Canada & USA - Yes !
Updated 20th February 2020
Plans in place and confirmed.
We are shipping motorhome from Liverpool at the end of March. So Canada 3 months USA 12 weeks Canada 1 week.
We plan send the vehicle back from Halifax.
So Seabridge now booked (Liverpool to Halifax NS) - Confirmed. Also all the UK items organised ...
# Upgrade to 2 x Leisure batteries..due in February. Our existing battery will become a useful 3rd battery/reserve.
It is 5 years old. The cost of the 2 new batteries is small over a five year span and will give us more opportunity to not use camp-sites even when it is cold. They will provide more power for the fan used by the gas heating ! (Thus saving camp fees !)
The new batteries are essential for Canada as electric hookup is not viable or indeed available in April and early May !
# Full Service and MOT .. February or early March Now done and MOT good ! (2 new tyres needed after 5 years !)
# 2 New leisure batteries delivered and fitted (19th Feb).
# Train from Liverpool to Maidenhead
# UK campsites
As for the big spends, they are all catered for with our "budget accounts"
£1800 Flights and Hotel - Paid.
£800 Canada & USA Road insurance - now in place and on Creditcard.
£650 Moho MOT & service and 2 new batteries
£3000 Seabridge out - due late March (they only ask for payment once the vehicle is at sea).
£3000 Seabridge back - due late September.
With cheaper fuel but more costly food we expect the "daily costs" will be similar to our usual spend.
Camping should be the usual healthy mixture of free / cheap / moderate.
Some extra costs such as national parks / museums / tourist items !
I have looked at Canada before, either renting a motorhome or transporting ours but got put off by a few things.
A member of www.Motorhomer.com has recently toured USA for 6 months...His blog/posts on Motorhomer.com re-kindled my interest and so I now have a plan. This is firmed up as above
So 2020 as we will need to return to UK from Thailand earlier than usual and subsequently fly to Thailand a bit later... It also gives us time to save for the major costs. Indeed this is now done.
My thanks to all those from Motorhomer.com who have answered my questions and provided suggestions.
18/03/2020 Fly to LHR 1 night in Travelodge
19/03/2020 Coach to Gloucester. Collect motorhome
26/03/2020 Deliver motorhome to Liverpool dock. Train to Maidenhead. At leisure in Maidenhead until
05/04/2020 Fly to Halifax (NS) direct from LHR. then 3 nights in Hotel
08/04/2020 Collect motorhome
01/07/2020 Canada National Day
03/07/2020 Cross border to USA
04/07/2020 4th July has significance !
18/09/2020 Cross back into Canada
28/09/2020 Deliver motorhome to Halifax docks. and Fly to LHR
09/10/2020 Collect Motorhome from Liverpool dock
Then TBA put motorhome in store and fly to Thailand
The days without the motorhome will be a minor nuisance but are unavoidable and we get nearly 6 months away !
We are shipping motorhome from Liverpool at the end of March. So Canada 3 months USA 12 weeks Canada 1 week.
We plan send the vehicle back from Halifax.
So Seabridge now booked (Liverpool to Halifax NS) - Confirmed. Also all the UK items organised ...
# Upgrade to 2 x Leisure batteries..due in February. Our existing battery will become a useful 3rd battery/reserve.
It is 5 years old. The cost of the 2 new batteries is small over a five year span and will give us more opportunity to not use camp-sites even when it is cold. They will provide more power for the fan used by the gas heating ! (Thus saving camp fees !)
The new batteries are essential for Canada as electric hookup is not viable or indeed available in April and early May !
# Full Service and MOT .. February or early March Now done and MOT good ! (2 new tyres needed after 5 years !)
# 2 New leisure batteries delivered and fitted (19th Feb).
# Train from Liverpool to Maidenhead
# UK campsites
As for the big spends, they are all catered for with our "budget accounts"
£1800 Flights and Hotel - Paid.
£800 Canada & USA Road insurance - now in place and on Creditcard.
£650 Moho MOT & service and 2 new batteries
£3000 Seabridge out - due late March (they only ask for payment once the vehicle is at sea).
£3000 Seabridge back - due late September.
With cheaper fuel but more costly food we expect the "daily costs" will be similar to our usual spend.
Camping should be the usual healthy mixture of free / cheap / moderate.
Some extra costs such as national parks / museums / tourist items !
I have looked at Canada before, either renting a motorhome or transporting ours but got put off by a few things.
A member of www.Motorhomer.com has recently toured USA for 6 months...His blog/posts on Motorhomer.com re-kindled my interest and so I now have a plan. This is firmed up as above
So 2020 as we will need to return to UK from Thailand earlier than usual and subsequently fly to Thailand a bit later... It also gives us time to save for the major costs. Indeed this is now done.
My thanks to all those from Motorhomer.com who have answered my questions and provided suggestions.
18/03/2020 Fly to LHR 1 night in Travelodge
19/03/2020 Coach to Gloucester. Collect motorhome
26/03/2020 Deliver motorhome to Liverpool dock. Train to Maidenhead. At leisure in Maidenhead until
05/04/2020 Fly to Halifax (NS) direct from LHR. then 3 nights in Hotel
08/04/2020 Collect motorhome
01/07/2020 Canada National Day
03/07/2020 Cross border to USA
04/07/2020 4th July has significance !
18/09/2020 Cross back into Canada
28/09/2020 Deliver motorhome to Halifax docks. and Fly to LHR
09/10/2020 Collect Motorhome from Liverpool dock
Then TBA put motorhome in store and fly to Thailand
The days without the motorhome will be a minor nuisance but are unavoidable and we get nearly 6 months away !
Canada and USA should suit our style...Many free or cheap sites and wildcamping (or boondocking) widely available and used. Diesel is also cheap but we will spend more on food.
Roads look good and not too busy.We have checked various routes/distance and they are proportionately comparable with the 3 months of our big tours to Italy in 2018 and Scandinavia in 2016 (on a 3 month basis so about double)...We do not like to rush averaging 60 miles a day so easy to remain at any given camp for 2 or 3 nights and travel a bit more in between.
I have revised this slightly as helpful posts have suggested extra mileage is not a problem.
I believe I have also teased out all the issues re Battery life (for gas heating) and most significantly I am happy that our Gas-it refillable system meets Canada/USA standards !
Should we not be able to cross into USA (all my research shows it to be OK) we will simply return within Canada !
Roads look good and not too busy.We have checked various routes/distance and they are proportionately comparable with the 3 months of our big tours to Italy in 2018 and Scandinavia in 2016 (on a 3 month basis so about double)...We do not like to rush averaging 60 miles a day so easy to remain at any given camp for 2 or 3 nights and travel a bit more in between.
I have revised this slightly as helpful posts have suggested extra mileage is not a problem.
I believe I have also teased out all the issues re Battery life (for gas heating) and most significantly I am happy that our Gas-it refillable system meets Canada/USA standards !
Should we not be able to cross into USA (all my research shows it to be OK) we will simply return within Canada !
The "Google distances" are a good basis but I expect we will travel for up to
In 2016 we spent a total of £1,200 which included our Scandinavian tour for 4.5 months and 5000 miles
- 5000 miles in Canada
- 4500 miles in USA
- 500 once back in Canada
In 2016 we spent a total of £1,200 which included our Scandinavian tour for 4.5 months and 5000 miles
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