PM
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A few more thoughts:
- buying on old, cheap car is a bad idea right out of the gate. There's no good place to break down here. A reliable vehicle is essential regardless of your mechanical knowhow.
- you don't have financial credit here so you may have to pay for your car in full at the time of purchase.
- make sure you and friend have a driver's license that is accepted in Canada and US.
- you will need health insurance coverage of some kind for while you're here.
- you will need to purchase car insurance for whatever vehicle you end up buying.
- a year is a really long time, even for the US and Canada. You could cut the time in half and still see everything.
- start working on an itinerary now, pay attention to the change of seasons in different places.
- buying on old, cheap car is a bad idea right out of the gate. There's no good place to break down here. A reliable vehicle is essential regardless of your mechanical knowhow.
- you don't have financial credit here so you may have to pay for your car in full at the time of purchase.
- make sure you and friend have a driver's license that is accepted in Canada and US.
- you will need health insurance coverage of some kind for while you're here.
- you will need to purchase car insurance for whatever vehicle you end up buying.
- a year is a really long time, even for the US and Canada. You could cut the time in half and still see everything.
- start working on an itinerary now, pay attention to the change of seasons in different places.
Jul 26th, 2008, 01:35 PM
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I am guessing you are a lot younger than I am - so my first thought was to issue all sorts of motherly advice about things likes insurance, car problems, etc - as jaya has very aptly done.
Then, I remember telling my near-adult kids that if I had one thing to do over in my life it woulf have been to take more risks and go on more adventures before obligations of family, job, mortgage made that more difficult.
I would get some camping equipment, some way to get a car, and plan on about $100/day for food, fuel, camping fees, entry fees into interesting things, car breakdowns. Perhaps even look into a cheap camper/van - who knows what gas prices will be in 3 years, but then at least you would have some shelter for sleeping.
Agree with above poster, however. Lonely Planet board generally has more into on the sort of travels you imagine.
Then, I remember telling my near-adult kids that if I had one thing to do over in my life it woulf have been to take more risks and go on more adventures before obligations of family, job, mortgage made that more difficult.
I would get some camping equipment, some way to get a car, and plan on about $100/day for food, fuel, camping fees, entry fees into interesting things, car breakdowns. Perhaps even look into a cheap camper/van - who knows what gas prices will be in 3 years, but then at least you would have some shelter for sleeping.
Agree with above poster, however. Lonely Planet board generally has more into on the sort of travels you imagine.
Jul 26th, 2008, 01:44 PM
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Jul 26th, 2008, 03:30 PM
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I'm with Gail on this one. Have fun planning, as long as you have the visa issue sorted and enough money to get out of any problems that might occurr, you will be fine.
I would love to do this too but maybe only for 3 months. However as I am several decades older than you and would have to take three months off work to do it, it probably won't happen.
I would love to do this too but maybe only for 3 months. However as I am several decades older than you and would have to take three months off work to do it, it probably won't happen.
Jul 26th, 2008, 04:46 PM
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Dan - Do this trip as soon as you can. Your conversion rate is at an all time high. We met a lot of Europeans in Utah two months ago and they were really enjoying the exchange rate. Even our gas prices were really cheap for them.
We met one French couple who had shipped their Le Voyageur (a small RV) over to New York from France and they were spending 6 months driving around the country, mostly camping. They had a special French guidebook that outlined their routes for them. There may be some similar guide available in Britain designed for the travel you are contemplating.
But, the dollar can't stay this low for long. If it does, the US will be in deep hurt.
I'm with the others about getting your info from the Thorn Tree Travel Forum. I always use it when traveling abroad on the cheap.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa
There's also the North America Travel Blog:
http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/
There are also specific forums on the net for say traveling to Alaska or Baja and many other places.
Planning the trip can be a lot of fun. I hope you get to do it.
We met one French couple who had shipped their Le Voyageur (a small RV) over to New York from France and they were spending 6 months driving around the country, mostly camping. They had a special French guidebook that outlined their routes for them. There may be some similar guide available in Britain designed for the travel you are contemplating.
But, the dollar can't stay this low for long. If it does, the US will be in deep hurt.
I'm with the others about getting your info from the Thorn Tree Travel Forum. I always use it when traveling abroad on the cheap.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa
There's also the North America Travel Blog:
http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/
There are also specific forums on the net for say traveling to Alaska or Baja and many other places.
Planning the trip can be a lot of fun. I hope you get to do it.
Jul 26th, 2008, 05:40 PM
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Be aware that if you buy a car you will have to
1) register it - difficult without a permanent address
2) have it inspected by the state for safety - and pay for whatever it will cost to bring it up to safety standards (most inexpensive cars don;t meet inspection and bringing it up to code is your problem - since old cars are sold here "as is" - unless by inexpensive you're talking about $10,000 or so from a dealer, who does have to make sure the car is safe)
3) buy insurance ( and given you age and lack of US driving record you will be put in the risk pool - making insurance VERY expensive - even the most basic)
You will also need to buy health insurance (which I would try to get in europe as part of travel insurance - since here the cost will be outrageous)
I think this sounds like a great idea - BUT - you really need to do your homework on how things work here and what they cost - so you don;t end up with major financial or legal problems.
(When I was 19 my boyfriend and I spent 6 weeks in europe - since that was what we could afford - but we had all the details down pat before we left.)
1) register it - difficult without a permanent address
2) have it inspected by the state for safety - and pay for whatever it will cost to bring it up to safety standards (most inexpensive cars don;t meet inspection and bringing it up to code is your problem - since old cars are sold here "as is" - unless by inexpensive you're talking about $10,000 or so from a dealer, who does have to make sure the car is safe)
3) buy insurance ( and given you age and lack of US driving record you will be put in the risk pool - making insurance VERY expensive - even the most basic)
You will also need to buy health insurance (which I would try to get in europe as part of travel insurance - since here the cost will be outrageous)
I think this sounds like a great idea - BUT - you really need to do your homework on how things work here and what they cost - so you don;t end up with major financial or legal problems.
(When I was 19 my boyfriend and I spent 6 weeks in europe - since that was what we could afford - but we had all the details down pat before we left.)
Jul 26th, 2008, 07:09 PM
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Maybe you can find the book HEADFIRST INTO AMERICA By Marlene Smith-Graham. Try their site www.usatrip.org Book was published by Colcourt Publishing of Wichita, KS and Ft. Myers, FL It's about a family that a year off and traveled the US of A.
Jul 27th, 2008, 06:06 AM
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Make your reservations a year out if you are staying in hotels in any of the national parks. You can find out the name of the operator by logging onto www.nps.gov. This is the main page for all the national parks and monuments. From there you can click on any state and get a list of the parks & monuments there and then get detailed info on each park. Xanterra.com is the conessionair for a number of them. If you plan to camp in the national parks go to www.recreation.gov. Not all campgrounds accept reservations, many on are on a first come basis.
In either case get an America the Beautiful pass at your first stop. Currently costs $80 but is good for all entrance fees for a calendar year to all federal areas including forest service, BLM, & National Parks & Monuments for all in the car. This covers only entrance fees you still have to pay for tours, camping and alike. In Canada they offer a number of different passes. Google Canada Parks Pass for info.
In either case get an America the Beautiful pass at your first stop. Currently costs $80 but is good for all entrance fees for a calendar year to all federal areas including forest service, BLM, & National Parks & Monuments for all in the car. This covers only entrance fees you still have to pay for tours, camping and alike. In Canada they offer a number of different passes. Google Canada Parks Pass for info.
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