Introducing ourselves

Hendrik and Arabella Eksteen are South Africans both just turned 60 and proud to be called Baby boomers, and thank God still healthy and fit for travel. We lived in Pretoria before we started our adventure, we enjoy, traveling and exploring the world, we have 4 children and 5 grand children all living in South Africa.

I am a retiree from IBM after 39 years of service starting as an office products technician and after 10 years supporting the services business in various capacities, and being a Quality Assurer in the latter part of my working career.

Arabella started as a bank clerk, but her real claim to fame is being a wonderful wife, housewife and being a fulltime mother to our wonderful children. She also ventured into being a librarian, owning a crèche and nursing school with a keen interest in child psychology and child and parent counseling.

Some 15 months before our departure we have scaled down from our suburban house and bought a smaller place in a complex, and are busy scaling down again for the Full time RV living.

In summary we are just normal people, we lived an average suburban life, scraping our whole life to make ends meet, with a desire to travel, or “Head out on the road” as the Americans say, and getting out of the rat race. Our comfort zone will be challenged by breaking out of normal daily life, meeting new people, see new places and to try new things but that is what the RVing adventure is all about.

Would you like to contact me? Drop me an e-mail at hseksteen@gmail.com !

Preamble

A life long dream of mine was to buy a Recreational Vehicle (RV), and to travel the USA on a Full time basis, for an extended period of time. A RV is a motorhome / caravan in our South African terms. In the USA there are millions of Full Time RVers following the warmer weather, traveling north in summer and South in winter, which is called Snow birding. Full timing is not just another short term vacation, as it requires detailed planning and it certainly is a dramatic change in ones life. In fact, it is an adventure that needs careful planning and execution to navigate around and avoid the many pitfalls that could turn this dream into a nightmare.

We plan to buy a Class A RV (bus like Motorhome) and a small compact car to be towed behind the RV, and tour the USA for an extended period of time starting March 2013.

When I started my research on this subject many years back, I discovered that there are many blogs and forums written by USA citizens which provide an excellent background on this subject, but unfortunately I could not find a single blog by an South African full timing the USA. This blog intend to fill this gap by sharing my personal experiences and the issues we faced before and during our adventure with others having a similar dream, and to also serve as a journal of all my travels that can be shared with friends and family.

The link below provide a Brits (UK citizen’s) perspective and many aspects are common to South African travelers, nevertheless together with this blog it makes is good reading and preparation material.

Throughout our travels I intend to update the information wherever possible, but it is important to check and apply the current situation and details yourself.

After 9/11 security and immigration issues became a major concern for the USA government. The onus will be on you to check carefully that information is still current and relevant.

Early Preparation 1 to 10 years in advance

Early preparation 1 to 10 years in advance

This started off as a dream, so the preparation really started +- 10 years before my retirement. Fortunately there are many RV clubs, forums, blogs and books available on the internet. You need to acquaint yourself with the RV life style and RV terminology and visualize yourself as an RV full-time traveller. You will soon realize that this is not just planning for a vacation but in fact an adventure that will lead to a complete life style and mind set change. Moving from the spacious sticks and bricks house into the confined living space of an RV is probably the biggest personal challenge you and your partner have to overcome. Don’t forget to involve your partner in this phase as she needs to be fully appraised and supportive of the idea, else you run the risk of aborting this adventure earlier than anticipated.

You and your spouse need no illusions about this life style and RVs confined space, and the dedication and commitment to make it work. eBay motors, see link below, is a great source of visual information with literally thousands of RVs of any type and budget for sale. The photo’s also allows you to understand what you can buy for your money and you can start planning accordingly.

Since you need some capital to buy a RV and a small vehicle you need to start save early? Older RVs can be bought for less than $10k and a used car for $2k. My target is set on $30 – 40 k for an RV and $10 to $15k for a small car.

Start to scale down on all you possessions as it is amazing how restrictive our ‘stuff’ cause one to think and act. I started to scale down from my suburban house to a town house +- 15 months in advance and I am going through the second cycle once more. Please don’t under estimate the psychological trauma and effort required to scale down. We all own too much “stuff” and I call it stuff because it really just clutters your space with things you do not really need. To break free of the normal suburban lifestyle into the carefree wondering world of a true RVer you need to free yourself from the chains of “stuff”. We decided to rent our townhouse, not to find ourselves completely out of the property market when we return, and one of our boys need a second car so we will lend them our small paid off car on the condition that we want to use it when we comeback home for our annual home trip. That should be far cheaper than renting a car. We stored the very sentimental belongings with our youngest son, divided everything else amongst the children, family and friends, sold it, or donated it to charity. Besides the house and the car we are down to 2 suitcases of clothes, bags of hand luggage and a laptop. We figured it is just too expensive to store furniture and crates over an extended period. Getting rid of all your earthy stuff is quite a relevation and I like to use the following analogy. The sense of relief and freedom you experience when you are freed from earthy belongings is very much like receiving redemption of all your sins. It is such a wonderful feeling of relief and freedom you can hardly explain to others.

In summary, I recommend you prepare yourself well in advance by researching, reading, and studying every internet site, books, forums and blogs, ask questions as the owners of the blogs and forums are very helpful and responsive to answer questions, and to discuss with your partner and very important save money. You will find the forums and links below very enlightening and it will lead you to many other RV related sites and literature.

Some useful Links:

THE BRIT VIEW - RVing in the USA.url - http://rving.sunpix.co.uk/
HitchItch RV Travel Adventures and Journals and RV Travel Resources - http://www.hitchitch.com/

Escapees discussion Forum - http://www.rvnetwork.com/

Full time RVer - FullTimeRVer.com
ebay Motors - http://motors.shop.ebay.com/Class-A-RVs-/50056/i.html

RVs explained

What is a Recreation Vehicle (RV)?

A RV is a motorized or towable vehicle designed as living quarters for travel, recreation and camping. In South Africa we know them as caravans or motorhomes. Certain types are very basic and others can be very luxurious. There is literally one for every budget and lifestyle, new or used. There are over 7 million RV owners in the USA with lots of used RV dealers and units available. I will focus on the RVs suitable for full-timing and merely cover the basics of the others. Please do your own research, see links below, as what you buy really depend on your personal preferences, budget and lifestyle.

In the larger RVs the living quarters consist of a sleeping and living area, kitchen, bathroom, and dining facilities. On board systems include electricity, propane gas, heating, air conditioning, and water. And depending on size it can sleep 2-7 people. Living systems are self-contained for “Boon docking” (Dry camping or staying in an area without “Hook ups”), but when staying at camping grounds, most RVers hook up to electricity, water and a sewer drain, and in some cases even cable television and telephone connections. Many models include “Slide-outs” – sections of the side walls that slide out +- 1 meter when stationary, which provide extra interior room.

The RV Classes

Towable RVs - Designed to be towed by a separate vehicle. It can be unhitched and left at the campsite while you explore in your tow vehicle. “Travel trailers” which is similar to out caravans, are cheaper but “Fifth wheels” tend to have more living space and are easier to tow. Fifth wheels require a large truck to hitch and tow which means it is not an economical option if you want to explore around your camp site. Fifth wheels have their weight over the tow vehicle which is safer and easier to maneuver.

Travel trailers

Travel trailers are large trailers to be hitched to the back of the tow vehicle which needs to have enough power and torque to pull the trailer. Travel Trailers has the most interior length per foot, they are generally cheaper than a Fifth Wheel, but it does not have too much storage space and it is less stable to tow.

Fifth-wheel travel trailers

Fifth wheels are trailers that have a gooseneck front section that extends over the truck bed in the center of a pick-up truck. They are easier to maneuver and tow than trailers, with lots of storage.

Others that fall in this category are “Truck Campers”, “Pop-up campers” or Folding Camping Trailers, “Toy Haulers” or “Sport Utility” RVs, but these are not really suitable for full-timing.

Towable Pros (travel trailers and fifth wheels)

They are less expensive and don’t depreciate in value as fast as motorhomes.
Because they require a tow vehicle, you can leave the RV and use the tow vehicle for exploring.

Towable Cons

The length of these RV’s also means parking and finding campsites can be problematic.
It is illegal to have passengers in the trailer while traveling.

Fifth wheel hitching/unhitching is much simpler that for the travel trailers but it remains a hassle.
The tow vehicles are typical V8s and bigger and therefore expensive to buy, maintain and run than the tow behind a motorhome.

Motorhomes - A motorhome RV is built on a self-propelled chassis. The living quarters are accessible from the driver's area. They are more expensive to buy, run and maintain than travel trailers, but depending on the Class, they are luxurious and very comfortable. The Class A and Cs are not very practical for driving around town and exploring, but when you use them as a base together with a toad (smaller car which you tow behind), it starts to make more full-timing sense. No specialized driving skills and licenses are required as they handle a lot like cars and it’s easy to tow a vehicle behind for local travel.

Class A Motorhomes

This is the largest and most expensive Class of RV stretching from 24 to 40 feet in length. It is easy to drive on highways but it is too large to drive around town so a toad is required. It offers the most comfort, open floor plan living space, storage space, luxury - including a separate master bedroom, some even with an in suite bathroom and is very suitable for full-timers. You will be amazed when you look at them on eBay to see various floor plans and layouts. It is easy to drive similar to a small bus but it should not be confused with a “Bus conversion” RV which is generally aimed at the very rich buyers and it is super luxurious. They are usually wider, heavier with a bus like construction rather than a motorhome type of construction. Bus conversions also require a special driver’s license.

Class B Motorhomes

Class B motorhomes are the smallest and are built on a van chassis. They are generally too small for full-time living with very limited space, but easy to drive even in town and they are the least expensive motorized RV to own and operate, therefore they are more practical for short holiday trips. Due to its design Class Bs is considered safer RVs to drive.

Class C Motorhomes

Class C motorhomes are also built on a van chassis and its size and comfort fit between the Class A and B. The extended section over the cab which usually contains an extra bed is not very practical if you don’t travel with children. It is easy to drive, similar to a large moving truck. Because of the cockpit construction, it is considered a safe vehicle to drive but even the largest models may not satisfy the full-timers need for space.

Motorhome Pros

1. Passengers can freely move and pursue other activities while traveling (although it is safer to be buckled up whist traveling). This is a huge advantage in bad weather to get to the living quarters when you stop.

2. They are easier to set up and usually have self-leveling jacks so there is no need to get out and place boards or blocks under wheels to level.

3. Motorhomes allow you to tow a toad for exploring local areas, or going into town.

Motorhome Cons

1. If something needs to be repaired, your entire home has to go into the shop and you may have to find other accommodations for the duration of the repair.

2. Motorhomes are more expensive than travel trailers, even considering the size and cost of the tow vehicle needed for the travel trailers.

3. Motorhomes tend to depreciate faster due a lot of value tied up in the motor.

4. Hitching and towing a toad is a hassle and backing up / reversing with a second vehicle is problematic.

5. The cost and maintenance of the second vehicle must not be forgotten, but if you tow a small car for exploring, it certainly is much cheaper than running the RV.

6. Larger models with or without a toad can be difficult to maneuver in tight spaces and some camping sites may not accommodate such large units.

Our decision

We choose a Class A, even with its very poor fuel consumption, as we believe it is the most practical to live in and since we intend to travel a lot, it allows us to tow a small fuel efficient compact car. For some reason the Americans did not quite buy into the idea of fuel efficient small cars but they became more available recently. Our plan is to drive 200 miles between camp sites with the Class A RV, and then from this base, use the light fuel efficient toad for all roundabout exploring.

Your budget and personal preference may determine what you buy and whether you buy new or used. You have to weigh reliability, warranties, and the features you want against price. For the mechanically inclined, there are tremendous deals on used low mileage RVs at low prices provided you are willing to do a little searching to find a suitable RV.

Here are some links you will find when your search the internet for “RV Class”.

Recreational Vehicle Industry Association

Changing Gears -

Passports and Visas

Since this is a long term adventure it is advisable that you get or at least have a fairly new passport, valid for 10 years, as the USA Visa is for 10 years. You could still use the USA Visa in your old passport but the Canadians will only issue a Visa until your passport expire. Therefore it makes sense to have all Visas in your valid passport and not to pay the costly Canadian Visa application fees again just because your passport expired.

The first step in the USA Visa application process is to apply for your Visa in South Africa by electronically submitting a DS-160 online application. I recommend you apply for the visa +- 5 months before your departure as many arrangements are dependant on having a valid passport, and applying for Visas is sequential process. The Canadians seem to have no problem to issue a Canadian Visa if you already have a USA Visa. For Mexico you can apply for a Visa as you cross the border provided you have a USA Visa.

The USA embassy may want to interview each applicant, which they did for our first Visa application some 12 years back. For the renewal / new Visa they did not interview us, which made the process much quicker and simpler but don’t take this for granted, so be prepared incase they do require an interview.

To stay in the USA for more than 3 months a B1/B2 Visa is necessary. The visa is usually valid for 10 years but it is important to note that it does not mean you have the right to stay in the USA for 10 Years. The customs official at the port of entry will decide whether you may enter the country. If permission is granted, the I-94 card will be stamped with the date of expiry and the bottom part stapled in your passport. A period of six months is usually granted but it is possible to apply for extension whilst in the USA.

A detailed submission must be made at the time of entry. You will have to convince the officials that your intend is to travel as a tourist and that you have the means to do so. Also provide as mush evidences about your back home ties supporting the reason why you have to go back home so see to your local affairs. The following documents should help to justify your purpose of visit and temporary intend to stay:

1. Travel plans including where you intend to stay;

2. Invitation letter from a USA citizen or company will help;

3. Hotel or tour bookings and confirmations;

4. 6 months bank account statements;

5. Travel documents such as plane tickets;

6. Evidence of permanent employment and residence;

7. Strong social and / or Family ties in South Africa;

8. Letters from your children confirming their South African Citizenship;

9. Tax documents;

10. Recent earning statements;

11. Evidences of morgages;

12. Lease agreements or deeds; and

13. Any other relevant documentation that may help.

Should you wish to stay longer than the approved stay you need to clearly justify the circumstances for requesting an extension. Applications may take several months to process. In such circumstances the current I-94 may have expired before receiving notification of the outcome of an application. Official application-receipts should be kept to show that timely applications had been made and to avoid any charges of deliberately overstaying. Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status is available online or by post from US Citizenship and Immigration Services www.uscis.gov It is an offence to stay beyond the expiry date of the I-94 without permission - this can be a problem if you have applied for an extention but have not had confirmation to stay longer when your I-94 date expired.

You may travel across the border into Canada, Mexico or leave the country, and stay for up to 30 days on a current I-94 (provided it would not have expired before wishing to re-enter the USA) but a stay of longer than 30 days would mean surrendering the I-94 and applying again at the US border when wanting to return.

Since you will travel north in summer you may want to cross into Canada for a short visit therefor it only make sense to apply for a Canadian Visa as well. The Official Canadian Embassy site is very simple and the Visa application process clearly explained.

Once again please be prepared as some Visa offices may require additional supporting documents similar to what is specified above, however I did no t find the Canadian process as stringent as the USA’s.

A word of caution -The internet has many providers of migration services called Bureau’s, Law firms, migration experts, who intend to sidetrack you application to use their services. These sites look very official but they will charge you a fee for guiding you on how to apply. The Official Embassy websites see the links below, do have very simple and clear instructions that you need to follow. Please check constantly that you are still on the official embassy sites to avoid being caught by theses opportunistic providers of unofficial services.

The cost in late 2012 was roughly R1408 per person for both the USA and Canada. This may change so please check the official internet sites.

Links:

Official Embassy of the US Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). -

Official Canadian Embassy-

Flights

Having a valid passport is a prerequisite before buying plane tickets, and having tickets and a date of departure just put some finalization and urgency to your plans. It seems buying tickets 4 months in advance is a good time. The internet is a good starting point for comparing available fares. As you are not compelled to fly at peak seasons it is advisable that you schedule your flights off season when it is cheaper. Maybe it is just my imagination but I have noticed that when you obtain a quote from the internet, the first quote is always very attractive. When you go back later there is a marked increase in fares. The same applies to car hire, hotels and I am even convinced the travel agents use the same tactics. Whether this is true or not, it makes sense to use the internet and search for the best and cheapest fares to your destination. If you prefer to use the professional services of a travel agent, knowing what the internet offer, gives you an upper hand in the price negotiations. The travel agent will also try and sell you the much needed Emergency Medical insurance which I will cover in the next section.

If you intend to only come home after 12 months the ticket booking system only allow for booking return tickets 6 months after departure due to some system restriction. Airlines do allow you to change the return dates closer to the return time at a fee and this fee varies substantially between airlines. We choose Turkish Airlines as they were the cheapest fares and date change fees at the time and it also is an opportunity to stay over in Istanbul, where we have never been before, for a leg stretching couple of days.

b

Banking

Please note that this in not financial advise but merely a reflection of my experience. It’s very important that you seek expert advice from an appropriate financial advisor.

The Foreign exchange department at your bank is of great help and a good place to start. Important is that you sketch your financial plan and needs especially around the upfront capital needed to buy vehicles, and your ongoing monthly living expenses.

The foreign exchange is a tightly controlled and regulated environment, which is subject to changes in legislation and charges. Please use this as a guide to flush out all the correct answers as it apply to your specific situation.

When I started to investigate my financial banking options some 7 months before my retirement, I contacted Citibank by email and I got the assurance that, to open an USA bank account is a quick and easy process and can be set up through the internet. That left me comfortable, maybe too comfortable. When I talked to people about the banking plans, I could see some sceptical looks, but the penny did not drop that this will not so be quick and easy as I thought. Please start early, as this is stressful, will cause many sleepless nights, but it is a very important activity to properly plan and your plan should have contingencies and backups in place.

My ultimate goal is to end up having an USA checking account, as I believe it will just make life in the USA much easier and more credit worthy in dealing with USA suppliers and especially short term insurance suppliers. I will keep you posted on this development.

The various options available to you are explained below. For a short vacation abroad the normal Cheque / Debit and Credit cards will do the trick. It is not very suitable for the upfront capital needed for an adventure like this, as dealers are reluctant to be paid by credit card because the card companies usually charge the dealership other fees for the transaction. They prefer cash or bank cheques, and as you will see below the card option is also not the cheapest to effect such transactions. A combination of these financial tools are probably your best bet.

Cheque / Debit and Credit cards

This is very bank dependent and you should discuss and agree with your bank to get a handle on this. Use the table below as a guide.

These cards are very convenient but very expensive to use abroad. It has a place on shorter vacations and it certainly provides you with an excellent backup facility. As you plan to be away for an extended period, you do have the risk that cards may get lost or stolen and you maybe stuck without money if your bank cannot courier you a replacement to your destination abroad.

Cheque / Debit cards are viewed as credit cards, which mean the merchants abroad are also charged and fee for each transaction and that is not acceptable for car and RV dealers.

Using your bank online facility means that you can easily manage and transfer funds locally to where it maybe need between your accounts and also to and from your spouses accounts. This is the reason why I also obtained a Credit card for my wife as a further backup plan, but also to ensure that she will not be completely stuck should I suddenly die.

Please also understand your local cheque or savings account fee structure. Cheque accounts include a number of ATM transactions and payments per month as part of the base monthly fee you have negotiated with your bank. I was told that withdrawals abroad counts as a local withdrawal Savings / cheque account withdrawals count as if in SA, provided you stick to your banks partners abroad. For FNB City bank and Chase Manhattan bank ATMs fall in this category. Credit Card companies may make additional charges for foreign transactions.

Please check and ensure your card does not expire during your travel and VERY IMPORTANT these cards must be activated for usage abroad. This activation is for 6 months at a time so you may need to reactivate them if you stay longer by phoning the bank or card forex department.

Prepaid currency cards

At time of writing I found two brands providing these ”Prepaid foreign exchange” cards e.g. American Express.co.za with Nedbank as an authorized reseller and Cashpassport.com with FNB, ABSA and others as their authorized reseller. Other banks have other names for their cards, with subtle differences between them but in essence they are the same. Please enquire at your bank. These prepaid cards have to be bought and recharged in South Africa.

Benefits are:

Withdraw cash from any ATM displaying the Visa/Master card logo;
Swipe at any point of sales displaying the Visa/Master card logo;
Accepted around the globe;
It provides excellent 24x7 emergency support in case of stolen and lost cards;
It is preloaded with your travel money before your trip, making it easy to stay within your budget.

It is cheap to use for most day to day expenses but certainly not practical and it is very expensive to use to buy the vehicles from. In fact I considered 2% of R600k as a rip off and since the RV and Car dealers are not accepting these cards it is also creating a security risk as you need to withdraw cash from ATMs, see daily limits below, and then pay the dealership when you have enough cash. The Investment option, see below, is much cheaper, convenient and less of a risk.

If you choose The American Express pre paid card it is best is to deal directly with American Express for better rates. In my experience the banks charge slightly more but the money are more easily transferred than dealing with American Express. American Express also has an arrangement with Flight Center whereby the commission is reduced to 1.5%, therefore negotiate the commission especially if you used Flight Center as you travel agent.

Foreign Investment Option

I checked with potential dealers in USA and none accepts credit card payments due to card companies that levy additional costs to the merchant. That caused me a nights sleep as I was really worried how to facilitate Cash or Bank Cheque payments given the card scenarios above.

I consulted with my bank and explained my problem and they suggested the Foreign Investment route. You need to get TAX clearance from SARS for investment, sign some 2 or 3 MP1423 forms upfront and when you know the detail of your vehicle purchase and the dealers bank account, you merely start the process through the Forex section on your online banking by completing the online form and submit it, send an email to your banks foreign exchange department, who will duly do the necessary, and 3 days later the money can be EFT transferred at a nominal fee R 850 per transaction, which very convenient, is MUCH cheaper than the card options and much more secure.

To affect this you will need your passports, Tickets, an ID document certificate, “TAX clearance for foreign investment” and your SARS Tax reference number. It is very important to note that you currently cannot apply for this tax clearance clearance for foreign investment on e-filing and you need to obtain the form from SARS. This Tax clearance must stipulate “tax clearance for foreign investment” and specify the amount. You will have to complete a SARS FIA001 form, provide SARS a 3 months of bank statements and a balance sheet of you assets with this application. A maximum of R4,000,000.00 per calendar year per person is allowed under this option. Such and application requires a 5 to 21 working days processing time from SARS. Should you run out of time, you can speed this process up by making a special request in person with supporting documents like your plane ticket. I was in this stressfull situation and once I had all the proof of leaving shortly, I received the tax clearance in one day.

The reserve bank and foreign exchange departments will track all you foreign exchange dealings no matter which card, bank or EFT and or other payment methods you use. Be aware Big Daddy is monitoring this closely, so carefully managed and track your spend not to exceed the R 4M Forex investment allowance per person.

There are many other foreign exchange currency tools to meet you needs.

Foreign currency e.g. Euros and Dollars in hard cash. It is recommended to buy at least some, not more than 2 months before you leave. Don’t delay this till the last day as not all banks sufficient carry foreign exchange and the transaction may take a couple of days to complete. This is ideal to cover some minor expenses for the first couple of days.

Travelers Cheques which is also prepaid currency cheques similar to the prepaid cards above. Again please do this with some time to spare as not all banks carry sufficient foreign exchange on a daily basis and it may also take a couple of days to provide you with foreign exchange.

Foreign currency - If you manage to open a bank account in the USA, this facility will allow you to transfer money from your account in SA to your account in the USA.

Paypal - which is a secure way for you to buy, sell, send and receive foreign currency world wide.

In summary

Morale of story is Cards and even prepaid cards is good for smaller day to day transactions, but to buy big ticket items, you need the Foreign Exchange investment to be agreed and set up.

The prepaid cards are much cheaper to use than the normal cheque/ debit / credit cards, if you have enough funds to transfer money upfront for the length of your stay.

Avoid funding the upfront capital buys from any card and use the investment option as the preferred tool.

VERY IMPORTANT: If you get a new cell phone number SIM Card in the USA to avoid the roaming costs, REMEMBER to change the SMS and Cell phone number on your banks online settings, else you will not receive your OTP and other critical messages. This is critical else you maybe stuck.

Ensure right now that your notifications are send to both SMS and email.

A combination of all of these makes sense and will probably be the answer for you.

Do document all the telephone numbers and email addresses of your contacts and at the bank and card departments. As it will be a great help if you need to speak to someone from abroad. Also test that you have them recorded correctly beforehand.

Emergency plan

From the above it is clear that relying on a single tool, is risky. You also need to consider what will happen in case you pass on. This is not a nice thought but it could leave your partner stranded when your funds are frozen.

It makes sense to split all funds and cash between you and your spouse. The spouse also need her own set of accounts and Credit card as backup.

When these basics are in place you or your spouse can easily manage the local accounts with online banking, and move funds as and where it is needed.

One card may not be accepted at certain merchants and hopefully the other card can rescue the situation.

Have I over engineered my emergency plan? Probably, but I will refine this based on experiences gained over the next 12 months

Comparison table

Description of service	American Express global Travel	Cashpassport	Credit Card
Buy the card	R150 per card but Free at time of writing	R110 per card	N/A
ATM withdrawals per transaction	$2.00	$2.00	R25.70 plus 1.6% per ATM transaction
Commission exchange rate conversion.	1.5% - 2%	1.875% with a minimum of R55.00	2.75%
Maximum balance	$40k	$60K	Unlimited
Point Of Sale Limit / day	Up to credit balance	$7500.00	Unlimited
Maximum withdrawal at ATM per day	$ 1500	$2500
Interest earned on positive balance	0%	0%	Refer to your contract
Exchange rate fixed	At day of recharge	At day of recharge	At day of transaction
Emergency replacement	Yes- backup card and courier where ever you are in 5 business days	Yes- backup card and courier where ever you are in 24 hours	No but confirm with your bank
Reloadable	Many times BUT In person in South Africa	Can arrange for monthly recharges in remaining of calendar year, even though you not present in person at the place of purchase. For the next calendar year reactivate the reload at the place of purchase once more.	Normal like Online transfers
Remaining credit payback	Yes	Yes	n/a
Validity period	Card has an expiry date which means it needs to be replaced but funds are not lost at expiry	Card has an expiry date which means it needs to be replaced but funds are not lost at expiry	See dates on your cards
Exchange rate sell rates	Not the same as the daily exchange rate you see on TV. It is higher or lower depending if you buy or sell sample TV=R9.08:$1 Bank was R9.29	Not the same as the daily exchange rate you see on TV. It is higher or lower depending if you buy or sell sample TV=R9.08:$1 Bank was R9.29	Not the same as the daily exchange rate you see on TV. It is higher or lower depending if you buy or sell sample TV=R9.08:$1 Bank was R9.29

Please note that this is not financial advice but merely a reflection of my experience. It’s very important that you seek expert advice from an appropriate accredited financial advisor. Maybe it comes easy for financial experts but for the majority of us this is a mine field and somewhat of a grey area.

Monday, 26 August 2013

Lake Louise to Jasper

On our way to Lake Louise we traveled the Bow Valley Parkway known for its wild life viewing opportunities, as it is unfenced and here we saw our first Coyote running across the road. Unfortunately we were to slow with the camera. It is a slow drive but worth it as it runs parallel with the fenced Trans-Canadian Highway which has special wide arched shape bridges covered with ground trees and vegetation to allow animals to safely cross this highway.

The village of Lake Louise, a very small town, is also part of the Banff NP a mere 56km from Banff. It is known for its Ski resort and the famous glacier fed Moraine and Louise lakes which is a huge tourist attraction for those seeking the purist of mountain experiences. The restored Railway station from the early 1990s in its rustic log architecture now serving as a restaurant.

And a display of a cable car at the Visitor Center

Moraine Lake in the valley of the Ten Peaks has crystal clear water and glistering glaciers. An avalanche of rocks formed this lake only leaving a narrow spillway now cluttered with tree trunks.

The 70 m deep Lake Louise is a glacial lake in origin, color and temperature. The cold ice melt water, from the 6 glaciers at the head of this valley feed the lake. It can be frozen to 1 meter deep in winter. The glaciers grind the rock beneath it to fine powder called “rock flour” and it is this sediment in the water that absorb all incoming light the striking turquoise and vivid blue that reflects back to your eyes.

The Fairmond Chateau Lake Louise is a world famous hotel on the eastern shore. At the time of our visit it had a couple of rooms on a very special price for R5400 per night. The upper Victoria glacier is about 7 km from the hotel and it is 80 m thick which is twice the height of this hotel. When ice break of from the front of the glacier the sound of the crash takes 20 seconds to reach the hotel.

The view from our RV park

I knew services in the USA and Canada are expensive but I learned once more how expensive it really is. My Inner rear tire was flat so I had to have it fixed before the long drive to Jasper. No tire shop in Lake Louise and the only mechanic workshop in town charged me R1400 to diagnose the extender that screw into the inner wheel’s valve as the culprit. He did not have a spare extender and I had to buy that at another town.

Yoho NP is the second smallest park of the Rocky Mountain parks but it has 36 peaks over 3000m. It lies in British Columbia just north of Kootenay NP and east of the Banff NP and the Trans- Canadian Highway cuts through it. It is famous for the Burgess Shale fossils a World Heritage site that preserves marine life from more than 505 million years back. A very interesting railway track is visible from the highway and we were lucky to see a train traveling through the lower spiral tunnel. Two spiral tunnels were built to overcome the very steep gradient of the Kicking Horse Pass. These tunnels make a 360 degree turn in the mountain and below you can see how the train actually crossing over it selves with the front and the rear end of the train snaking through this tunnel.

A Natural Bridge in the Kicking Horse River displays the power of nature as it cuts down its bed. The solution of the limestone in the river and the abrasion by sand and gravel being carried by the water grinds it way over ages.

The pristine jewel colored waters of Emerald Lake is indeed a descriptive name.

The 13km drive up to the Takakkaw Falls has very steep switchbacks which make for exiting driving. It is recommended you leave the RV and trailers below at the start. It is fed with melting ice water from the Daly Glacier which is hidden beyond the cliffs

The leisurely drive to the Ice Fields passes no less that 25 scenic glaciers and mountain peaks lining the road. The National Geographic Magazine calls this road one of the worlds 10 greatest drives.

The Columbia Ice Fields 3.5 hours north and halfway to Jasper, was our next stop. It is composed of 8 glaciers and covers an area of 325 square kms, the largest south of the Artic circle and it is also the most accessible in North America. It is also unique in that this is the only continental divide that feed rivers into three different oceans nl. Artic, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. At the Columbia Ice field Center you can book your “Columbia Ice field Experience” which is an escorted 90 minute excursions on the Athabasca Glacier aboard a special “Brewster Ice explorer Snocoach”. The surface glacial ice water one can drink but the water from the bottom of the glacier is not drinkable due to the Rock Flour, which will upset your stomach. It is hard to believe but they claim everybody in North America could stand on this glacier with still room for others, for a fairly chilly get together.

On the edges of the glacier the ice is covered with rock and dirt protecting it from the elements. We all thought we are still traveling to the glacier but our guide told us we were already on it. This glacier moves 1cm every 90 minutes so we also to a ride down with it whilst we were there.

All the campgrounds in Jasper were jam packed so we were directed to the Snaring Overflow Campground 13 kms towards Edmonton with no services where we camped for 2 nights. Jasper is home to the highest mountain in Alberta, Mt Columbia. It is also Canada’s largest park with 10878 square Kms of breath taking beauty and it attracts over 2 million visitors a year. Sights seeing for the next day were Mt Edith Cavell and the Cavell pond a glacial broke off the glacier with little icebergs floating in the pond with the Angel Glacier also hovering over this exceptional and unusual lake. It is also on this road that we saw a mother black bear with two cubs walking across the road a mere 30 m ahead of us. Unfortunately by the time we got the cameras ready it was too late for this once in a lifetime photo as they disappeared in the ever green forest.

Maligne Canyon cuts a 50 m deep gorge into the limestone and with a series of six footbridges crossing the gorge it provides spectacular views of the gorge and its roaring waters. This natural feature is unique to in that it shows how limestone has been eroded by dissolution leaving ridges, towers, fissures, sinkholes and other characteristic landforms.

Mt Edith Cavell is known for its hanging glaciers which causes little tsunamis when it tumbles down and into the lake. So this is dangerous to venture too close to the lake and the glacier. The Angle Glacier hover over the pond with its wings spread. Small Icebergs floating in this lake with debris protecting the glacier from the elements next to the pond. The lakes name is in honor of Edith Cavell a British nurse executed during WW1 for assisting prisoners of war to escape from Belgium.