Welcome to the Travel Forums


Why join TravelBlog?

  • Membership is Free and Easy
  • Your travel questions answered in minutes!
  • Become part of the friendliest online travel community.
Join Now! Join TravelBlog* today and meet thousands of friendly travelers. Don't wait! Join today and make your adventures even more enjoyable.

* Blogging is not required to participate in the forums
Advertisement


Roadtrip 6months USA NYC-Florida-Cali-Seattle

Advertisement
Questions: -Buy a car/Car insurance -work -Places to be -get in contact with travellers
12 years ago, November 7th 2011 No: 1 Msg: #146601  
hey guys,

im from germany and as in the summary described, I want to do a roadtrip in the States from the beginning of march until end of july. I am applying for the B2-Visa, which shouldnt be really hard to get for me, i guess; i have enough money, im 24 years old, some friends invite me for their graduation parties, i have a job contract, which starts in august, my parents will support me and so on.

But however, i have some questions.

I read in most of the blogs, communities e.g. that it should be really hard buying a car, without any permanent resident and without an merican drivers licence. Moreover, the crucial problem should be getting an insurance policy for the car. Is it true? My plan is buying a car in NYC and sell the car in seattle. Do u see no chance to get an insurance or are there some nice tricks in order getting this?

Another question is according work: Basically i dont have the permission to work with my B2-Visa, but however, i heard there should be a lot of "black jobs", in other words illegal ones, where the companies arent interested to see a permission? Do u see a chance getting such kind of jobs?

Furthermore, im not relly sure, how easy it is getting in contact with other travellers on my way, i mean, in contrast to australia, the states are not the typical country where most of the backpacker are sleeping in hostels and come together in order making some plans together and so on, is it right or am i totally wrong? Is there a special opporunity getting in contact as fast as possible and make some friends abroad?

Last but not least, i dont really have exactly plans while travelling around. Im the kind of guy, who takes it as it comes, and dont care about plans and this stuff. Its my mentality and i learned in the past, that "comin around" without a schedule, timetable and exactly plan is the best way getting in contact with many unpredictable moments, which are the most valuable experiences in my point of view.

Nevertheless, do u have any reccomndations, what kind of place i should have seen during my trip?

Thank you very much for your replies in advance.

Best regards,

Jonas
[Edited: 2011 Nov 07 21:58 - Freewaver:221795 ]
Reply to this

12 years ago, November 20th 2011 No: 2 Msg: #147238  
Hi Jonas -

The main issue with the car won't be purchasing it, but getting it licensed. I'm no expert in these matters, but they do vary state by state so where you purchase the car becomes the biggest issue. You could check out the New York State Dept of Motor Vehicle website to get the criteria. There are a few other threads in this forum about insurance. I recall one mentioning a good insurer of international drivers, or you German car insurance might cover you while driving abroad. Also something to look into.

I'm sure there are under the table jobs here, but I don't know where you go to find them. The unemployment rate in the U.S is quite high right now, so many Americans with advanced college degrees are starting to take jobs in the hospitality sector which travelers used to find "black market" work in. Some states are also cracking down on "illegal" workers, so be careful. If you need money, you're best bet will be putting up flyers for tutoring German or responding to postings for odd-jobs on sites like Craigslist or bulletin boards.

Linking up with other travelers varies depending on your location. In big cities (NYC for instance) other travelers do stay in hostels and tend to congregate in many popular tourist areas, so it's easy to spot one another. Elsewhere, not so much. Couchsurfing can be a good way to meet up with locals and other travelers, however, and many cities have regular meet-ups. You can find info there on the Couchsurfing forums. Reply to this

Tot: 0.149s; Tpl: 0.004s; cc: 5; qc: 73; dbt: 0.1202s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.1mb