Hello guys, I have a few questions. Bear with me while I first give a brief explanation of my situation:
For a while now it has been my dream to live full time in a van and travel the USA, wild camping and spending as much time out in nature as I can, enjoying the amazing scenery of national and state parks. However, I have recently come upon a major roadblock in my plans.
I am a UK citizen but I grew up in the USA and lived there for 15 years and became a permanent resident during that time. A few years ago I decided to study at university in the UK but planned to return back after I graduated. I have since graduated and began working. I've been planning and saving money for this lifestyle for 3+ years now with the full expectation that I would be able to return and stay in the USA permanently. Unfortunately, I have since lost my permanent residency status (aka Green Card) because of a rule that I was unaware of at the time which dictates that I must return to the USA a least once within every 365 days otherwise the Green Card is revoked. I can reapply for a new Green Card, but this process will take at least 8 years, possibly more. I really don’t want to wait 8+ years to live my dreams, especially now that I am so close to reaching my savings goal. I initially assumed the process would only take a couple years max given my history, but I only recently found out it will take much longer and be a difficult process. This has been a crushing blow to my plans and is a real shame because I can’t permanently return any time soon to the country I grew up in.
I have been wanting to live the full-time van lifestyle specifically in the USA, primarily because of the large amount of public land where boondocking is legal and feasible, and because of the beautiful and varied landscapes and climates America has to offer. Now as this isn’t going to be a realistic option for me any time soon, I am considering alternative options.
One option is I can intermittently travel between USA-Canada-Mexico & other Central American countries, staying for a couple of months in each. I can stay as a tourist in both Mexico and Canada for a maximum of 180 days and the USA for 90 days max.
I know this forum is primarily USA-centered, but I imagine a lot of you will have ventured into Canada and Mexico on your travels and may be able to give me some advice.
Now on to my questions:
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.
TLDR; is boondocking feasible in Mexico and Canada like it is in the USA? Also, has anyone been in a similar situation to me with frequent border crossing and proving ties to home country?
For a while now it has been my dream to live full time in a van and travel the USA, wild camping and spending as much time out in nature as I can, enjoying the amazing scenery of national and state parks. However, I have recently come upon a major roadblock in my plans.
I am a UK citizen but I grew up in the USA and lived there for 15 years and became a permanent resident during that time. A few years ago I decided to study at university in the UK but planned to return back after I graduated. I have since graduated and began working. I've been planning and saving money for this lifestyle for 3+ years now with the full expectation that I would be able to return and stay in the USA permanently. Unfortunately, I have since lost my permanent residency status (aka Green Card) because of a rule that I was unaware of at the time which dictates that I must return to the USA a least once within every 365 days otherwise the Green Card is revoked. I can reapply for a new Green Card, but this process will take at least 8 years, possibly more. I really don’t want to wait 8+ years to live my dreams, especially now that I am so close to reaching my savings goal. I initially assumed the process would only take a couple years max given my history, but I only recently found out it will take much longer and be a difficult process. This has been a crushing blow to my plans and is a real shame because I can’t permanently return any time soon to the country I grew up in.
I have been wanting to live the full-time van lifestyle specifically in the USA, primarily because of the large amount of public land where boondocking is legal and feasible, and because of the beautiful and varied landscapes and climates America has to offer. Now as this isn’t going to be a realistic option for me any time soon, I am considering alternative options.
One option is I can intermittently travel between USA-Canada-Mexico & other Central American countries, staying for a couple of months in each. I can stay as a tourist in both Mexico and Canada for a maximum of 180 days and the USA for 90 days max.
I know this forum is primarily USA-centered, but I imagine a lot of you will have ventured into Canada and Mexico on your travels and may be able to give me some advice.
Now on to my questions:
- Is there an equivalent to public BLM or National Forest land in Mexico and Canada, where free and legal boondocking is permitted for a given period of time like there is in the USA? This would be crucial for my lifestyle to work out.
- From what I've heard, much of northern Mexico is Cartel territory. Is this just fear-mongering or is this true and is advisable to avoid many areas? How dangerous is it actually to be out there alone in a van? No doubt the tourist towns and resorts are completely safe, but if I venture out into the wilds is it a different story?
- Now a question for anyone who isn’t a US citizen or resident but still lives the van life in North America: US Customs & Border Protection are notorious for being strict. When crossing the border, I have read that I will need to prove I have intention of returning to and have ties to my home country (UK). Examples would be proof of a mortgage, utility bills, full-time job, etc. But of course living a full-time van lifestyle, I won’t have any of these things. Also the fact that my home is on wheels may make the Border Protection officer even more suspicious of my intentions. I fear I wont be able to sufficiently prove that I don’t intend to illegally overstay and may be denied entry, and if the officer is in a bad mood I could potentially even be permanently barred from entering the USA. This applies to both USA and Canada, but I imagine Mexico and other Central American countries would be far more lax. Has anyone been in a similar situation, and are there any tips to proving I won’t overstay?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.
TLDR; is boondocking feasible in Mexico and Canada like it is in the USA? Also, has anyone been in a similar situation to me with frequent border crossing and proving ties to home country?