Remember the Vikings from the Green Bus? They recently returned from a three-month journey across the States. They brought back not only many memories and experiences, but also a handful of valuable tips. How to plan an adventure on another continent in five steps? Do you need a fortune to travel? And how to manage packing for such a long trip? Let the travelers themselves answer these questions – we invite you to read 🙂
➡ Where did you start when planning your trip?
At the beginning, we did what many people in our situation would do first. We looked online, described our intentions, and asked for advice on forums and Facebook groups. From our current perspective and gained experience, we know that you won't always find the information you're looking for there. Indeed, sometimes you'll find good advice, but you have to dig it out from hundreds of "it's impossible," "forget about such a plan," and our favorites, "better prepare $10,000, because it can't be done cheaper – I know, because I was there on vacation."
➡ So where should you get information from?
We recommend meeting people who have real, proven knowledge from the field. Where can you meet them? Almost every major city already organizes meetings with travelers, and there are more and more groups of people who have been on similar expeditions. It's best to write to them directly. They are usually open and very helpful people – one shared evening over a beer will provide more information than dozens of hours spent sifting through hundreds of useless and discouraging comments.
➡ From the very beginning, did you plan to go to the States without spending a lot of money? You succeeded. Share your secret – how did you do it?
It's known that traveling the world without adequate funds is very difficult, though not impossible. However, don't be discouraged by "experienced" travelers from Florida vacations who claim you can't see the States without a bag full of dollars.
How to minimize costs and have amazing moments in the Wild West, on the back roads of Alaska, or on scorching Florida? It's cheaper, more cheerful, and generally better in a group. 🙂 So, you should find a crew. Then, you need to divide the expenses into main categories:
- Transport to and from across the Ocean
- Insurance
- Getting around on site
- Food
- Accommodation
- Attractions
Let each member of the crew take charge of a topic and try to estimate the costs. Of course, you can find an expensive flight on the first website you see, but that's not the point. Once you've roughly estimated the costs, start reducing them by half, by three-quarters, by 99%! Yes, it's possible. 🙂
➡ I'm afraid not everyone knows how to find cheap flights.
If you don't feel confident about something, find someone who does. Using flights as an example: there are people who will find them for you for a small fee. Experienced seekers will help you save a lot of money on tickets. We flew there and back for PLN 1900.
And it's like that with everything: insurance is a big expense in the States and Canada. You can easily find packages for several thousand, but you can also get reasonably insured for three months for less than PLN 400. You can rent a car and be forced to limit your trip to three weeks because then the money will run out. But there are other options, for example... buying a used car across the Ocean. Does that seem risky? Difficult to implement or even impossible? Everything is possible, you just need to start acting. Then it only gets easier.
➡ And what about accommodation? How much can you reduce its cost?
Just like on previous trips, this time too we decided on free accommodation, meaning "wild camping." We shared this idea in a group dedicated to traveling in the USA. The words that best describe the general sentiment of the comments are "Absolutely impossible!", "Every piece of land there belongs to someone, they'll chase you away, and with guns!", "It's a police state, after the second encounter with the police, you'll end up in prison for vagrancy!". Don't be discouraged by the haters! There was some truth to these statements – indeed, there's a lot of police, but they are very friendly and eager to help, including providing information on where to stay for the night or what's worth seeing in the area. And finding free accommodation in decent parking lots is child's play. Just like we have park4night.com in Europe, freecampsites.net works perfectly in the States.
➡ Okay, transport and sleeping are sorted, but what about paying for attractions? After all, that's why you travel – to enjoy them.
Make a list of places you'd like to visit. Then choose one-third that you'll give up if you run out of time. Next, identify another part that is the absolute core of your trip and that you won't miss no matter what. Write it down. The list will make future decisions easier and save you conflicts within the group. Save on everything else so you can spend on attractions. A boat trip to look for whales, famous Chicago pizza, a visit to the Houston Space Center… Events like these are remembered the longest!
➡ Do you think it's worth investing in professional tourist equipment?
We often encounter the approach that you should buy the most expensive equipment you can afford. We disagree with that. Unless you're planning extreme feats like climbing McKinley or spending three solitary months in northern Alaska during the polar night, mid-range equipment, which can be purchased for a reasonable price in popular chain sports and outdoor stores, will be perfectly sufficient. We won't share a specific list here, as it will vary for different types of trips. But we will support these words with general experience gained during our expeditions.
➡ How do you pack for such a long trip as yours?
Limit everything to a minimum. Don't prepare for extreme situations that most likely won't occur. If something happens – improvise the necessary items. It's better to buy too little than too much. Where you're going, there are also stores, and not necessarily with prohibitive prices. The best feature of a full backpack is its low weight. And don't forget zip ties and duct tape! With this set, you can fix anything.
➡ Do you have any additional advice for Vikings dreaming of faraway travels?
Don't get discouraged, scared, or told that something is impossible. Treat your dreams as to-do lists with set deadlines and travel. #LiveNoLimit 🙂
You didn't follow the journey, and you're curious about how it went? Nothing lost – you can find photos of the Green Bus crew on the Mobile Vikings Instagram. Take a look and transport yourself across the Ocean 🙂
