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1 Entering United States of America with a Car or Motorbike
2 Driving in United States of America
3 Gas and Diesel price in United States of America
4 Safety and Security Considerations
5 Camping in United States of America
6 Navigation
7 Special Overland Travel interests
8 Vehicle Maintenance
9 Buy or sell a car or motorbike in United States of America
10 References
11 Helpful External links

Entering United States of America with a Car or Motorbike

Correct as of: September 2013

Required Paperwork

List the paperwork required to enter with a vehicle, including number of copies

When shipping a vehicle to the USA from outside the country, as of mid 2013 the following fees apply:
Handling Fee: $60.00 USD
Bill of Lading: $50.00 USD
Documentation Fee: $45.00 USD
ISF 10+2: : $95.00 USD

Process at border

(To check if you need a travel Visa for United States of America, application instructions and fees see: United States of America Visa online application at VisaHQ.com)
Briefly describe the process at the border to enter with a vehicle

Cost of entry

State the cost for a vehicle to enter

Permitted length of stay

State the permitted length of entry for the vehicle

Extension of stay

Describe the process to extend the permitted length of entry for the vehicle, if possible.

Storing a vehicle and temporarily leaving the country

Describe if/how a vehicle can be stored, and for how long.
Also mention if the owner / temporary importer can leave the country while the vehicle is in storage.

Exiting with a vehicle

Describe the paperwork requirements and process at the border to exit.

Driving in United States of America

Insurance requirements

Yes or No if insurance is mandatory, and what kind is acceptable.

Insurance is technically mandatory in the USA for any driver. This applies to most states but not all. We've never been asked for it. The insurance really insures you to drive any car at all.

Cost of insurance

We have been dealing with the ex-pat department at AIG Insurance. Dealing directly with the underwriter so this is much easier than the normal call centre staff. We have a 1 year policy with the cover we need for under $800usd (UK Registered Land Rover). Some notes for those of you who also need it. You may not need un-insured and under-insured motorist bodily Injury (BI) cover as its likely your home travel policy will cover this. Ours does so don’t waste your money on that. You can also get much lower lever of cover based on the mimimum requirements for some states in the USA. You can check out the lowest requirements by googling.

As an example we got fully comprehensive cover ($20,000) including zero excess glass cover with $1000usd excess/deductible for collisions, property ($100k), bodily injury cover ($300k for others) for the price mentioned. This is a high level of cover for the USA which is nowhere near the cover levels in the UK !

If you only want the minimum you can go a lot lower than we have. If you just get the legal minimum and the price drops a lot !

The company is AIG and the number is 800-343-5761 There’s a few people there but if you get hassle ask for Kathy. Sometimes they are on voice mail. The will insure any car from anywhere. If you have young adults with you the premium will be higher as they insure the car for any driver including anyone in the household that might drive it, even if they do not. So if you have a 17yo with you it will be expensive. You need to give them an address but this is used for USA rating so it can be ANY address in the USA. They do not send anything there. Its all done via Email and Phone. You will need scans of all documents for the car and you.

Where to purchase insurance

Describe where insurance can be purchased.

Driving license

State the kind of driving licenses required. i.e. International Driving Permit.

Driving side of road

Right.
RHD vehicles can be driven in United States of America without a problem.

Mandatory items in vehicle

State any mandatory items that must be carried in the vehicle. (i.e. safety triangle, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, etc.)

Roads

General Road quality

Give a brief description of the general road quality. Mention if one way streets are common.

Road signs

Briefly describe the overall quality & existence of road signs for directions and hazards.

Toll roads

List the frequency and approximate price of toll roads.

Bribery in United States of America

Briefly describe how common bribery is and whether it should be expected, and the best way to deal with it.

Checkpoints

describe the frequency of checkpoints (police or military and what to expect.

Traveling with pets

List the entry requirements and anything else required to travel with a pet.

Gas and Diesel price in United States of America

Last updated: March 2012

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Gas and diesel prices vary across the country, and change quickly.

Gasoline Grade	Price
Regular (85)	$3.74 USD per Gallon (US)^[1]
Diesel	$4.06 USD per Gallon (US)^[1]

Link to external websites with price & quality information, if available.

Gas and Diesel Availability / Frequency

Briefly describe if gas shortages are known to occur.
Also state the approximate average distance between gas stations. This is a very rough estimate.

Gas and Diesel Quality

Discuss if gasoline / diesel considered "clean" or "dirty", and generally high or low quality.
State the sulfur content of diesel, if known.

Safety and Security Considerations

Driving at night

Discuss driving at night and if it should it be avoided. Mention why.

Vehicle parking

Discuss if vehicles can be parked on the street, if they are considered "safe" at night. If vehicles can not be parked on the street, list the other options that exist.

Special driving considerations

A List of special things to be careful of (i.e. Unsigned speed bumps, abnormal road rules, people or animals on the road, etc.).
List any roads that are not recommended to drive for safety or other security reasons.

Security advisories and information

Camping in United States of America

Describe if organized "pay" camping is common. List the facilities commonly found at these campsites.
List the approximate average price range of camping in organized campgrounds.
Also discuss the possibility of "wild" or "roadside" camping. How common is it? Is it considered safe, or a bad idea.

Camping guide books

List and link to books specifically for camping.

Drinking water

Describe if the regular tap water is safe to drink. If not, describe where safe water can be purchased and the approximate average price range.

Navigation

Paper maps

Description of the best paper maps and where to purchase them.

GPS Maps of United States of America

Review different GPS companies, quality and coverage (Tomtom, Garmin, OSM, Tracks4Africa). (with links to each).

GPS co-ordinates for camping, propane, gas, repairs, etc. in United States of America

Link to sites that have a list of GPS co-ordinates (or directions) for camping locations (including "wild" campsites), propane filling, gas stations, repair shops, places of interest, etc.