Canada and United States

Views

From Drive the Americas

Contents 1 Basic Facts 2 Border Crossings 2.1 Required documents 2.2 Border Wait Times 2.3 Tourist Visas 3 Roads and Driving 3.1 Maps 3.2 Car Rentals 4 Camping and Hotels 5 References

[edit] Basic Facts

Canada

• Population: 33,526,000
• Capital: Ottawa
• Fun fact: Canada is the worlds second largest country by total area

United States of America

• Population: 306,173,000
• Capital: Washington, DC
• Fun fact: In 1507, Martin Waldseemüller produced a world map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere "America" after the first name of Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci.^[1]

Sharing the longest unprotected border in the world, Canada and the United States of America have got tons to offer, if you've got the time and the patience to drive around these huge land masses. Tens of thousands of miles of coastline, towering Rocky mountains, some of the most entertaining cities in the world, huge lakes, wild river rapids, and some of the world's last unspoiled natural landscapes. Whether it's climbing Denali, the highest mountain in North America, hanging with polar bears in Banff National Park, channeling your inner cowboy at Calgary's rodeo, partying all night along the glittering strip in Miami, or surfing the world class waves in San Diego, Canada and the US have got it covered.

[edit] Border Crossings

Crossing the longest unprotected border in the world will likely be the easiest border crossing of your drive across the Americas. U.S. Visitors to Canada/Canadian Visitors to U.S.

[edit] Required documents

• A government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s licence, PLUS a birth certificate or citizenship card

OR

• A valid passport

OR

• A NEXUS or a Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card

OR

• An enhanced driver’s licence

For those 18 years and under, only a birth certificate is required. If you are traveling with children, you should bring a birth certificate for each child. Divorced parents, who share custody, should carry copies of the legal custody documents. Travelers under the age of 18 and unaccompanied by a parent need a letter of permission from a parent or guardian.

Citizens of other countries must have a valid Passport, and may also require a Visitor’s Visa.

(information from Binational Tourism Alliance Travel Documents Requirements)

[edit] Border Wait Times

The following pages will give you border wait times:

• United States Border Wait Times
• Canadian Border Wait Times

[edit] Tourist Visas

People from most countries need a tourist visa to enter the United States. Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda citizens may be eligible for visa free arrangements. For detailed information, see the U.S. State Department - Temporary Visitors to the U.S.

[edit] Roads and Driving

[edit] Maps

Up-to-date maps for traveling in the US and Canada are available free at Google Maps In general, roads in the US and Canada are in excellent shape, and are safe to travel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Themilepost.com is a good guide of the Alaska Highway to and within Alaska, including Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Information on gas prices and road conditions.

[edit] Car Rentals

There are about 6 car rental companies that operate nationwide in the U.S. Most of them do not like renting for more than a month. If you are going longer, you can switch out vehicles each month. Insurance rates can be expensive, check to see if your own insurance covers your rental so you can opt out of the extra insurance. You may incur extra fees if you do not drop your car off at the same place you got it from. However, you can get the fee waived if you travel from two locations that are easy to get cars returned to. For example, LA to Las Vegas is a popular route.

[edit] Camping and Hotels

National and state parks in the US usually offer safe, clean campsites, often with showers and bathrooms, for about $20/night. Here are some useful links for finding a campground:

• About.com Camping - Listing of campgrounds by State.
• About.com Camping - Listing of private campgrounds.
• L.L.Bean's Park Search - Listings of campgrounds around the world, including United States and Canada.
• Reserve America Campground Directory - Directory of government and private campgrounds.
• The Camping Source - List of campgrounds in Canada by province.
• Go Camping America - List of private campgrounds by state.
• Free Campgrounds.com - List of free or very cheap RV sites.
• All Campgrounds.com - List of campgrounds by state.
• US Government National Parks Service - List of National Parks by state.

If you want to keep expenses very low and you have a RV, campervan, or room to sleep in your car, many states allow you to park at rest stops. Another good option is truck stops. Truck stops are usually open 24 hours and have restrooms and showers.

• Interstate Rest Areas - List of rest areas in the US by state.
• Truck Stop Info Plus - List of truck stops by state.
• Google Map of US Rest Areas - Searchable map of US rest areas with facilities.

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. If you would rather not edit this page yourself, please look at other ways to contribute information to this website.

[edit] References

1. ↑ Cartographer Put 'America' on the Map 500 years Ago. USA Today (2007-04-24). Retrieved on 2008-11-30