Crossing borders is exciting as hell. Don’t you think? No? Then you definitely need to keep reading b/c you are doing it all wrong! 🙂
I find crossing the Canadian Border (the only border I’ve ever actually crossed) to be incredibly exciting. Maybe because it’s a little unsettling if not a little unsettling. I always secretly hope for a little drama. You know, just enough to make the trip seem somewhat rogue-ish.
Now, our Ultimate Alaskan Roadtrip wasn’t our first time Crossing the Canadian Border – in an RV. It was our fourth. Â In all four of those crossings, only once were we ever asked to get out of the RV. So I expected very little in the way of drama on any of our plethora of crossings for this trip.
Of course, we’ve heard horror stories about Canadian Crossings, border guards emptying entire vehicles, RV’s being searched in every nook and cranny, travelers being detained, dogs being denied entry … and all we ever had was smooth sailing.
Resources
If you are planning a trip where you will be crossing the US/Canadian border, here are some links to help you navigate the required paperwork and understand the process prior to your arrival at the border.
He’ll you find information re: what you can and cannot bring across, like cannabis, firearms, agriculture and alcohol. And things you must bring with you, like vet records for all pets. We learned that the hard way.
Plan Your Trip Across the Canadian BorderÂ
Border Locations and Wait Times
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
As with everything, education prior to and patience whilst crossing the border is the best offense.
Remember, these guards are just doing their job of due dilligence. They are charged with keeping their country safe from any threats coming across the border. That’s a pretty hefty responsibility and these guards deserve our respect.
Oh, and be sure to research specific borders. Often if you plan accordingly, you can miss crowds entirely by crossing through smaller border checks or by avoiding peak crossing times.
Have you done any border crossings in your RV? Anything crazy or super cool happen? We would all love to hear about it to add to this blog! Tell us all about it in the comments below or feel free to email us!
Sadly 911 has a lot to do with the USA and Canadian border guards just doing their jobs.
Prior to 911, I drove I-81 to the end in New York State and crossed the Thousand Islands region. The Canadian guard asked where I was going, I said “Toronto to see the Orioles kick the Blue Jays butts.” We laughed. The Orioles really did beat the BJ’s all three games; 5-1,4-1 and 7-1. My first Major League Canadian ballgame(s).
In June 2017, coming back to Alaska from Yukon, the USA guard asked me if I had any drugs, I replied only if you count euphoria. He then asked what license plate I had. I replied Alaska why. He could not see it because of the accumulation of mud on it. I stopped at the Alaska welcome sign to clean off the plate. In fact, one the fun facts of driving unpaved roads is the accumulation of mud covering vehicles. People with clean cars know exactly where you’ve been with all the mud. BTW, when checking passports be sure to get yours stamped – I got a Poker Creek Moose in mine. Pretty neat.
I’m crazy bummed we didn’t get oours stamped. Next time!!!