General Greenhorn Support Requested

There is not such things as a 'regular Canadian Driver's License'.

Driver's licenses in Canada are issued Provincially, not Federally. In BC my basic driver's license allows me to drive our motor home without any additional requirements, but if I want to tow a trailer or 5th wheel over a certain weight I have to upgrade my license. But if I want to ride a motorcycle I have to get a different license.

You will want to have more than one driver on a extended trip.

In Canada vehicle insurance is also in Provincial jurisdiction. The drivers will want to bring an English copy of their driver's abstract as this could effect insurance rates. Once again in BC I have a 40% reduction in my insurance rates due to my safe driver's discount.

In BC it is less expensive to insure a motor home than an passenger vehicle.

Maybritt, I can not answer any of your questions but I just wanted to wish you a good and enjoyable trip through Canada and the USA.

Taking a motorhome to a downtown area cam be a problem. I am familiar with Ontario cities. Toronto, forget about parking, take the bus, subway. Ottawa is a little better if you can do a lot of walking. Forget about parking ramps. The only one I know of is in the Washington D.C. train station. They will dump your tanks and fill your water, all for a fee (high).

John,

I have lived in various provinces in Canada. To drive a motor home you only need a basic licence. Typically a Class 5, this is the same licence as needed for a passenger car.

As far as insurance,the fees can vary from province to province. For example , BC and Saskatchewan both have public (govt) insurance. Alberta and Newfoundland have private insurance but premiums vary widely. For equivalent coverage we pay close to double that of Albertans in Newfoundland. It pays to shop around especially for a visitor to Canada.

The same applies to RV's, prices vary by province. Alberta will likely have higher prices than say the Maritimes. Again it pays to shop.

And the most important part is to enjoy your trip.

Regarding the license question: Ask your local officials, While I do not know the rules in Canada I do in the US, and in the US they vary from state to state, I suspect (Actually I know for a fact) this applies to Province to Province as well... So you need to check with the license issuing authority to see if a special license is needed.

Places you stay for free: Usually they have.. Parking, that's all folks, Now a Wal*Mart, Truck stop or rest area may have toilets.. And a Truck Stop may have showers (for a fee) and a restaurant (Again FEE) (And fuel too, more FEE). but for free,,, You get parking.

If you do stay in a truck stop, Please give them some custom (Business), at the very least fill 'er up.

Insurance for six months... Varies all over the board.. Now this is for a car not a motor home but last fall when I bought a new towed, being ticked off with my Motor Home's insurance carrier I shopped around and found what I thought was the best price... Just called an insurance agent and he quoted me about half what I'm paying now (Yes I will change) He's researching a policy for the RV while we are at it.. I may change that one too.

TravelForArtCharity wrote:
Dear Mary, dear Dan,

thank you so much for your help!!!! I am really happy to have received your answer!

A little more about our plan: we would like to buy a motorhome, so we have just one vehicle which can potentially cause problems. Furthermore we thought that it could be easier for beginners...? I checked kijii for offers. For our budget(we dont want to exceed 20,000$) we will hardly find a vehicle less than ten years old - with RV and insurance.

Some further questions:

Do you have to pay for the water to fill your tank with? And is it also possible on gas stations?

Can a motorhome be used as a "normal" car - e. g. if we want to go a day in the city center, could we park there for some hours?

Is there anything you can think of, which is important for us beginners to know?

Have a nice Sunday and a good next week.

Best regards - Maybritt

Maybritt

-Some places like gas stations will charge you for water to fill your tank. I recommend that you fill your water tank at the campgrounds , it is usually free there.

-Yes you can use a motor home like a "normal car" but you will have to pack your camp up when you leave for the day. Thiis means that you will have to take everything with you(lawn chairs, barbecues etc.)

-the only thing I can tnink of is to ask lots of questions. There is no such thing as a stupid question. And have fun. There are lots of people on here with years of experience to help out.

How familiar are you with towing? I would recommend a truck and used mid-size trailer if you are comfortable towing. This will give you a separate vehicle to drive without having to pack up your whole campsite every day.

Pack a variety of clothes. Depending in where you are days can be very warm and nights can be cold. The coast areas can also experience wet conditions so take rain gear.

Take bug repellant with DEET. The northern areas can have lots of Mosquitos and black flies.

Pack a couple of extra chairs for when company comes to visit in the evening. Talk to locals about the nearby attractions. Most places have hidden gems to see. Want some locals don't see can be very interesting to tourists, so ask lots of questions.

For example I live just down the road from the oldest English colony in Canada. It was settled over 400yrs ago.

Dear Mary, dear Dan,

thank you so much for your help!!!! I am really happy to have received your answer!

A little more about our plan: we would like to buy a motorhome, so we have just one vehicle which can potentially cause problems. Furthermore we thought that it could be easier for beginners...? I checked kijii for offers. For our budget(we dont want to exceed 20,000$) we will hardly find a vehicle less than ten years old - with RV and insurance.

Some further questions:

Do you have to pay for the water to fill your tank with? And is it also possible on gas stations?

Can a motorhome be used as a "normal" car - e. g. if we want to go a day in the city center, could we park there for some hours?

Is there anything you can think of, which is important for us beginners to know?

Have a nice Sunday and a good next week.

Best regards - Maybritt

TravelForArtCharity wrote:
Hello from Italia,

we need your help to get our show on the road ;-) because we don't have any experiences. From July to October 2014 we want to travel with an RV throughout Canada and USA. We are planning to buy a big Camper incl. Toilet and Shower.

- my partner has a regular Canadian driving lisence - is that one sufficient to drive a motorhome?

- How much will be approx. an insurance for six month? Just to get an idea... Therefore it would be great, if you could tell me your RV model and the insurance rate

- as we always have to be close to the city centers, I would like to know if there are possibilities to park the RV somewhere and maybe also stay for one night without getting immediately a fine?

- I found already out that it is possible to stay on some places for free (in Canada at least) what kind of facilities do these places regulary have? E.g. shower, toilet...? Is it possible there to charge the battery of the car and to change and fill up water?

These are my first questions - I think more will come up ;-)

I would highly appreciate your help!!!!

Thanks a lot in advance - MAY

I will try to answer as many of your questions as I can.
-a regualr driver's licence is sufficient to drive an RV in Canada.

-many cities in Canada have RV parks either nearby or within the city limits. The concern I would have is trying to get a large RV to the park inside the city limits. The rates for these parks may vary by area. it would be best to try to find each park and call them directly to ask the rates.

-As for insurance, each province will have different rates. Some provinces have government insurance, the ones that don't, prices may vary from one company to the next.

-Many road side rest stops do not allow for overnight stopping. But there may be other areas to stop such as the parking lot of a Walmart.

-many campgrounds have toilets,showers and dump stations. many have a small nominal fee for the use of the showers, but not the toilets. These campgrounds also have water that you can use to fill your tank.

There should be little need to charge a vehicle battery if it used regularly. Many campgrounds have power to plug into for your RV, so there should be no need to have the RV plugged into the tow vehicle overnight.

what kind of RV are you thinking of? Do you want something to tow (truck and trailer) or a motorhome? Each has its benefits and disadvantages.