i am a British chick living in whistler, BC for the winter season. Me and a bunch of guys are planning a huge road trip starting in july, and have a lot of stuff to organise. i am guessing i will be unable to obtain an international driving licence as i am 18 and have not had a UK drivers licence for longer than three years (i passed my test jan '04). However, some of the guys HAVE.
can they get the licence without being in england?
(Am i likely to get caught if i drive without the licence?)

the guys have been offered an old van for $1500 canadian dollars, apparantly the van is sound, the owner just needs to sell it due to leaving the country. will they be able to get insurance without a fixed address?
what do you reccommend in the way of roadside assistance in case of break-downs?
we want to do some good surfing, can anyone reccommend good spots through california and mexico?
the only other hurdle is money, but we are hoping we will have saved enough by july.
any other advice is greatly appreciated.


(does this sound crazy?!!)
haha
thanks!