travelling from Canada to the US by land
Replies: 5 - Last Post: Nov 5, 2012 4:49 PM Last Post By: reporter
jump to
travelling from Canada to the US by land
Hello,We are planning a gap year and our 1st country will Canada. The plan is:
-spend 3 weeks in the Rockies
-fly from Calagary to Chicago
-take a bus from Chicago to Detroit
-cross again the boader to Canada
-travel around Quebec
-take a bus from Canada to Boston
-travel along the east coast down to Mexico
I am concerned that the customs refuse our entry to the US territory as I haven't got a return ticket, is it possible even I can prove with hostel reservation that the plan is not to stay in the US? We will be traveling on a French and British passport. Do we need a special visa?
Similar, do you think that the Canadian custons can refuse our re-entry on their territory even if we have hostels booking in the US?
Thanks,
1
Is your question about entering the US or re-entering Canada?If the US, then you need to ask on the US branch
2
The problem will be whether your schedule matches with your visas. If you enter the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) you start a 90-day clock. That clock will cover all travel in/to the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and "adjacent islands" for the next 90 days. Read that "adjacent islands" list carefully--there are lots of them. After the 90 days you must leave the area.The usual disclaimer: nobody on Thorn Tree can guarantee your entry or re-entry to any country.
5
From Chicago you can also take a train to Detroit, which will be more comfortable than bus. Getting from the train/bus terminal to the Canadian border is awkward and involves personal safety concerns if you do not know the territory. Without a car it also will be awkward to find budget accommodations in Windsor, on the Ontario side. The trip to Toronto, either train or bus, will take half a day. It's further from Toronto to Montreal. You are going to see a lot of countryside and not all of it picturesque. Air travel will be far easier although of course you won't see the countryside. For instance, moderate-priced flights are available from Chicago to Toronto. However, if your budget restricts you to bus travel, then you have a bigger problem: Any border officer finding you have little money and no return ticket will be highly suspicious of your intentions, maybe correctly.
