Summer Roadtrip as Foreign citizens

[Midwest Michael]

Reading this, I couldn't help thinking that we're all warning you about something that has a very small chance of happening, and I'd hate to see your whole plan pitched out the window for that reason.

The odds of being in fatal crash are quite low, but that's hardly the only situation where it could come up.

In California, the minimum insurance coverage is just $15,000 for personal injury and $5,000 for property damage. You could be involved in a minor crash and easily exceed those minimums.

And again, even if you're in a fender bender that is fully covered by insurance, that could impact your friends insurance rates for the next 5 years.

I'd just stress the larger point that it is possible to do this, but you and your friend need to know exactly what you are getting yourself into and the risks and responsibilities of this idea.

[DonnaR57]

If it's your fault, or you are involved in a single-car issue, it can affect your friend's insurance too. We are still feeling the effects (for another year or so) of my husband hitting a concrete pole in a parking garage in Philadelphia, back in 2012. Our fault, no one else involved, debated the issue of paying cash to have it fixed or just dealing with the higher insurance for awhile. Believe me, it affected the insurance, probably more than we anticipated. It did not have to be reported, though, since the concrete pole was not damaged, only our car and our own nerves.


Donna

[Rawrawr]

Yeah, all these people have good points.

It doesn't mean you don't have options. There's things like https://www.couchsurfing.com/ or host programs and you might be far enough out time wise to get something.

Alternatively, to a rental, I'd consider buying the car in Canada (iirc you can use a hotel as your address) and have an international drivers license. You could also consider shipping a car, it's probably a couple grand and I'm not sure how that would fit into your budget but if you have access to one over there it might be cheaper. It seems, with my cursory searches and anecdotal experience the international drivers license is a must. If you shipped it you could always do the East Coast (there's plenty to see and do here, I'd consider a Boston or NYC to Savannah road trip or NYC to New Orleans). Or if you have 2 months, or even 4-6 weeks, spend one week driving across the country. It's about 7 days NYC to Cali.

Or alternatively look into trains and buses. The U.S.'s public transit certainly needs some work but it's definitely adequate in big cities and getting between those cities. I'v taken many of both going and coming from different cities and they make the trip unique and pleasant in their own right.

Best of luck,

Matt

[Lifemagician]

Hi Rawrawr, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

Thank you for adding your thoughts to this thread, although I have to add that anecdotal experiences are not necessarily something to rely on. Some of us have been down this path, and have experienced all the roadblocks and difficulties, which are not as easily overcome as you seem to think.. We have experienced the pitfalls, jumped the hurdles, and even then there were constantly more obstacles to overcome.

I'm not sure why you think an international driver's licence is essemtial. Many European driver's licences can be written in English, and as such do not require an international licence - which after all, is only a translation of the local licence.

Lifey

[Sebastian.B]

Hi Guys, i wanted to thank you all so much for you're input. My friend and i have been in contact with our friend in Cali and we're pretty sure renting might, unfortunately, be the way to go. But if thats the case I'm pretty sure i'll be back here in a few years to do my roadtrip the right way ;)

Thank you again everyone for you input and advice :D

[Sebastian.B]

Hi GLC,
Thank you so much for the advice. I had never heard of Fox before and didn't realise there were any option whatsoever for renting as a 19 year old.

Have you rented with them before? And would you have any specific advice if thats the case?

Thanks :)

[Midwest Michael]

I've used Fox once before- it's was 10-15 years ago, though, because I also chose them because they had the lowest fee for under 25 year old drivers at the time.

I didn't have any problems with them though, and would still consider using them again. The biggest thing to remember is that they are a discount rental chain, which means it will probably take a little longer to get the car, their locations are usually off-airport, so you'll have to take a shuttle if you're picking the car up right away. They likely keep their cars a little longer than some of the major chains, so you could end up with something a little older (still shouldn't be more than 2-3 years old though). I'd also expect them to check for damage a little closer, so make sure you look over the car closely and record any scratches or dents before you drive off the lot.

None of those things should keep you from exploring this option though, as I imagine it is by far your best way to accomplish your roadtrip goals.

[Sebastian.B]

Thanks Michael! My friend and i are going to use Fox.

I wanted to truly thank everyone again for the help and advice. This is an awesome forum :)

[2016USAHoliday]

I'm not sure why you think an international driver's licence is essemtial. Many European driver's licences can be written in English, and as such do not require an international licence - which after all, is only a translation of the local licence.

Lifey

I didn't realise this. I just assumed that we would need to get an international drivers licence to drive in the US, didn't realise that our Western Australian licence would be OK.

[Lifemagician]

Katherine, you are not the only one. I constantly meet folk who have gone to the trouble and expense of getting unnecessary international licences. When I speak with folk about my upcoming trip, I am constantly asked if I have an international licence to be able to drive in North America.

I don't know why those issuing them don't bring this to the attention of those applying. After all, it is no secret.

Lifey