February 2008 - We’re Keith and Marie, our home is in England (UK). I'm 60 and Marie is 57. We started our trip in July 2004 and are still enjoying the RV life-style but we'll be returning home in summer 2008 and our rig will be off the road until next year - we intend, though, to spend the next winter season in our now-favourite state of Arizona.
We own a 1 Ton, long-box Chevvy Silverado dually with a Duramax turbo-diesel engine / Allison auto-transmission power train. This tows our home, a 36 foot (11.5 metre) fifth wheel trailer with three slides. The trailer is rated at 14,000 lbs (6300Kg) gross vehicle weight. Both were bought in Houston, Texas. On the road trailer weight is ca 13,000 lbs.
See http://rving.sunpix.co.uk/ for more information. There is also information relating to entering the USA using a B1 / B2 visa and about travel in a fifth wheel trailer based on our personal experience.
Below are some of the issues we have faced before and during our trip. Although we are Brits, many aspects will be similar for other non-US travellers They are listed in no particular order of importance. If you are planning to use any information please check that it is current and relevant for you.
VISA For a visit to the USA of more than 3 months, a B1 / B2 business/visitor visa is necessary. The American Embassy in your home country issues these. A charge is made for the issue of the Visa. A VISA DOES NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO ENTER OR STAY IN THE USA. Before entering the US an I-94 card (application to enter the USA) has to be completed. At the border an immigration official will decide whether you may enter the country. If permission is granted, the I-94 card will be stamped with the date of expiry and the bottom part stapled in your passport. Usually the maximum time of six months is granted but recently (February 2008) we have heard of travellers who have been given permission to stay for 12 months. It would be an offence to stay beyond the expiry date of the I-94 without permission.
Whilst in the USA you can apply for an extension of your stay. Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status is available online or by post from US Citizenship and Immigration Services www.uscis.gov. The cost in late 2005 was $200 per application, not per person. A detailed submission must be made explaining the circumstances for requesting an extension. We made two successful applications and stayed for 18 consecutive months. The third application was denied and we had to leave the US before our I-94 expired. See http://rving.sunpix.co.uk/ for more details about what to expect when entering the USA.
You may travel across the border into Canada and stay for up to 30 days on a current I-94 (provided it would not have expired before re-entry) but longer than 30 days would mean surrendering one's I-94 and re-applying at the US border when wanting to return. See http://rving.sunpix.co.uk/ for additional information.
BANKING UK credit cards work fine in the US. Credit Card companies may make additional charges for foreign transactions. We've used Nationwide credit cards all the time and have found the service excellent - there is no additional charge for purchases made outside the UK. The UK Post Office credit card also makes no additional charge for foreign transactions.
SAGA charges 1% for foreign transactions but we had many problems with this company.
When we first arrived, our UK Debit Cards did not work for getting cash-back at store check-outs because the PINs were not recognized. We gave up trying to resolve this difficulty and opened a dollar checking account with Wells Fargo. A US checking account has been invaluable when buying goods or services online because a US billing address is usually required. A checking account is also convenient for depositing mail-in rebate checks and for issuing personal checks when campgrounds do not accept plastic cards. Chip and PIN is not used in the US but will be rolled out at some point in the future - we think!
We transfer money from our online UK bank as necessary – this costs £8 per transaction plus a $10 Wells Fargo transaction charge. You may find it less expensive to withdraw cash from an ATM using a credit card.
PHONES Cell phones are just as popular in the US as in the UK. Prepay phones can be bought cheaply and easily from retail outlets. Unlike in the UK , ‘air-time’ is charged both for incoming and outgoing calls. To keep the service active, and credit rolled-over month to month, regular payments have to be made (typically every 1, 2 or 3 months). Contract phones may be harder to come by. The lack of a Social Security Number (and US credit rating) prevented us entering a contract with Verizon for example. A 'call-card' may be economical for ringing home. We found the MCI card least expensive when ringing back to the UK but many are available and rates need to be checked carefully.
US ADDRESS A legal address is required for registering, titling and insuring a vehicle. Certain states recognize PMBs (Private Mail Boxes) as legal addresses. Texas, South Dakota and Florida may be good choices for foreigners. We chose Texas, using the Mail Service address of the Escapees RV Club in Livingston. This mail service provides addresses for many RVers.
MAIL As indicated above, Escapees RV Club has a receipt and forwarding service. Other mail handling and forwarding services are available.
DRIVING LICENCE UK licences are accepted. We have never been asked to show an International Driving Permit (this is NOT a driving license) but it may be useful in some States. A UK licence may attract loading of insurance premiums.
For extended stays it is worth considering taking a US driving test. A Texas licence cost $24 in 2004 and was valid for seven years.
The driving test in Texas was far easier than a UK driving test. A 'Driver Handbook' (like 'The Highway Code' in the UK) may be obtained from libraries or DMVs. The theory test has multiple choice questions, computer-based. Driving test centres can be very busy. We started waiting in line at 6·45am for a 9 o'clock driving test. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT TAKING A TEST IN A LARGE DUALLY TRUCK (as we did)! Use a rental car if nothing else is available.
BUYING AN RV Just as in the UK, or anywhere else for that matter, caveat emptor . Research, research, research…visit lots of dealers…try to avoid getting stuck with a sales person too soon. This can be hard but despite their reputation sales people are almost human – you CAN get a lot of help from a good one!
Ask for brochures and the manufacturer's price list but don’t discuss dealer prices until you're ready to buy. Prepare your exit strategy. Good luck. You’ll probably need it!
Try www.intlauto.com before you leave the UK if you'd like a new car or truck at a significant discount over showroom prices.
DOCUMENTATION Buying, registering, titling and insurance should be straightforward provided you have a legally recognized address. Titling and Registering in Texas (Polk County) was straightforward. (although the clerk needed telephone help from the local DMV office because we did not have Social Security Numbers)
Unlike the UK, travel-trailers ('caravans') and fifth-wheel trailers have their own registration plate and ownership (title) documents . Tags (UK tax disc) for both trailer and towing vehicle are renewed annually. Postal renewal or online. Tags arrive in a few days. The cost of registration and titling varies from State to State. Online renewal is easy, even from the UK.
INSURANCE Varies considerably from State to State and may be more expensive if using a UK licence. Holding a US licence could make a big difference. Texas can be an expensive state for insurance. Research Escapees members' web pages (http://www.escapees.com) for insurance experiences. Some insurers do not write policies for Texas. We chose Explorer RV (agency) using National Interstate Insurance. AON has been noted for a good service. The premium for our truck went up alarmingly from about $750 pa for the first two years, to $1200 in 2007/2008. GEICO quoted the same recently. (Feb 08) Trailer $815 currently. All arrangements were made by telephone, Internet and Fax. Be sure that your insurance is written for FULL TIME TRAVELLERS if you will be on the road for 180 days or more. Be aware that you may not have any coverage when you leave your unit to return home - check policy conditions.
CLUBS Escapees RV Club recommended. The club also has a number of good campgrounds. Good Sam is useful for members 10% discount on daily rate at many parks and its additional-cost RV breakdown service. We have used Passport America for half-price daily rates. There are often restrictions but we found it good value. Happy Camper is similar but we found it less useful. Trailer Life and Woodalls campground guides give good information about hundreds of parks. Coast to Coast (C2C), Western Horizons and other buy-in schemes are expensive. KOA parks (Kampgrounds of America) are expensive and often old but can be useful to widen choice. 10% off daily rate is given to members.
INFORMATION Trailer Life (trailers) or FMCA (motorhomes - both subscription) magazines. We don't rate the Good Sam magazine very highly. Escapees magazine can be useful. Big Rig Guide (purchase online and in some campgrounds) recommended if you have a large rig. Mountain Directory (buy online or at Camping World, east and west separately) is very helpful – there are a lot of big hills in the US! We've found Microsoft Street and Trips good for trip planning on our computer. DeLorme Street Atlas is less user-friendly we found. We use a Wal-Mart Rand MacNally Atlas - not brilliant but cheap and as good as the rest. Get State tourism maps from Information Centres or AAA. SatNav / GPS systems seem to have become almost the norm – not vital but probably very helpful and easy. We don't have one - yet!!
PARK PASSES Interagency Pass (National Parks Pass) is good value. The initial cost is quickly covered after a few visits. The annual pass can be purchased at information centres or at park entry booths on the first visit. Gives entry to all US National Parks and Monuments. States parks do not accept the National Pass.
TAXES Sales Tax is between 5 and 10 percent. Some States may have lower rates and Oregon, for example, has no sales tax BUT check whether you’d be able to register and title a vehicle. Oregon allows only genuine residents to buy and register there. Buying in one State and then registering in another may attract additional tax.
TRAVEL INSURANCE Try Primary Insurance http://www.primaryinsurance.co.uk or Travel Insurance Agency (TIA) www.travelinsurers.com for coverage up to 365 days. There may be others.
INTERNET We use libraries and campground Wi-Fi to access the Internet for email etc Pocketmail is an alternative for email over any telephone. We haven’t found an overwhelming need for our own ISP (Internet Service Provider) but there are some inexpensive dial-up providers. Dial-up is as slow as in the UK. Satellite broadband can be good but is VERY expensive. Wireless Internet is gradually becoming more widely available but campgrounds are still not well served (February 2008). Where it is available, daily rates range from around $2.50 to $10. Often there is no additional charge but we've found that reception at campgrounds can be patchy, with variable signal strength and flaky systems. The more folks using wireless computers on a campground, the more it will slow-down the system.
It's some time since we started our trip and I would like to know whether our experiences are still relevant, particularly so in connection with the constantly changing security / immigration situation. If readers have any relevant experience or information I would be happy to include this. You can reach me at keithmcquinroberts1(at)yahoo.com
I am very grateful to Kirk Wood for all his practical help and for continuing to provide a space to record this information.
For more info, with a personal emphasis and fifth-wheel bias, visit me at http://rving.sunpix.co.uk/
There’s also much useful and interesting information at the website of Linda and Wullie Keir http://geocities.com/TheTropics/Coast/4356/index.html
apologies for any inconsistencies between American and Brit spellings!