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Originally Posted by Philipp_Thomsen
Hi you all.
Im planning a supertramp to canada for 2010, making a lot of preparations, both physically and mentally, reading a lot either.
Im moving to canada to start a new life, but I intend to spend a whole year (maybe more, maybe less) in the wild life of United States, living off the land.
I need some information regarding some things, sure theres better places to ask but Im getting all the info I can get.
First of all, Im planning on getting a ride on a merchant ship from my country to the east coast of USA, I can arrange that no problem, I would work on the ship to pay my travell, sort of a friendly deal. But what I need to know is what do I need when I reach the USA port. I would prefer not having trouble with imigration, but Im not sure if I can just get out of the ship and start walking my way into america. Im not sure how those things work.
Besides, I want to know if any of you live in USA, and if so, if I can pay a visit, chat a little bit about life, drink a cup of tea and get some advices on places to visit.
The spots I'd like to visit so far are the yosemite park (and some other national parks), kaiak down the colorado river to the gulf of california and walk my way up the west coast up to Canada, where a friend of mine will be waiting for me.
So any help, info, advices, encouragement and kind words are welcome! 
Thanks in advance! |
I'm with DeepIron on this one. There is no way to pull off what you're talking about. In order to come into the US (even if you only stay on the ship), you have to go through immigration and customs, and to stay for anything longer than a short-duration visit (i.e. a week-long vacation), you'll need a visa. In order to get a visa, you have to show that you have a job in the US, or will only be here temporarily as a student. Beyond that, you'd have to wait in line to get a full immigration visa. The government will not let you in without either proof that you have enough money to support yourself indefinitely or proof of one of these two things to ensure that you are not using government services illegally.
Immigration Services:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html
By living off the land, I assume you mean hunting. In order to hunt, you'll need a weapon, and the correct permits for that weapon. They will not admit you to the US with a weapon if you are not a citizen, and most likely you won't be able to buy one if you're only here temporarily. Moreover, you'd need to ensure that the land you're living off of is not owned by anyone else (a fairly tall order, certainly at least in the East).
I don't know how far you're planning on kayaking down the Colorado River, but you're liable to be arrested at certain sensitive points (not to mention it's dammed up at a bunch of places, i.e. Hoover Dam). Moreover, it is very unlikely that you'll be able to just walk up the 1100+ miles of coastline.
Your vision for what you want to do is indeed a romantic notion. However, the world we live in is not a romantic one, and these plans are not feasible in real life.