Landing in Florida for 4 Month Visit

Hi there

We are a Danish family going on a hopefully fantastic roadtrip across the US from Miami to Vancouver. After spending some time looking through the forum we just bought a Rand McNally 2016 Road Atlas.

Our first stop is Orlando beginning of April where we have done a house exchange for a week. Our initial thought was to drive through southern states via New Orleans, Austin, Albuquerque, Grand Canyon, San fran and then going up along the coast to Seattle and Vancouver. (After this we will fly to Toronto and do a cirquit of the french part of Canada and northeastern US ending in NYC where we fly back to Denmark after 17 weeks). If needed we could add some more weeks the the road trip.

We are travelling with our 5 year old twins and along the way we hope to make som more home exchanges to have a base for a week not being 'on the road'.

Is there a 'route that people take' that we should consider instead of the one sketched - we are in the very early part of planning so nothing's fixed yet beside the startpoint and end so we are open to suggestions. The route-planner on this side seems to suggest a much more northern route. This would mean not going to Grand Canyon (I have been there but my wife hasn't so I guess it would have to be a pretty solid argument :-). We will skip LA-area since we have been there before.

Best regards - Morten from Denmark.

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

There are many "routes that people take" across the country to choose from as well as many combinations of different routes. With the time you have available you can pretty much choose anywhere you want to go which need not be restricted to north or south. All you can do at this early stage is to look at your map and continue researching and mark up the places you really want to see. Once you have done this and start to join the dots a route will form. There is much to see in 'the middle' around the Four Corners region when you get west, which you could explore with the Grand canyon. The Colorado Rockies and Red rock formations in Southern Utah and Monument valley on route to GC. As you head to SF you could drive across Death valley to the Sierra Nevada, home to Yosemite and Sequoia NP's.

We can help you fill in the blanks and offer suggestions once you have decided on the basics of your trip, but ultimately that is up to you. Just don't get fixated on straight lines and Interstate numbers, you have time to explore different areas, but even with 10 weeks you will have to pick and choose.

I see a possible logistics problem - you most likely cannot rent a car in the US and drop it off in Canada, and vice versa. If you do find a company that allows this, I'd expect a heavy surcharge.

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Originally Posted by troltuu

NYC where we fly back to Denmark after 17 weeks). If needed we could add some more weeks the the road trip.

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Have you checked with the US consulate in your region? Normally tourists are permitted 90 days in the US. And if these 90 come before time in Canada, then that time is included. In other words, most people who enter the US as a tourist need to show that they will be leaving the North American continent within 90 days of their arrival. Crossing to Canada does not count.

If you find that that is the case, then I would recommend that you fly into Canada and do the Canadian part of your trip first, leaving just the last 90 days for the US.

Lifey

Edit: Here is the link to the US embassy in Copenhagen. Note especially the first paragraph under 'General Requirements'.

That's going to be a problem because of the house exchange.

Hello again

One night sleep and already a lot of new things to consider. Thank you.

I really didn't realize that Canada didn't count as leaving the US in terms of the getting a fresh 90 days. What a bummer !!!

The house exchanges aren't fixed yet (just the one in Miami) so I guess we could either stay in Canada after we cross the border to Vancouver and skip NYC region entirely (does anyone know if Canada has similar requirements so it would be a problem that we already spend 90 days in USA?) - or we could take a round trip to Cuba ? or Iceland ? or somewhere in the Caribean? or whereever that counts as being out of north america? Anyone has a suggestions what destination is a cheap roundtrip destination that counts ?

# glc: We would rent a car in Florida and leave it in Seattle.

Best regards - Morten.

Morten, did you read the link I included? There is no reputable airline which will allow you to fly to the US, if your ticket to leave North America is longer than 90 days. (They will allow you to fly to Canada.)

The only way you can get more time is to either apply for a visa - if you are eligible - or travel to another continent. None of the destination you suggested are eligible destinations to re enter. If this were me, I would go a little later to avoid the cold in Canada, spend all my time in Canada, then enter the US when there are 90 days left to going home. (There's lots to do and see in Canada.)

You would have to enquire at the Canadian embassy how long they permit you to stay.

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... we could either stay in Canada after we cross the border to Vancouver ...

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No you can't!! You will NOT be allowed to fly to the US if your flight out of NORTH AMERICA is MORE than 90 days away. No reputable airline would let you..

If you were to travel in June, you would miss the cold in Canada, the northern NPs in the US will be open and you will be in the south of the US when the north starts to get cold.

Before you go any further, best you visit the embassy or consulate closest to you and find out the exact requirements.... though I think they are set out very clearly on the page in my link.

Trying to get around the regulations will only backfire. Go and enjoy your 90 days (if you must start in the US), and once home start planning and saving for the next trip.

Lifey

Well I did already buy one way tickets to Miami from Copenhagen on the 3rd of April.

How could it be a problem if I but a return ticket from the states or Canada to a destination outside of North America - Iceland fitted that bill last time I checked being a European country. Then I would have a ticket into the US and out again inside the 90 days and again when I return I would have a ticket from NYC to go home (where Norweigian also sells one way tickets to Copenhagen).

Besides Iceland there must be some non north american countries where americans go on charter vacations. I guess a cruise wouldn't count.

But as it is if I start with 90 days in the US from April I could spend a whole month in Canada in July and fly home from Toronto (this doesn't sound too bad to me even though our plans were different.

Morten

If you start with 90 days in the US from April, you will have to fly off-continent before returning to either Canada or the US.

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Originally Posted by troltuu

Well I did already buy one way tickets to Miami from Copenhagen on the 3rd of April.

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Morten, most folk who travel read the country's requirements before they buy tickets. You still have NOT read all that page. No reputable airline which is VWP accredited will allow you on board without a return ticket within 90 days.

Read that link and all the links within it?

It is just that that is the law, and I thought I would save you the embarrassment of being denied entry to the US.

Lifey