Frank has traveled to America before, but that was in a previous life, without me. He thought it was so fantastic that he comes back to it regularly. He would very much like to travel with me to America again with the children. Last year we seriously thought about booking a trip and yet we decided to wait a little longer due to the age of the children.
With the idea that we would like them to be old enough when we travel to America to be able to remember all the experiences as well. Explore the most beautiful places in the United States. Or at least most of them. They are now 9 and (almost) 14, so how long should we wait? A tour with kids is of course also possible, but we think they are still very young.
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In the meantime, we have also started our motorcycle license and the America stories are starting to bubble up again 😉 . We watch (again) the Netflix series Samcro and fantasize about going to America by motorbike. Because why travel to America with the camper if you can also cross America on a motorcycle? Only if we want to 'do' America with children, the motorbike does not seem so practical to me. For the time being, the children are wildly enthusiastic about it, they can't wait until they can go on the back. But would they be if we travel through America like this for hours. Hmmmm, I wonder.
So now we have three issues. When are we going to travel to America with our children, how old should they be and do we go with the camper or motorbike? If it's up to the man, then we don't go with the camper at all, he doesn't like that himself. Last year the car came first for him, but now it may have become the engine.
I also really like the camper. A niece and nephew of mine (children of my oldest brother, in their mid-twenties) made a trip through America together last January in a very small camper. That seems fantastic and also so wonderfully relaxed. The smaller the camper, the less relaxed of course, I understand that. But still more relaxed than traveling through America by motorcycle, I think. Only that feeling of freedom… the motorhome can of course not match that.
Although I would really like to travel to America, it is true that all the arrangements hold me back a bit. Where (almost) everyone is happy with fully figuring out the journey they are going to make, I miss that gene. Or maybe it's because I'm the one who always describes in detail afterwards what we've all done. I am also more of a freewheeler. If my entire vacation is already planned, I feel stress about it again. Let's just say to each his own. But unplanned travel to America with children really doesn't seem convenient to me.
Below is a route we have in mind for when we go to America with the children :
That is quite a few kilometers to make of course. And then the question is, of course, what you will do from Idoha Falls. Leave a camper/motorcycle and fly from there, for example? If I look at it so honestly, it seems too much to do this with the engine.
In the end I like to leave the arranging to Frank. He finds out what's fun and then gives me a few choices 😉 , that's how it usually goes.
Because just thinking of the trip won't get you there. You also have to take into account all kinds of other things that need to be arranged, such as applying for an ESTA.
I have already picked up a number of things from Frank's trip to America, tips from friends and what I happened to come across while writing this blog. I'm happy to share it with you here.
Good. So apply for the ESTA. I hadn't heard of ESTA before, have you? You may be thinking 'what rock have you been under ', but I didn't know that ESTA is a 'sort of' visa. But if you don't have an ESTA, you just won't enter America, it turns out. In fact… you don't even get on the plane to America with children. You can start such an ESTA application online, which is easy. Your application is usually processed and granted within half an hour, and the ESTA is valid for two years. If you want to read even more specific information about the ESTA, you can also have a look here for all exceptional cases.
We already have the credit card. Even though we don't use it often (I secretly hate it), the credit card is indispensable in America. Your bank card is often not even accepted!
I don't think it really shows sustainable living, but in America it is 'normal' to fly. Given the size of the country, it is almost impossible to go everywhere by car, motorcycle or camper. At least… if you want to see a few things. This advice from friends is still in the back of my mind, but it doesn't appeal to me at all. I just want to drive those miles to really experience America. Is that weird?
If you are going to travel to America with the camper, you do not need a separate driver's license for this. Your Dutch B driving license will suffice then. It is also good to know that you are not allowed to go on unpaved roads with the camper and that some desert areas are off limits if it is too hot.
Something to think about if you are going to travel to America but not with the camper. I understand that it is very wise to reserve sleeping places in advance. Unless you want to crash into some cheap and scary motel along the highway, there's no need to make a reservation. In other cases, it is smart to do so, since you will then be cheaper than booking there on the spot.
Well, you read it already… there is still plenty to arrange before we can even make the trip to America. So it is not only due to the age of the children, but also to the agenda of the hubby when we travel to America! But that we are going to travel to America, that's for sure! Even if it is just to be able to shoot many more such beautiful photos.
