A Foreigner Wanting To Drive Around America?

[renewed]

I would pass on america, there's nothing to see here but walmart.

Sarcasm? If so fail. Being serious? Sort of feel bad for you. America is beautiful and very diverse. Although the history is somewhat young, it is rich. Also look at Texas. You could be in canyons in the morning, the beach by noon, hill country and pasture land by mid afternoon and mountains and snow by sun down.

And that's one state.

If you honestly haven't seen different parts of America, you are missing out.

 

[JNB]

You could be in canyons in the morning, the beach by noon, hill country and pasture land by mid afternoon and mountains and snow by sun down.

And that's one state.

You can do the same in one county in California.

 

[dmr727]

Here's a bit of a read for you. A few years back, a New Zealander shipped his car over from Holland and drove coast-to-coast across the US when he was repatriating.

The story really gets started with his departure, around post #142.

If nothing else, reading it should get you motivated!

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f135/mad-idea-need-some-help-coming-america-14153/

I know this was for the OP, but that was a cool read. Thanks!

 

[flopticalcube]

Remember to limit your trip to 90 days or less and register with ESTA at least a few days before you go: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and...y-country/north-central-america/united-states

 

[renewed]

You can do the same in one county in California.

Really? That's awesome. Which county?

 

[Xavier]

So if I hire a car for two months and cross states, if I get stopped by the police it will be cool?...that the car has out of state plates will not raise eyebrows?

Never done this before so just not sure, thanks.

I saw a hawaii plate a week ago and a colorado plate today in Indiana.

 

[acurafan]

You can do the same in one county in California.

^^ all that and you can possibly be floating in the pacific in 2 seconds flat. HA! only in cali i keep a life jacket in my sports car

 

[Decrepit]

No American address, want to cross several states.

How to do this?

It seems even the idea of buying a car and driving it would be more complex.

Can you hire a car long term and drive it anywhere?

Depending on how much time you have, you could consider doing Yellowstone -> Rocky Mountain National Park - > Mount Rushmore.

You'll see some of the spectacular sights that are so unique to the USA.

That would put you through Wyoming, Colorado and South Dakota.

If you have all kinds of time, you could split the trip in half, do those three, then fly down and go see the Grand Canyon. From there, you could drive to Las Vegas and then fly back home.

It's only 6 hours between the Canyon and Vegas, so you'd have plenty of time to do other stuff too. You'd go through Arizona, Utah and Nevada. So you could get yourself a bunch of states, and see some incredible stuff.

Have fun!

And if you do come through Colorado, let me know, I'll buy you a steak.

 

[snberk103]

... Also look at Texas. You could be in canyons in the morning, the beach by noon, hill country and pasture land by mid afternoon and mountains and snow by sun down.

And that's one state.

If you honestly haven't seen different parts of America, you are missing out.

You can do the same in one county in California.

You can do that in one City in Vancouver, BC

Plus go salmon fishing, golfing, and eat at what the New York Times calls some of the best restaurants on the continent.....

 

[Makosuke]

Really? That's awesome. Which county?

Humboldt (where I'm from), Mendocino, probably Sonoma. I had resisted a similar comment myself.

Add Siskiyou and Modoc to Humboldt, and you can go from the beach to the biggest trees on earth to the snowy mountains to the high desert and back in a day. I've done it, in fact.

 

[snberk103]

.... to some of the biggest trees on earth ...

Fixed that for you
Despite what Wikipedia says, the top ten biggest trees are scattered over at least 3 nations....

That said, that part of California is pretty amazing. I've driven around it a bit, and the surrounding areas as well, and have always found something new and cool to see.

 

[Macky-Mac]

OK Alamo looks good.

"Our USA rental rates are inclusive, so you know exactly what you're going to pay. Basic coverages, damage waivers, and taxes are all accounted for. All our US car hire rentals are offered with free unlimited mileage"

having just returned from a trip during which I rented a car......one thing you need to be prepared for is that when you pick up your car, they're going to try really really hard to sell you damage waiver upgrades. They'll make it sound like EVERYBODY buys these and anybody who doesn't is about to make a huge mistake.

The rental agent asked me "Do you want the premium insurance? or just the basic insurance?" What she didn't say was that the "basic insurance" was also an upgrade, it just had a deceptive name.....and it cost another $17 a day. I said no thanks but they sure were pushing it.

So I'm warning you! Be prepared for the up-sale and know in advance what and how you're covered.

 

[Makosuke]

Fixed that for you
Despite what Wikipedia says, the top ten biggest trees are scattered over at least 3 nations....

You're right, I should have said "tallest." Interestingly, the top several tallest trees on earth (all coast redwoods) are not explicitly identified; there's a forestry professor here who makes a hobby of measuring trees in isolated parts of national forests, and while he publishes the heights--multiple world records--he does not identify the locations to prevent a bunch of tourist traffic from screwing up the area.

The "tall tree" (so named due to its only being the tallest well-documented tree) already has a limited number of visitors per day--you need to get a pass to go there.

 

[yg17]

having just returned from a trip during which I rented a car......one thing you need to be prepared for is that when you pick up your car, they're going to try really really hard to sell you damage waiver upgrades. They'll make it sound like EVERYBODY buys these and anybody who doesn't is about to make a huge mistake.

The rental agent asked me "Do you want the premium insurance? or just the basic insurance?" What she didn't say was that the "basic insurance" was also an upgrade, it just had a deceptive name.....and it cost another $17 a day. I said no thanks but they sure were pushing it.

So I'm warning you! Be prepared for the up-sale and know in advance what and how you're covered.

If he's coming from a foreign country, he may want to consider getting the rental insurance unless he's 110% sure his insurance company back home will cover a rental in a foreign country, because with the rental insurance, you can return the keys and a piece of scrap metal from the car, say "Oops, I wrecked it" and all they can say is "Okay sir, have a nice day"

 

[bamaworks]

I would pass on america, there's nothing to see here but walmart.

Ridiculous.

 

[snberk103]

You're right, I should have said "tallest." Interestingly, the top several tallest trees on earth (all coast redwoods) are not explicitly identified; there's a forestry professor here who makes a hobby of measuring trees in isolated parts of national forests, and while he publishes the heights--multiple world records--he does not identify the locations to prevent a bunch of tourist traffic from screwing up the area.

The "tall tree" (so named due to its only being the tallest well-documented tree) already has a limited number of visitors per day--you need to get a pass to go there.

"Tallest" or "Biggest", it doesn't matter. If you Google 'tallest' and 'Canada', for example, you will see that a documented Sitka Spruce in BC is tall enough to qualify for the Wikipedia Top Ten list, but isn't included on that list. There are a couple of others as well. Actually, Searching on 'tallest' and 'Canada' brought up lists that included the Australian trees....

The California Redwoods as a species may be the tallest/biggest in the world, but they are not individually all of the tallest/biggest trees globally.

Just nitpicking, and as I said as well - the Redwood groves are definitely worth a visit. That whole part of the state is worth a visit...

Cheers

 

[mactastic]

I'll second the California coast drive advice. The coastal road between Santa Barbara and San Francisco is amazing. And if you also happen to like wine, you're in for a real treat.

 

[jtara]

So if I hire a car for two months and cross states, if I get stopped by the police it will be cool?...that the car has out of state plates will not raise eyebrows?

Well, if you're in S. California, it's summer time, and your plates are from Arizona, you might get called a "Zoner" by the locals, who might cast you the evil eye through your dark-tinted windows. But that's about the harm of it.

We don't have cameras everywhere watching us yet, though. (Except at traffic lights, to catch you going through on the red...) Orwell was one of yours, right?

I'd stay out of the drug-dealing and floozy section of town, where your plates MIGHT cast some suspicion. Or get you a better deal.

For a long-term rental, (or even more than just a day or two) do NOT rent your car at the airport (extra taxes). Look for companies that specialize in this sort of thing, repair rentals, etc. Enterprise is one company to consider. Oh, don't worry about going to pick up your Enterprise car. Their slogan is "we'll pick you up".

 

[jtara]

I'll second the California coast drive advice. The coastal road between Santa Barbara and San Francisco is amazing. And if you also happen to like wine, you're in for a real treat.

Route 1 is amazing through there. But this is better, and well worth the sidetrip:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacimiento-Fergusson_Road

I just recommended this to a friend who is driving up to SF and back from San Diego. Combine it with a trip to Hearst Castle (San Simeon) to make a day. (You have to call for reservations a day in advance for Hearst Castle, and it's guided tours only. It's relatively inexpensive - it's a state historical park, donated to the state by the Hearst family.)

I found out about it from my car mechanic, who races motorcycles. (The road is popular with motorcyclists.) I sure felt silly asking around for "Notchy Meadows Road", though! But, lucky you, you have a Wikipedia link...

 

[jtara]

I would pass on america, there's nothing to see here but walmart.

Great idea! If you rent an RV (Recreational Vehicle, not sure what you call them over there - a camper with a motor...) you can park it overnight in any Walmart parking lot for free.

They're hoping you'll buy your supplies from them in the morning.

 

[jtara]

You could be in canyons in the morning, the beach by noon, hill country and pasture land by mid afternoon and mountains and snow by sun down.

And that's one state.

You can do the same in one county in California.

San Diego County, for one. But you can do it in a couple of hours.

A couple weeks ago, you could have gone to the beach for a nice tan and swim, and then made a snowman later the same day. Er, I think. Well, it's snowing in the local mountains now, but the weather's a bit brisk on the coast. (59F = 15C)

The drive from San Diego to Julian, a historic gold mining town (and apple-pie purveying tourist trap in the fall) is incredible. And I recommend the much less traveled road from Julian down to Route 8. I also recommend the road from Tijuana to Ensenada, and particularly the 20 miles south of Ensenada to "La Bufadora". It's very similar to Route 1 from Santa Barbara to Big Sur, but without the guard rails. Your rental car and the long wait through the border crossing will be problematical, though. If the rental car company will allow it, you MUST get Mexican insurance, though. Get it anywhere on the U.S. side there will be signs everywhere. For a quick easy hop to Mexico, cross at Tecate. (at the end of the Julian to Route 8 trip). Park on the U.S. side and walk across. There MIGHT be one person in line in front of you at the little outdoor booth coming back. (Not so quick by car, though.) It's a sleepy little town, you can eat in the town square and be serenaded by a Mariachi band. And you can say you went to Mexico and not have to endure the hassle. Bring back "real" Coca-Cola (with real sugar - corn syrup is a no-no in Mexico). And a blanket, a pinata, and one of those ridiculous hats.