Planning to cross the border with your RV? Get
ready for an epic adventure with tips on preparing
for international travel, must -see destinations
in Canada and Mexico, and navigating rough roads
like the Alaskan -Canadian Highway. Plus the
latest RV news and RV pro tip you don't want
to miss. Stay tuned. Welcome to the Restless
Nomads, the ultimate RV show for modern day rubber
tramps and weekend warriors alike. Whether you're
chasing sunsets full time, savoring seasonal
escapes, or just hitting the road for a quick
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the highs and lows of life on the moon. Toables
to motor homes, budget hacks to campsite secrets.
We've got you covered, so buckle up nomads, and
let's hit the road to adventure, one mile at
a time. Well, welcome back this week's episode
of the Restless Nomads. It's Mike with you. Check
us out on therestlessnomads .com. That's our
travel blog. You'll find all of our episodes
posted there as well as some useful information
for all you RVers out there and see Angie and
I's latest adventure. Alright, so the RV news
update. There's a new RV border crossing apps,
actually a couple of them. a new wave of smartphone
apps aimed to help RVers plan border crossings
with real -time updates on wait times, border
policies, and even a document checklist. Two
apps that come to mind, CrossCheck and RoadBound
could make border hops a little less stressful.
Also, Canada is upgrading campsites to accommodate
larger rigs. Canada Parks has announced plans
to expand more sites to fit larger RVs and fifth
wheels, especially in popular spots like Banff
and Jasper. The upgrades will also include more
electrical hookups and better Wi -Fi. The Alaska
ferry system is lowering their prices for RV
transport with travel demand rising. The ferry
system is offering special discounts for RVers
who book round -trip transport. Now if you book
a job up there, if you happen to score a job
in Alaska, many times that company will reimburse
you so long as you stay for the duration of the
season. If you quit and leave early, that will
be on you. All right, let's dive right into it.
So today's show is all about international RVing.
You know, many of us travel around the United
States and there's a lot to see in the United
States. You could probably spend 10 or more years
traveling from state to state and you still wouldn't
see everything. But it can be pretty exciting
to broaden your horizons a little bit more and
cross the borders into Canada and Mexico. You
know, there's a lot to see in those places, too.
For example, in Mexico, especially during the
wintertime, it's a great way to enjoy some sunshine
and adventure simultaneously. Baja California
offers beautiful beaches, vibrant culture, and
some awesome boondocking spots right on the beach.
Also Copper Canyon down in Mexico is a little
lesser known, Jim, and that's actually deeper
than the Grand Canyon. The Yucatan Peninsula
has a rich history, lots of museums and beautiful
coastlines, as well as ancient ruins to check
out. Up in Canada, Banff and Jasper National
Parks are unparalleled in beauty with glacial
lakes and rugged peaks. Also, Icefields Parkway
is one of the most scenic drives in the world.
And Prince Edward Island? has some coastal charm
and iconic red sand beaches. So lots to see.
It is on our bucket list. Angie and I definitely
want to cross over into Canada and camp in Canada.
And we'd also like to go down into Mexico. One
thing that we have thought about is going to
southern Arizona and camping on this side of
the border and then crossing over just with a
truck into Mexico, at least for the first time.
that would be a relatively easy thing to do and
we could go explore some of the border towns
there. So important things to think about when
you cross any border, whether you're in an RV
or not, is your passports. You need to make sure
that you are current on those and they need to
be valid for at least six months beyond your
planned stay. So if you have a passport that's
getting ready to expire, they expire once every
10 years, You need to get yourself down to the
post office and get that renewed. If you're applying
for a passport for the first time, you'll go
through your post office and you'll fill out
an application and get this. This is the crazy
thing. If you haven't done a passport in a while,
or maybe it's your first passport, when you go
to the post office with your appointment, you
have to set up an appointment online to submit
your application. and they don't take copies
of your original documents like your birth certificate
and your driver's license. They take the actual
copies or the real thing and they send those
off in the mail to the Passport Processing Center.
So that means that if you have any reason to
use those documents like a new job or something
like that, You need to plan around that because
you're going to be without your birth certificate
and without your driver's license even for a
little bit. And I thought that was absolutely
insane. You would think that the person behind
the counter could say, yes, I verified that this
is real. Take a photocopy and send it off. But
that is not the case. They take your real documents
and you are just without them. until you get
them back in the mail six to eight weeks later.
So plan for at least two months of not having
your documents. And I know I was sweating it
when we did it a couple of years ago when we
got our passports because I was afraid that they
would lose our documents in the mail and they're
sending everything. You know, all the proof that
you're an American goes in the mail and can be
a little bit nerve wracking. I think they should
work on that. And make that system a little bit
better. I just there's too many things that can
go wrong with that Also, if you're crossing the
borders with a vehicle like an RV You need to
make sure you have your vehicle registration
current and also have your proof of insurance
Now when you get into that country In Canada
and Mexico, this isn't so much of an issue. They'll
take your American registration generally But
if you were to ship your vehicle overseas to
a different country that is not bordered with
us, they may require you to register that vehicle
in that country. Just keep that in mind. And
then you also want to check your travel visa
requirements. You know, each country has their
own rules about how long you can stay there.
And many times they will ask you why you're there.
Of course, if you're in an RV, you're likely
there. for vacation purposes, holiday purposes,
but maybe you have a job in that country and
you may even need to apply for a work visa. Another
thing to consider when you're traveling to another
country, and this is true of RVs as well as just
going to another country in general, is you need
to know how long you can drive on your United
States driver's license without having to apply
for and get a driver's license in that country.
I think if I remember correctly when we went
over to Europe, I think it was like two weeks
or something. So you could fly to Europe and
rent a car and drive around legally on your United
States license. But if you were going to be there
for more than two weeks consecutively, I think
you actually had to get a European or a UK driver's
license, if I'm not mistaken. So, important to
research that and have a plan. Also, when you're
traveling abroad, whether in your RV or anywhere
really, you need to make sure that you are covered
with your medical insurance because there are
some medical insurances that if you get hurt
and you are not in the United States, you will
not be covered. So, think about that. Another
important thing is to make sure that your cell
phone plan is up to date and it's going to allow
you to make calls and access data internationally
Most of the cell phone plans the the regular
ones here in the United States Will cover Canada
and Mexico if you're traveling over to Europe,
then you need to research that and you could
I know when we went to Europe we had to purchase
data and time, phone time, in order to be able
to use those cell towers in Europe. And if you're
going to be venturing down into Mexico or up
way north into Canada where there are fewer cell
towers, pretty much anywhere in the world where
there are fewer cell towers and there's more
distance between the cell towers, It's a good
idea to download those offline maps on your GPS.
Most people use their phones these days, but
get on it right now and download those maps ahead
of time. That way, when you are smack dab in
the middle of two cell towers and they're 200
miles apart, you can still navigate. You know,
if you don't want to purchase data, which I think
it's kind of. requirement for travelers these
days. It sure makes life a lot easier, but you
can always rely on your Wi -Fi hotspots and make
sure that if you are bringing along your own
Wi -Fi hotspot, like Starlink is good pretty
much around the world, although they do have
some nuanced requirements for that, so check
in with that and ensure that you will have connectivity
wherever you're going. Also, if you have like
a Verizon Cube or AT &T hotspot, you want to
make sure that you will be able to use that in
the country that you're going to or have a plan
to be able to access the Internet without it.
So crossing the border when you're driving, some
important things to remember what you can't bring.
Good idea to leave the firearms and the ammo
at home. especially, especially when you're crossing
international borders into Canada and into Mexico,
that is 100 % of the time gonna be a no -go.
No firearms, no ammo. Now, you have to consider
this for crossing state lines too. I know with
it, you know, if you have an Oregon concealed
carry permit and you're carrying concealed in
Oregon, And then like here in Klamath Falls,
we are not far from the Oregon, so the Oregon
California border. So if we cross into California,
that's something that we have to think about.
We've got to pull over before we cross into California
and make sure that we get California legal. So
putting the glove in a locked glove box or the
gun in a locked glove box and putting the ammo
in the trunk or something like that. Just like
we can't bring fresh fruit into California, fresh
produce and meats are often confiscated at international
borders Mexico and Canada. So good idea to go
ahead and at your last campsite before you cross
into Canada or Mexico have a big dinner and eat
all of that and as soon as you get over into
the country you're going to you can stock up
once again and be good to go. Another thing if
you are a tobacco user or an alcohol user You
need to know the limits or just avoid it altogether
and do not bring those items into the bordering
country because that's going to get into duties
and everything else. So important things to think
about. Now, when you get to the border, they
very likely will ask you for your documents and
they'll ask you, do you have any firearms? Do
you have any produce or meats? Do you have any
alcohol or tobacco? The easiest way to get through
is they just ask the questions you say no and
they let you through but they are totally within
their rights to board your RV and Go through
everything to make sure that you're telling the
truth. So keep that in mind. It's possible that
you may be Pulled out of line and searched and
so you want to be on the up -and -up because
you don't want to have to turn around that can
be a major issue, especially if you have reservations
in that country starting that night, right? So
it will certainly throw a wrench in your travel
plans and you want to avoid it. Okay, well after
the break, we'll get into some other international
interesting stuff. We'll talk about the Alcan.
We'll talk about Shipping your RV if you're wanting
to go to different countries that you cannot
drive into. And much more right here on the Restless
Nomads RV radio show on Gold Country Radio. We'll
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Okay, let's get into one of the main reasons
that people may cross a border, especially the
Canadian border. If you're going to cross the
Canadian border, most people are heading up there
to hit the Alcan en route to Alaska. And the
Alcan is one of the biggest bucket list journeys
for adventurous RVers, but it has its unique
challenges. Some things to think about. The Alcan
is historically known for its really rough roads.
So just be prepared. for thousands of miles of
potholes, frost heaves, gravel sections, you
need to be planning for weather. There's a sweet
spot, you know, because they do maintenance on
the road. There's kind of a sweet spot when the
road construction is almost done before the winter
season, essentially. So August, September might
be a good time to head up there. But you also
need to think about Getting back and you don't
want to be caught in the weather and not be able
to get back on the Alcan Fuel and supplies are
really really limited on the Alcan and you have
to think about that Gas stations can be up to
100 miles apart So you do not want to be riding
around with a quarter tank and that's all the
fuel that you have Most people that do the Alcan
actually take cans of fuel with them Just in
reserve for emergencies. They take plenty of
water with them Just in case your vehicle overheats
or you end up breaking down and you need to drink
that water Take some food take all of those emergency
supplies really important to Have some extra
security because you are venturing into no man's
land in some pretty remote areas. Of course,
if you're going to be traveling on the Alcan
through Canada up to Alaska, traveling with others
is always a good idea, just like hiking. You
don't want to hike alone, and if you're going
to be taking on the risk of traveling the Alcan,
one of the things that many people do is they
caravan, which is just going with other RVers,
and that way you'll have support if you break
down. It's a whole lot safer. you know if your
vehicle breaks down worst case scenario you can
leave it and jump in somebody else's and get
to safety because let's face it out there in
no man's land there's a lot of wildlife and there's
a lot of exposure to the elements and some bad
things can happen out there so it's a good idea
to travel with friends. Now if you're not brave
enough to entertain taking the Alcan But you
want to go up to Alaska. Now, I'm not. Let me
say this. The Alcan has beautiful scenery driving
through Canada. It's all about the journey, not
so much the destination of Alaska, although Alaska
is wonderful. But if you have to be in Alaska
for a job or something and you want to avoid
the risk of going on the Alcan, you can have
your RV ferried to Alaska. And like we said in
the beginning with the news, they do have some
special discounts for RVers now. And if you are
going up there for a job, many times the deal
is that the company that hired you will pay for
your shipping cost so long as you honor your
contract and work the entire season. So keep
that in mind. If something doesn't work out,
you decide to leave early, you're going to be
on the hook for that shipping. But the Alaska
Marine Highway system is a great way to bypass
all those rough roads. Generally, the ferries
will charge you by the length, so the longer
your RV, the more that you are going to pay.
And you want to make sure that you measure your
rig accurately so that you're not paying unnecessarily.
If you have a 26 -foot trailer and you tell them
it's a 30 -foot trailer, you will be paying...
unnecessarily for footage that you don't have.
That's where a little Class B camper van might
be a lot better in that scenario. Now one thing
that I've heard about these ferry trips, I have
not done it, Angie and I have not put an RV on
the ferry, but keep this in mind too, you're
going to put your RV on the ferry and you will
likely not be able to use it. For the duration
of the ferry ride, so it's not like you're going
to be sleeping in your RV They don't allow that
you'll have to either rent a cabin or rough it
and sleep in the coach section on the ferry You
know in the seats, but there's some liability
issues, and they do not allow you to Use your
RV especially cook on it and that kind of thing
I've also heard this if you have pets They do
stay in the RV and I believe that there is like
twice a day. It's something kind of unreasonable.
You have to keep them in your RV and you're only
allowed to go down there twice a day to let them
out for 15 minutes at a time or something like
that. So it's rough, man. If you've got pets,
it might not be a good option at all. I don't
think I would feel comfortable leaving our dogs
in the RV for you know, 23 and a half hours a
day that seems excessive to me. Maybe other people
are of differing opinions. And, you know, these
are things that I've heard in conversation. So
it's important to do your due diligence and research
this. But I know that was one of the red flags.
And one of the reasons I said, yeah, we probably
would never do that, because you have to book
that cabin if you want to sleep in a bed. You're
not allowed to sleep in the RV and the pet issue.
So let's talk a little bit about overseas shipping.
If you are heading somewhere other than Alaska
or, you know, a bordering country that you can
just drive right into, you may be tempted to
ship your RV, whether that be to Europe or Australia
or something like that. And there are some things
to consider. when you're going to do that. First
of all, it can be really expensive. So you have
to balance these things out. You gotta make sure
your registration and your insurance is going
to be good wherever you're going. Also, make
sure that your insurance is going to cover the
unit while it's being shipped because that might
require a whole different policy. So it's important
to check with your insurance provider and ask
them, hey, Will my comprehensive and full coverage
cover the RV while it's in transit to some other
country? And then we talked about the driver's
license thing. You know, most countries will
allow you to drive on a United States driver's
license for a limited amount of time before they
expect you to get their country's driver's license.
Now shipping rates can vary. So you got to do
your homework. You know, where are you going?
If you're shipping your RV to Australia, it's
likely to be more expensive than if you're shipping
your RV to Hawaii. Now, why you would ship an
RV to Hawaii unless it's like a little class
B camper van? I'm not exactly sure. Hawaii roads
aren't really built for big rigs. That's for
sure. Another option that you might entertain
if you want to avoid some of the high freight
costs of shipping your RV and all the headaches
that come with it is just flying to that country
or even taking like a off -season cruise, a repositioning
cruise they call it to that country and then
once you get there rent an RV and that is hugely
popular. People from Europe and Asia And Australia
oftentimes come to the United States and rent
a camper van or an RV and they tour the United
States. The same is true for us Americans as
we go abroad. There is the option to rent camper
vans and RVs and tour those countries I know
one of the bucket list items for Angie and I
is to go over to the northern UK Scotland Ireland
North England and rent a camper van there and
just go see all the things that we haven't seen
because we've been to South England quite a bit
but have not ventured very far north and we really
would love to see Scotland, we both have never
been there and be able to explore Ireland a little
more than just stopping off at the Shannon Airport.
So over there in Europe, and this will be true
in many countries, you kind of need to do your
research and you will likely be influenced to
rent a smaller RV than you would here in the
US of A with our great huge wide roads. So drivability
is going to be exaggerated in your considerations
in other countries because oftentimes those roads
will be narrower and it's just something to think
about, you know, so maybe trade a little living
space for a little less stressful travel days.
Also, Australia and New Zealand have great rental
markets with plenty of established campgrounds.
Now over in Europe, campground fees are really
high compared to the United States. They have
plenty of campgrounds, but looking ahead at that
and planning for some higher camping costs is
important in Europe because they do not have
nearly the amount of free camping that we do
here in the United States. Another consideration
when you're thinking about renting or even shipping
your RV and RVing abroad is that driving rules
are going to be completely different. So even
learning how to drive a Honda Civic in the United
Kingdom where you're driving on the wrong side
of the road is going to be stressful. Now add
a big rig to that and you've just amplified that
stress. So think about that. Maybe it's a good
idea to go over once, stay in hotels or at a
resort or something like that, rent a car, and
at least learn the rules of the road in a little
European matchbox car before you try to drive
a big rig. You know cities and towns are not
designed for big rigs in Europe and and many
places across the world so some things to think
about and maybe even opt for that smaller camper
van rather than a toad rig or something like
that. So before hitting the road internationally
make sure that your cell phone plan covers data
wherever you're going remember that and also
any SIM cards that you need to purchase in order
to be able to use your cell phone and your Wi
-Fi hotspots. Those are important for staying
connected and being able to navigate and also
book campgrounds and the like. Well, guys, I
hope I shed some light on some considerations
that you might take while you're planning an
RV trip abroad. It can be a lot of fun. Now,
it's not always the most affordable option. You
know, it's likely one of the ones that you will
be able to see things that most tourists would
not. So that's pretty cool being able to kind
of get ingrained in the local culture and maybe
spend a little bit more time in places for a
little bit cheaper. And it's the same concept
as RVing in the United States, the longer you
stay somewhere in an RV the more cost -effective
it becomes when compared to hotel stays and resort
stays and so forth. I think the cruise thing
has it beat by a long shot as far as the economy
of it all. It's hard to beat the budget economy,
you know, night or cost per night of a cruise.
But when you take a cruise, you likely will be
kind of relegated to seeing only those coastal
areas. So it's important to think about that.
Don't forget to visit thewrestlesnomads .com
for more episodes. Check out our blogs there.
Our most recent exciting adventures. We are getting
ready to go up to Crescent Lake. Uh on may 14th,
we'll begin our job up there at crescent lake
here in oregon and if all goes to plan and the
snow clears out It's going to be really exciting
to host that and i'm super excited because that's
an hour and a half away from clement falls So
we'll drive the trailer up there i'll turn right
back around come home and pick up our boat And
we'll have our boat all summer long right there
at crescent lake for some awesome fishing. We've
been watching our fishing videos and also listening
to Terrible at Fishing with Michael Ruffino on
Friday nights, making sure that we can get spun
up and we know what we're doing before we start
casting our lines in the water. Well until next
time y 'all, safe travels and happy camping.
You've been listening to the Restless Nomads
RV radio show on Gold Country Radio. We'll see
you next week. This is Mike.