Were coming to America

cvbdsl wrote:
Ok, I went and found a source with the references:);

http://www.snowbirds.org/tax-forms

Form 8840 needs to be filled out if you qualify.

(note the form if you have an interest bearing bank account in the US).

Thanks for that - very interesting!

You'll have fun when you make it to the Desert of the Southwest! No better way to start than Las Vegas.

kaydeejay wrote:

cvbdsl wrote:

kaydeejay wrote:
Plus you might want to check how curious the IRS (Income tax guys) will get if you spend more than 4 months each year in the USA.
They have a formula that adds current year days plus 1/3 of the previous year plus 1/6 of the year before that. If that total is more than 180 days they may come looking for a tax return!
Worth checking out BEFORE you get in their bad books!

Yep, same applies to snowbirds from Canada. However, if you fill out and submit the proper form there is no problem. Don't have the link to the form and regulations, but I'm sure someone here does.

Would like to see that form too - I await with interest to see if someone can provide a link.

Ok, I went and found a source with the references:);

http://www.snowbirds.org/tax-forms

Form 8840 needs to be filled out if you qualify.

(note the form if you have an interest bearing bank account in the US).

As far as campground reservations....we almost never make reservations as it puts you on a time schedule.

For example next week we leave California, headed to Florida and have no reservations at all. I talked to a campground in Florida where we will stay and they said no reservations were required as they are half empty at the time we will arrive.

However, we DO make reservations on the 4th of July holiday. That is a MUST time to have reservations.

frankdamp wrote:
Good luck with your adventure. We're ex-pats from Leyland (Lancs) and have lived in the US since mid-1968. Most of the time has been in Washington State, where the climate is similar to the SW UK or NW France.

We spent 3 years in Virginia and found that whole SE area to be way too hot and sticky. My first day leaving home to start work at NASA, it was 81F, foggy and a thunderstorm was going on. That was at 06:45 in early June.

I got my leg pulled about having lived in the Seattle area "where it rains a lot". My response was, "Yeah it rains a lot, but it doesn't rain much", In VA, we'd get summer afternoon thunderstorms that would dump 3" of rain in 45 minutes. In WA it can rain for 24 hours straight and we get about 3/4".

I hope you can adapt to the climate on the East coast quickly. Many of the places you're planning to visit have that same summer humidity issue. With luck you'll adapt well and maybe make it into our neck of the woods on one of your later visits. We have real mountains here - those with snow on the upper sections all year. Mount Baker, about 75 miles east of here is around 9000'. Mount Rainier, south of Seattle is over 14,000'. The San Juan Islands, where we live are spectacular. The Oregon Coast is a wonderful trip - we've done it 3 times.

Send me a PM if you're interested in getting tourist info and I'll pass on some web-sites, etc.

Unfortunately, we'll be "former RVers" soon. We're putting our MH on the market this week. On the US equivalent of an OAP and a smallish corporate pension, we just can't justify spending big chunks of our retirement savings running it and paying CG fees. Both gasoline and CG fees have doubled since we started 10 years ago.

Hello Frank, we have spoke before, sorry to here you are packing it in, I'll be sure to come by some day soon when we are in your area.

Good luck with your adventure. We're ex-pats from Leyland (Lancs) and have lived in the US since mid-1968. Most of the time has been in Washington State, where the climate is similar to the SW UK or NW France.

We spent 3 years in Virginia and found that whole SE area to be way too hot and sticky. My first day leaving home to start work at NASA, it was 81F, foggy and a thunderstorm was going on. That was at 06:45 in early June.

I got my leg pulled about having lived in the Seattle area "where it rains a lot". My response was, "Yeah it rains a lot, but it doesn't rain much", In VA, we'd get summer afternoon thunderstorms that would dump 3" of rain in 45 minutes. In WA it can rain for 24 hours straight and we get about 3/4".

I hope you can adapt to the climate on the East coast quickly. Many of the places you're planning to visit have that same summer humidity issue. With luck you'll adapt well and maybe make it into our neck of the woods on one of your later visits. We have real mountains here - those with snow on the upper sections all year. Mount Baker, about 75 miles east of here is around 9000'. Mount Rainier, south of Seattle is over 14,000'. The San Juan Islands, where we live are spectacular. The Oregon Coast is a wonderful trip - we've done it 3 times.

Send me a PM if you're interested in getting tourist info and I'll pass on some web-sites, etc.

Unfortunately, we'll be "former RVers" soon. We're putting our MH on the market this week. On the US equivalent of an OAP and a smallish corporate pension, we just can't justify spending big chunks of our retirement savings running it and paying CG fees. Both gasoline and CG fees have doubled since we started 10 years ago.

cvbdsl wrote:

kaydeejay wrote:
Plus you might want to check how curious the IRS (Income tax guys) will get if you spend more than 4 months each year in the USA.
They have a formula that adds current year days plus 1/3 of the previous year plus 1/6 of the year before that. If that total is more than 180 days they may come looking for a tax return!
Worth checking out BEFORE you get in their bad books!

Yep, same applies to snowbirds from Canada. However, if you fill out and submit the proper form there is no problem. Don't have the link to the form and regulations, but I'm sure someone here does.

Would like to see that form too - I await with interest to see if someone can provide a link.

wadders wrote:
We have B2 visas which allow us to stay for 6 months. :-)

OK, that works:)

kaydeejay wrote:



Plus you might want to check how curious the IRS (Income tax guys) will get if you spend more than 4 months each year in the USA.
They have a formula that adds current year days plus 1/3 of the previous year plus 1/6 of the year before that. If that total is more than 180 days they may come looking for a tax return!
Worth checking out BEFORE you get in their bad books!

Yep, same applies to snowbirds from Canada. However, if you fill out and submit the proper form there is no problem. Don't have the link to the form and regulations, but I'm sure someone here does.

To the Wadders;
Even though I don't have to fly and buy, I'm also looking forward to six months a year down south (hopefully in a couple of years:D). Already have the MH. Our first wet snow is forecast for this week:E!

Chris

donn0128 wrote:
I would strongly suggest that you do your research and make a deal on your ideal rig now. In the last three years we have met several couples visiting us. One, a German couple bought their truck and trailer in South Dakota were nearing the end of one year traveling. Another couple from New Zeland had a son in Vancouver Canada who bought them an old van conversion and a third couple from Denmark renting a motor home. I think the Germans were doing it right. For your situation where to buy is the key along where to store it when your not in the US. Since the US is immensely large it is vital not to waste too many days, so plan ahead as to where to leave your RV stored so you can start again the next time

Would not buy a rig without seeing it, so we will wait till we get there.