AUSTRALIAN IN USA needs help

[Voyagers]

G'day, I am Australian, and a new member. We are planning on coming to USA next year, purchasing an RV, travelling for 4 months.
Storing the RV for 8 months then returning the following year. This we plan on doing until we have seen your wonderful country.
I am looking for any advice or assistance from anyone who would be willing to give it. We have been told registering and insuring by non residents is tricky. We have been very experienced off road travellers before we bought our 30 ft Motorhome to travel the bitumn.
Like yourselves we love the life and freedom of this type of travel. Cheers Voyagers

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

You are correct that it is going to be quite the challenge for you to do this trip like you've laid it out.

First of all, you mentioned coming for 4 months - do you have a full tourist visa? The limit you can visit the US on the VWP is 3 months.

Yes, registering and insuring a vehicle as a non-resident is very difficult. Generally speaking, you need to have documents that prove you actually live in the state where you are planning to register and insure the vehicle, which is extra difficult to do if you don't have a visa. Insurance as a non-resident has it's own challenges, especially since you won't have a US driving record or a Social Security number.

I don't have any specific additional advice to give you. It can be done - one of our regular members is from Australia and has a van she stores here, and will likely chime in - but it is something that is going to take a lot of research and a lot of work to make it happen.

[Southwest Dave]

How many of you is there ? If it is just two people it would most probably work out cheaper and certainly be a lot less hassle renting a camper from someone like Lost campers.

[Voyagers]

Thank you for replying to my post. We are aware of the ESTA application, but wasn't aware of the 3 month limit. We are aware that we have a lot of research to do before we get over to the USA, but with advice from people like yourself it will make it all the more easier as we will be pointed in the right direction.
Thank you for your advice.

[Voyagers]

Hi Dave, There are 4 of us (2 couples). We had considered renting an RV, but that option was more expensive. We would prefer our own units so if need be we can go off and do our own thing if necessary. Then there is the issue of living in each others pockets, not a good idea, I prefer to stay friends. I will certainly keep "Lost Campers" in my portfolio should we change our minds.
Thank you for giving me your thoughts, it is appreciated. Cheers Voyagers

[Lifemagician]

It can be done - one of our regular members is from Australia and has a van she stores here, and will likely chime in - but it is something that is going to take a lot of research and a lot of work to make it happen.

Michael is right. It is not easy.

First you need someone over there who will check out the vehicle for you before purchase. Purchasing such an item unseen is dicey. There are attorneys who will facilitate the registration at a price - not cheap! Then there are the annual charges to the attorney for as long as you require the vehicle to be registered. Insurance is a whole different ball game. It is a challenge, and could be the same challenge each time you enter the US.

After almost yearly visits over a decade (to see family), it was with the help of this forum's members that I finally succeeded in purchasing my own vehicle. I had a lot of help with the purchasing side of it. I bought my Ford conversion van unseen, and was fortunate to get a good one. You can read the process here.

Each trip I need to get new insurance. The company which initially insured the vehicle was bought out or changed its requirements (or something), but was no longer available last visit. It took a very!! long time to convince GEIKO, the only company which would listen, to convinnce them to grant me insurance. Not cheap!! Many phone calls back and forth to the company. Each State has its own regulations, so each time I had to speak to the State rep, not just the call centre. They will only insure me in the State where I store it between trips. (In a few months I will be back at it again for next year's insurance.) If you are only going over for 3 months, you still have to pay for 6 months. With a family visa, I have a maximum of 186 days to visit. That made it a little more worth it. So far I have spent around four years in the US since the turn of the century - almost half of that in my own van.

Within two months my van needed a major repair which kept me in a hotel for 4 nights. It was a repair which could not have been foreseen, even with the most meticulous mechanical check.

Storage is a much more expensive exercise, especially if you want to have it stored under cover, or anywhere near where your next entry point will be.

One wonders whether you are not better off renting.

Where is your home base?

Lifey

[Voyagers]

Thank you Lifey for taking the time to explain in detail what is involved, there is more involved than we imagined. We may have to go back to the drawing board and reaccess as you say. In saying that do you have a recommended RV Rental Company. We were planning on starting off in Florida and travelling north as the weather warms up. We are based in Queensland, just north of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast and our travelling partners are from Central coast NSW.
Thank you once again for your time and explanation. Cheers Voyagers

[Southwest Dave]

There are a few major RV rental companies but I have always found Cruise America to be the most competitive and although the vehicles are not the smartest, they have always been reliable. It's still worth shopping around but make sure you add up all the extra charges rather than rely on the basic daily rate. On CA's site you will see a 'Hot deals' link where you can get specials, the cheapest of which are usually vehicles need relocating, but that can be limiting as you have time limits to get from A to B. They have a main maintenance depot in Phoenix where a lot of their vehicles go in and out of so it's possible you could get lucky if you were ok to fit your plans around it. You can get owner rentals cheaper but I wonder what type of help and back up you would get in the case of a breakdown or accident.

[Lifemagician]

Follow Dave's advice. He is the one who rents RVs. I have never rented for more than a month in North America, and that was a car.

My mode of transport for the first two visits was relocating vehicles, next two visitis I had loan cars offered to me by family, and since then I have had my van. What I suggest is that you rent for this visit, and while over there suss out the lay of the land (as they say). You could look at vehicles wherever you travel, speak with attorneys and check out storage. That will give you a good idea as to whether to go ahead with a purchase for future trips.

One thing I can say is that if you are planning one way trips it will always be the most expensive way to go. Best off starting in one place, do a loop and return the vehicle to the same location. E.g. from say a place like Atlanta you could make a loop through FL, then slowly head up north covering the coastal States. and covering the States west of the eastern States on the way back to Atlanta.

Do you have good detailed maps of the US? If not you would do well to get yourself a Rand McNally road atlas - there are none better! You can order one from the RTA store via the link at the bottom of this page. If you order it now, you will have it in a couple of weeks.

Lifey