Proposed tour of the USA (Maybe Canada)

If you were going to do a tour or trip of the USA (and maybe Canada) in a overland truck (or a converted bus, which they seem to use a lot over there)

Where would you start from, finish and what places would you want to visit, see ?

Would it be the cities, the towns ?

Would it be the parks and mountains ?

When would you start and finish ?

Would you camp or use hotels, hostels ?

Would you want to visit the usual tourist places ? (LA, NY, Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Orlando, The Florida Keys, Niagra )

How long would you spend in the USA ?

Blimey, how long is a piece of string? Luckily, one of our merry band will be off over there this yer, Route 66 bound as it happens, so I'm sure he'll have some thoughts.

Me, well strangely enough a tour of the good ol' USA doesn't get my juices flowing in the slightest. Sure it will have some wonderful sights and sounds, but it all seems far too commercialised for my liking. Far better a tour of Africa, Asia, South America, Oz ... in fact any other continent where you're less likely to have a gun pointed at you for very little reason. Yes I know there are plenty of places in Africa for instance where there are warring factions and guns aplenty, but not every person owns one. It seem that in America you're an outcast if you don't possess one!

That aside, as in reality the odds of being shot even in the USA is a trillion billion to one (well, maybe just a trillion), I just like the remoteness/rawness/naturalness of Mongolia, Chile, Vietnam ...

Why is life so short, and why haven't I got a heap of cash to go and explore all those wondrous places?   As the Yanks say, life's a beach!

Well I have done Sth America,

I did a trip overland to Australia, travelled all around Europe, done all the 'Stans'

I have done trips through Asia, which staterted in the UK, (covered the 'Stans, Turkey, China, Nepal, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Malaysia, <Egypt I love this place> Indonesia, I have visited most of the Arab countries, both as a tourist and as a soldier)

Spent time wandering around parts of Australia

On my 4th passport in 4 years now, far too many visas

Going on a trip around Africa in November (8 months)

So it just leaves Nth America and Canada

(I have no interest in visiting Russia or whatrever they call it now)

Yes I agree, there are parts of the US that are commercialised, but there is some that is wild and very few people/towns around

The world and his whole family seem to want to do the Route 66 thing, so I just think I wouldnt be getting far on that road

Yes I know the fear us Brits have of guns, but the places I invisage going to they would be used for hunting (as I was in the forces, I have been on both ends of guns)

Places off the beaten track, only time I would be in a major city would be to fly in and out of

Yup a piece of string can be any length, but time isnt a factor, I just need a starting point, I can get to the end at any time, just really after ideas, suggestions of places, parks, mountains, rivers, streams, small towns

I got boots, a tent, a back pack, a sleeping bag, I can go anywhere

As only 22% of Americans have a passport, there must be plenty for them to see and do if they arent investigating the rest of the world

Yup life is a beach, but I wouldnt want to be on one

Hi
The first thing is to work out how much time you can spent there-----most of us can only get a three month visa----and now you cannot rely on crossing a border to renew it.
We started in Texas as thats where my sister lives and it's the Country's capital for diesel pick-up trucks.
We covered 17,500 miles in less than 3 months-----it's a big Country/Countries and you need to look at the mileage you would like to cover---------we did Texas -- Grand Canyon--LA (just to complete R66)--Alaska----Niagra Falls---Chicago (to start R 66)---then shipped out from Galveston Tx.
Would we do it again---you betcha !!!!!!
You would not need an off road truck or bus for this type of trip/
Nigel & Pamala

That is the first thing I have to look into, a visa, but I was hoping for about 6 months in the US and maybe 3 montths in Canada

But if its just a 3 month visa, I wont have any choice in the matter, it will have to be just the 3 months, but I think I could cover a lot of the country in that time

I was thinking of doing Canada and the northern States first then sort of coming south as the weather changes

I have done the Grand Canyon, but that was just a few days, there has to be more to see there

But I think I mentioned I did all the tourist places,(when the kids were younger) now its for me

Just asking about a starting point and were to go from there really

I would be hiring a car and taking a tent, sleeping bag, just using hostels, motels when a bed and a shower is needed (its what I did in Australia, I used campsites, camp grounds or just pulled over in the bush)

I know there are a multitude of companies over there offering (what they call overland trips) trips and tours, but the longest I have found is 21 days and no camping, just hostels, motels (at the real lower end of the market)

I have stayed in places in India for 2 quid a night, but that was just ONE night (you wouldnt want to spend any longer there)

So any more suggestions on start points and where to go from there ?

Some of the motorhome companies need motorhomes driving back to base , after a one way hire , They usually go the main tourist spots , so that would help give you a bit of an itinerary, and a few other plus points as well

tacr2man wrote:

Some of the motorhome companies need motorhomes driving back to base , after a one way hire , They usually go the main tourist spots , so that would help give you a bit of an itinerary, and a few other plus points as well

Yup, seen them in Australia, but its not as easy as it looks, everyone jumps on them, its best if you are actually 'onsite' when these returns come in, the popular returns routes are soon gone plus there are time limits on the returns, so you cant just take your time returning them, and some are pretty fast turnaround, so you dont have the time to do 'what you want to do' or take your time, some dont even take sleeping/rest time into account

Since I am Canadian, thought I would pass along a couple of thoughts...

-Eastern Canada (Ontario and Quebec) are the most densely populated areas, but only in the south along the U.S. border. Northern Ontario and Quebec is mostly rocks, lakes, forest, rivers and hills...great in the summer for getting out in the wild.

-The Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Eastern Alberta) are nice to see but get boring quickly and it takes days to drive across.

-Western Alberta and British Colombia are really impressive with the Rocky Mountains, the Okanagan Valley, glaciers and thousands of miles of wild country.

-Most of Canada, outside of the populated areas in the south along the American border, is 'Crown Land.' This means it isn't owned by anybody and anyone can camp, fish, hike or explore to their hearts content. Farmers, mineral exploration companies and loggers can lease chunks of it but they cannot prevent you from crossing these areas.

-If I was to make any recommendations in the West it would to see the Yukon and/or Alaska in the summer. The Calgary Stampede event in late July, The Alberta Badlands around Drumheller, any part of the Rockies. In the East, I would recommend canoeing the French River in Northern Ontario, Quebec City and either Prince Edward Island of Newfoundland which have a great blend of Old World/New World lifestyle.

-Unless it has changed, Brits get an automatic 6 month tourist visa on entry into Canada, but don't quote me on that as I am always going in the other direction...

Enjoy!

Hi Tembo, you are just the kind of bloke I was hoping would reply    

Where would you suggest landing in Canada and a starting point ?

I know Canada is a huge country and I doubt I could live long enough to see it all (the same with the US and Australia)even if I started at 5 years old  

Would you suggest hiring a car or SUV and use that as a base for getting around, storing kit ?

Do you think 'going solo' is okay over there ?

Would you suggest a 'loop' (starting/finish point) if so where ?

It has been suggested that using a train for some of the distances involved, any thoughts on that ?

I would be camping (have a tent, sleeping bag, wood burning stove, basic survival kit) and just using motels when a shower and a bed is required/needed

The first question would be how long you want to spend in Canada. If it more than a month, renting a car or SUV would get pretty expensive. You would be better off buying a car and then selling it before you leave.

As to where to arrive, depends on the time of year. In summer (June-August) I would fly into Yellowknife in the Yukon and then head south through British Colombia and Alberta. From there, depending on time and weather, you could either cross into the U.S. or head eastwards. A dash across the prairies and into the Canadian Shield in northern Ontario. Cross Ontario to Ottawa and over the river in Quebec. Down through Quebec City and then cross over to Eastern U.S. That would take you down through New England which is pretty nice country. From there you can head down to the south or across the midwest to California via Las Vegas.

Really too many options....all depends on what you prefer to do and see.