Travelling America

[Lyndhurst 14]

Whatever you do or don't do make sure you have good health insurance. If you manage to get a legit job you will probably be covered, if you get a "met someone in a bar" job you wont be. It's one area that is not worth taking a risk with.

 

[Raphael Meade]

All US airlines have their good and bad points... so long as you're with one of the majors - American, United, Delta, US, Southwest, Alaska, Jet Blue, etc you'll be fine.

And as for going to Canada after your 3 months are up - when you leave UK/land in the US you'll have the show them your return flight that is booked for within the next 3 months that brings you back to the UK/somewhere that is NOT Canada or Mexico as they'll see that as you trying to stay there beyond the 3 months and wont let you in...

 

[matthew]

No didn't over stay, crossed into other countries so you go back to square one,

What about going in to Canada do you need a visa for that? Take it their less strict than US!

 

[matthew]

All US airlines have their good and bad points... so long as you're with one of the majors - American, United, Delta, US, Southwest, Alaska, Jet Blue, etc you'll be fine.

And as for going to Canada after your 3 months are up - when you leave UK/land in the US you'll have the show them your return flight that is booked for within the next 3 months that brings you back to the UK/somewhere that is NOT Canada or Mexico as they'll see that as you trying to stay there beyond the 3 months and wont let you in...

Cheers f*** me the US are c***** when i cancel the return flight will it be refunded?

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Who said flights to the USA are cheap?! They're ridiculously expensive! When I last flew to NY (admittedly, in 2001) it cost me £150 return. Now, it's near on £400!

 

[Springal]

Who said flights to the USA are cheap?! They're ridiculously expensive! When I last flew to NY (admittedly, in 2001) it cost me £150 return. Now, it's near on £400!

Blame the government for that, cheaper to take an easyjet flight to Amsterdam or similar, and fly from there, than it is to fly direct from the UK.

 

[Springal]

Cheers f*** me the US are c***** when i cancel the return flight will it be refunded?

Depends on your ticket conditions. Fully flexible / refundable tickets are usually at a price premium. Just read the small print fully

 

[Trufflehound]

And as for going to Canada after your 3 months are up - when you leave UK/land in the US you'll have the show them your return flight that is booked for within the next 3 months that brings you back to the UK/somewhere that is NOT Canada or Mexico as they'll see that as you trying to stay there beyond the 3 months and wont let you in...

I nearly fell foul of this rule with the Canadian authorities many years ago. Was staying with relatives in Calgary and (foolishly, with hindsight) left my ticket out of Canada with them for safekeeping whilst I went down to Washington and Oregon states for a week or so. On the bus back from Seattle to Vancouver the woman immigration officer was in no mood to let me in, giving me the "you young British people coming over here and stealing good Canadian jobs" speech, even though I wasn't working there and had no intention of doing so - I was on holiday.

The woman wanted to put me on the next bus back to Seattle. In the end it took an hour, the gentle persuasion of her colleagues that I might be telling the truth, and several phone calls to my Canadian relatives to vouch for me, before I was given a 7-day entry stamp and had to report within that time to the immigration office in Calgary to show them the relevant paperwork or be deported.

Won't be making that mistake again.


On the other hand I've never been asked to show a ticket out on any of around 30 trips to the US.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Blame the government for that, cheaper to take an easyjet flight to Amsterdam or similar, and fly from there, than it is to fly direct from the UK.

Interesting, thanks for that tip

 

[Springal]

Interesting, thanks for that tip

Just to go into this in more detail, play around with destinations. I actually think Dublin is even lower tax. I've often gone LGW-DUB-US-LGW/LHR and saved £150 or so on an economy flight and about £450 on a business class flight.

 

[SeagullBT]

I loved my time in America. I'm not very good on budget and spent a heavy £££. I only stayed three months - but I am sure you could easily find an Amercian girl willing to marry you. I had plenty of offers, they are all mental and screwed in the head; they were shocked I didn't have a shrink on speed dial. I don't remember having to show return flight details either.

If you're the kind of chap that doesn't mind flaunting the rules, my friend who lives in New York visited for three months, returned to Brighton for a few weeks and went back again to America, when the three months were up she just never left. She is now living off cash in hand jobs in bars. She has been there about three years now - they'll catch her at some point and throw her out but that's one way to go. She can't visit back home and I don't know what she is meant to do if she gets sick/injured?!! I wouldn't do it, certainly not for the length she has been there. I'm not complaining though, I'm visiting her in July and saves on hotel costs

 

[Cars]

321 quid for me to America. First class to!!!!

 

[matthew]

321 quid for me to America. First class to!!!!

Explain!

 

[brakespear]

She is now living off cash in hand jobs in bars.

I have to admit I read that part completely wrong the first time and wondered how desperate things had got for your friend

 

[Cars]

Explain!

I work for BA....they are stand-by flights though. But can plan well so I get on them.

 

[Raphael Meade]

I nearly fell foul of this rule with the Canadian authorities many years ago. Was staying with relatives in Calgary and (foolishly, with hindsight) left my ticket out of Canada with them for safekeeping whilst I went down to Washington and Oregon states for a week or so. On the bus back from Seattle to Vancouver the woman immigration officer was in no mood to let me in, giving me the "you young British people coming over here and stealing good Canadian jobs" speech, even though I wasn't working there and had no intention of doing so - I was on holiday.

The woman wanted to put me on the next bus back to Seattle. In the end it took an hour, the gentle persuasion of her colleagues that I might be telling the truth, and several phone calls to my Canadian relatives to vouch for me, before I was given a 7-day entry stamp and had to report within that time to the immigration office in Calgary to show them the relevant paperwork or be deported.

Won't be making that mistake again.


On the other hand I've never been asked to show a ticket out on any of around 30 trips to the US.

Crossing the US-Canadian border is the hardest i've come across in the world. I never have trouble as on a UK passport with the right visas, but Americans I travel with are often questioned/refused and always have vehicles x-rayed/searched by dogs, etc.

 

[Springal]

Crossing the US-Canadian border is the hardest i've come across in the world. I never have trouble as on a UK passport with the right visas, but Americans I travel with are often questioned/refused and always have vehicles x-rayed/searched by dogs, etc.

Fly over the border, that way it is treated as US domestic, and no border control. Or am I missing something?

 

[Raphael Meade]

there is border control however you go. flying into canada you have the same immigration as anyone else arriving internationally, flying canada to US you clear US immigration in canada before you board - so the same procedures as you'd normally go through in the US when arriving, but it's done in canada so the planes can land at airports without immigration or at domestic terminals in the US.