International Travel

[MichelleYetman]

Hello!
Would anybody know if there’s any restrictions for worldwide skoolie travel?
Such as, do some countries not allow a bus to enter because of structural restrictions...and only accept vans?
(My plan is long term travel - into the central and south Americas, onto ferries into Hawaii...all around)
Thank you!

[Franco]

I live in Argentina and I can assure you you’ll have no problems. You will need to take into account the ~4k that’s going to cost you to ship the bus from Panama to Colombia as there’s no route there.

You’ll also need to plan your electric system as the US and Canada are the only countries that use 120v, the rest of America uses 220v.

Hope that helps !

[Iceni John]

You need to research whether an American-made vehicle can be serviced or repaired where you want to travel. Mexico has plenty of US-name trucks, but all the long-distance buses there have European running gear. South of MX you'll find mostly European trucks and buses: Mercedes, Iveco, MAN, Scania, Volvo, etc. Why not buy a Mercedes Sprinter van instead of a skoolie? You can probably get it fixed in most places around the world. There are very few countries that have no Mercedes vehicles!

John

[HamSkoolie]

Originally Posted by Franco

I live in Argentina and I can assure you you’ll have no problems. You will need to take into account the ~4k that’s going to cost you to ship the bus from Panama to Colombia as there’s no route there.

You’ll also need to plan your electric system as the US and Canada are the only countries that use 120v, the rest of America uses 220v.

Hope that helps !

Yup, about 70 miles and it costs big bucks to get past that barrier. For which there are apparently no plans for putting in a road. 100 years ago that made some bit of sense as it provided a bit of a natural barrier to disease that would have time to gestate while on a sail or steam ship. But with today's airline system, it just seems a bit "last century".


That 70 miles dashed our idea of making the trip to Tierra Del Fuego as we're not going to invest 4K (and the time) each way to ferry across that gap.

[Zork]

Originally Posted by Franco

I live in Argentina and I can assure you you’ll have no problems. You will need to take into account the ~4k that’s going to cost you to ship the bus from Panama to Colombia as there’s no route there.

You’ll also need to plan your electric system as the US and Canada are the only countries that use 120v, the rest of America uses 220v.

Hope that helps !

Not quite. Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and most of the islands on down the line of Antilles operate on 110v. Even the British Virgin Islands runs on 110v. Canada is also 120v on single phase. The list goes on and on.

https://www.generatorsource.com/Volt...y_Country.aspx

[Zork]

Originally Posted by Iceni John

You need to research whether an American-made vehicle can be serviced or repaired where you want to travel. Mexico has plenty of US-name trucks, but all the long-distance buses there have European running gear. South of MX you'll find mostly European trucks and buses: Mercedes, Iveco, MAN, Scania, Volvo, etc. Why not buy a Mercedes Sprinter van instead of a skoolie? You can probably get it fixed in most places around the world. There are very few countries that have no Mercedes vehicles!

John

Navistar has a large network of dealers in Latin America and is the number one manufacturer of diesel engines in Brazil. Other companies also have similar presences. The service manual for many of the school buses is also available in Spanish. About the only real challenge is parts, but only if you're really out in the boonies. Just means you get to practice "mañana."

[frxmoney]

I've looked into this a bit since I was planning something similar. From what I've found, some countries are picky about the size and type of vehicles allowed in. Buses can sometimes be a hassle due to road and environmental regulations, especially in places like Central and South America. For Hawaii, you'll need to dig into their specific rules on vehicle importation—it's pretty strict. My advice would be to check with local authorities in each country you're planning to visit and maybe hit up some expat forums for the latest info.

[willyuphere]

I'm also planning to explore Spain and would love some input from those who've been there. Is there any restrictions for skoolie as well? I'm thinking of visiting major cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, and Granada. I've found some local guides through https://gowithguide.com/spain has anyone used their services before? Their guides have great reviews, but would love to hear some first-hand experiences. Also, I'm considering finding a travel buddy to share this adventure with. Where do you usually look for travel companions? I'm open to meeting people along the way or connecting beforehand to plan together.