# Shipping to the US



## petehvan (May 1, 2005)

i am thinking of shipping my van to the US for an extended tour.
Has anyone else done this, and are there any tips.

regards Pete


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

There was a thread about this a few months ago so you may find it by searching. From recollection, hiring over there seemed to be the better solution for a number of reasons.

ps - here is the thread I was thinking of. The recommendation was to buy over there.


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## AndrewandShirley (Oct 13, 2007)

It really depends on a number of factors:
The length of your stay (e.g. total of 6 months USA - 3 months Canada)
Size of your vehicle
Additional cost of shipping extras e.g. bedding, clothes, cutlery as the vehicle must be shipped empty.

The people we know have considered all options and two have shipped theirs across, one has hired and one bought, then planning to resell after the trip.

The cost of £10-15k shipping return is high but for 8 months travelling we think this is the way we will go as you could not buy one for that and are not convinced hire costs would be less.


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## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

AndrewandShirley said:


> It really depends on a number of factors:
> The length of your stay (e.g. total of 6 months USA - 3 months Canada)
> Size of your vehicle
> Additional cost of shipping extras e.g. bedding, clothes, cutlery as the vehicle must be shipped empty.
> ...


I have begun looking into options also for an extended tour in the U.S. & Canada.
AFAIK the vehicle can be shipped with all the 'stuff' on board, but a solid partition must be fitted between the cab and the habitation area, your local chippie could do this. 
While the shipping cost is quite expensive, it could well be covered, at least in part, by fuel savings, our 25mpg vs. 'yank' RV at 8mpg?


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## erica (Jul 14, 2010)

Hi Pete
We shipped a Hymer Starline from Liverpool to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2002 and back from Baltimore. Cost was approx £1500 with A.C.L. We did leave camping gear in the lockers but they were well screwed down. We insured the van in America with Progressive. It was an amazing year. Our route was Halifax, across Canada to Calgary, north to Alaska, Inside Passage ferry back south, down the U.S west coast to L A, Las Vegas, Christmas in Texas, New Orleans for Mardi Gras, Florida keys, Memphis, east coast up to Baltimore. Good points - it was our van, our gear and a lot cheaper than hiring. Campgrounds were good - we joined KOA. People were friendly. Bad points - electrics are not compatible! Our info is a bit out of date but if we can help, get back. Happy planning!
Regards Erica


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Look into shipping it in an ISO container !!

Surprisingly cheap !!


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

Hi Andrew/Shirley - hope you guys are well! 



AndrewandShirley said:


> The length of your stay (e.g. total of 6 months USA - 3 months Canada)


6 months for Canada.



AndrewandShirley said:


> Additional cost of shipping extras e.g. bedding, clothes, cutlery as the vehicle must be shipped empty


This is such an important point. It MUST be empty - completely - despite advice to the contrary in this thread. Do not therefore underestimate the time & cost of re-stocking it from scratch (although Trevor & Jack did it from garage sales when they got there!!). Although we've kept the receipts, I don't know exactly how much we've spent kitting-out the RV (95% from Walmart which is cheap and good), but it's got to be at least $2,000. This will have to be done irrespective of whether you ship or buy.



AndrewandShirley said:


> The people we know have considered all options and two have shipped theirs across, one has hired and one bought, then planning to resell after the trip.


You can add loddy to the buyer's list - they're over here doing the same as us (we managed to get rid of them in Florida :lol. Anyway, it's looking less & less likely we'll be selling next year when we complete our year's trip; storing & coming back to carry on is becoming very attractive, in which case we'll sell the RV in the UK.



AndrewandShirley said:


> The cost of £10-15k shipping return is high but for 8 months travelling we think this is the way we will go as you could not buy one for that and are not convinced hire costs would be less.


It is high, and much higher than the depreciation on a good used motorhome bought in the US costing around £20k - £25k. You can expect to take a £5k hit, but bear in mind you will NOT have depreciated your UK motorhome whilst on the trip, something which is usually forgotten about. If you've got £15k to lose on shipping, it was a no-brainer to spend £23k (in our case) on a gorgeous RV and tow-car, most of which I'll get back. I know not everyone will see it that way though.

girzzlyj asked about shipping. The quotes I got were all for non-containerised under-deck storage.

Dougie.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

Just by way of a footnote, Jason (grizzlyj) made a good suggestion to me this morning about including an FAQ page on our blog, covering the questions asked here, and more (details such as What Map? How to kit out on arrival? How to Buy? etc.) This gives me something to do this week as our schedule is nicely slack until next Monday (we're chillaxing near Montreal before spending next week with old friends in Toronto, when chillaxing won't be an option!!).

One thing to mention meantime though - if you are buying, and you know you'll be charged sales tax (e.g. from a dealer), setting up an LLC (Limited Liability Company) is a doddle (well, it's not if you don't know how to do it, lol) and will legitimately save you thousand$.

Same for insurance - insuring a foreign vehicle costs rather more than a US-registered one.

Also legitimate and acceptable workarounds for the 6-month visa restrictions - argghhh - enough already! I'll post a link to the page when it's done!

Dougie.


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

Hi

And thanks for the info!!

The previous owners of my camper took it from Costa Rica to Alaska over the space of I think 5 years continuously, and at 4m high it didn't go in a container! I don't know how it did get there and back though.

Everything inside is vehicle not mains voltage, so only the battery charger was fed from the mains once there.

It has a sliding door between cab and camper to keep them seperately lockable, but the door is for occasional use so small and easily achieved.

I didn't know you could ship on a vehicle ferry as such to the USA? Good news. From what I've read in the past, a camper like mine would go on an open pallet type container, so it has a normal container base, front and back but no sides or roof since you are poking out of the top. Therefore the only place it can go on a container ship is on top of everything else where I'm told the odd one does in fact just drops, or gets washed, off! You pay a premium in shipping since loading it becomes slightly more involved, and insurance becomes silly due to the high loss risk.

Keeping the cab open is required for shunting while in port, and some shippers insist the camper is empty just to make your life easier if it gets broken into. Again only from what I've read, with weeks at sea, the crew have nothing else to do, so have plenty of time to see whats available. Mirrors at least seem fair game. Another idea is three strong lockable metal boxes usable seperately on a roof rack perhaps while travelling, but that bolt together longwise on inside the camper while in transit gives another layer of not easily attacked security.

So, considering what will fit in a container before you buy seems sensible. Wheels off, and driving in on the discs is often done with no damage to the discs, but does exceed the container floor point load limit without strengthening a bit, another layer of ply perhaps.

Once in the container it would seem odd for anyone to still insist the camper is empty, since the stuff you pack seperately may well still travel in a container, and probably reached you at some point in one too. Maybe where thats any confusion regarding empty or not is coming from? They are not thief proof by any means as 10 minutes with a disc cutter will prove, but at least while at sea it should be fine. Sitting in port for ages may still be a bad idea though.

I'm looking at ways to alter mine to do this, but for at least a tenth of their cost! Not easily done with a "normal" RV or camper though! But possible for the OP to just drive in, even if its in a slightly taller "high cube" container with an 8'5" high door?

From

http://www.unicat.net/en/info/MD52h-UnimogU40006x6.html

http://www.unicat.net/en/pics/MD52h-UnimogU40006x6-2.html























































http://www.sjonescontainers.co.uk/dimensions.htm


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

It's a good idea to check out the shippers website ....................

http://www.walleniuslines.com/

And if you have time my slightly dated experiences in the states.........

www.raynipper.com

Ray.


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## DavidDredge (Oct 17, 2010)

There are loads of motorhomes (RVs!) for sale secondhand in USA for far less than the cost of shipping one over. I would recommend buying in Florida where the authorities are used to handling registrations from overseas visitors. Also there is no annual vehicle check.

I concur the use of Progressive for insurance. 

I would use a mail forwarding company (eg Good Sam) as there will be paperwork involved. Such companies will forward mail to a Post Office near you at very reasonable rates.

In 5 years travelling I never found the need to open a US bank account. You can use your UK credit card (not debit card) for everything

KOA are expensive. Join Passport America. Far cheaper camping at many more campsites.

If you get a 10 year visa from the US embassy you can stay for 9 months at a time. Many go to Canada or Mexico for a few weeks then re-enter to restart another 9 months.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

[quote="If you get a 10 year visa from the US embassy you can stay for 9 months at a time. Many go to Canada or Mexico for a few weeks then re-enter to restart another 9 months.[/quote]

This is asking for trouble.!!!!!

If some thug in Homeland Security thinks you are abusing the 6 month rule, he will prevent you from returning for 18 months or so.

Ray.


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## DavidDredge (Oct 17, 2010)

Firstly, sorry. I meant 6 months not 9 if you have a visa. 

Having said that there are no 'rules' for how long they will let you stay (up to the 6 months) nor for how long you must be out of the country before you can re-enter. It is up to the border people.

I agree US Homeland security people can be a pain but I and many others popped in and out across the borders over many years. Their main concern seemed to be that you may be working during your stay. As always the advice is to be calm, respectful and honest. Being very 'english' also seemed to help!


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

DavidDredge said:


> There are loads of motorhomes (RVs!) for sale .... Also there is no annual vehicle check


The first bit is absolutely true. The second is quite incorrect. In the vast majority of states, there is an annual inspection (effectively, an MoT). In some states such as Montana, there is not.



DavidDredge said:


> In 5 years travelling I never found the need to open a US bank account


You need _at least_ a US social security number to do so, plus an acceptable permanent address. As you say, it's just not necessary for recreational travelling. Citibank do good free UK-based foreign currency accounts with a native-currency debit card.



DavidDredge said:


> KOA are expensive. Join Passport America. Far cheaper camping at many more campsites


Indeed, or Camp Club USA (CCA) which like PA, gives 50% discount.



DavidDredge said:


> Many go to Canada or Mexico for a few weeks then re-enter to restart another 9 months.


You've already corrected the 9 months to 6. You will struggle to have your "visit clock" reset to another 6 months unless you've been out the US for at least a month, and preferably more. It is indeed up to the man/woman on the gate. Popping in & out is entirely acceptable, but it's important to underline that your visit expiry date on the I-94 form will not normally be extended unless you can show to their satisfaction that you've been out the US for a reasonable length of time.

Dougie.


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## DavidDredge (Oct 17, 2010)

I was making the point that FLORIDA was a good place to buy because there is no annual inspection in that State.

I reiterate, there are no rules for how long you need to be out before you can reset the clock when you come back in. But obviously it is easier the longer you are away.

In fact there is a process for extending your stay beyond 6 months ONCE you are in the country but it is a bit of a pain.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

DavidDredge said:


> I was making the point that FLORIDA was a good place to buy because there is no annual inspection in that State.
> 
> I reiterate, there are no rules for how long you need to be out before you can reset the clock when you come back in. But obviously it is easier the longer you are away.
> 
> In fact there is a process for extending your stay beyond 6 months ONCE you are in the country but it is a bit of a pain.


I misunderstood your point about Florida, sorry. As above, I agree with your points about clock resetting upon re-entry. And I also agree about the extension process!

Well, that's us sorted. 

Dougie.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

DavidDredge said:


> In fact there is a process for extending your stay beyond 6 months ONCE you are in the country but it is a bit of a pain.


I have tried this also.
After several days visiting various immigration offices and standing in line with hundreds of Mexicans, we gave up. They put just too many hurdles up for you.

I have been detained for hours just because my first name is 'Ramon'. I was detained for hours because I offered some information to a friend who had lost his I-94. I have been detained for hours because I didn't carry two Passports into Mexico.

On the other hand we have managed two years stateside with only a month out every four months.

Ray.


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## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

I remember a series in MMM a few years ago about a couple touring the world in a Euromobile with, I think a Mini Metro an an A frame.
The leg from Australia (or perhaps it was New Zealand) to the wast coast of the U.S. was via a container ship. Their accommodation was a vacant crew cabin and the MH was placed on an open flatbed container on top of the stack right out at the bow, perhaps so high and forward that it would be unaffected by any bow spray.

In a photo from the bridge it looked like a toy.


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