Because we sold everything we owned to finance our travels it is true that we are homeless in the most basic definition of the term - we do not have a place to live other than the tent we carry. This creates some interesting problems:

• How do you get the bikes registered without an address?
• How do you keep your driving operators permit valid when you have no address?

In order to operate a motor vehicle in any country in the world the vehicle must be registered with the governmental authorities where the owner of the vehicle resides. In most countries in the world you need to be licensed by the governmental authorities where you reside in order to operate a motor vehicle.

And then there is an international driving permit which is a translation of your operators license into 11 different languages. These permits are usually issued by an automobile association in your country. In the USA this is done by the American Automobile Association (AAA). The problem is that these permits are only valid for one year. We get a new one each year because they will process the request by mail. We must submit two passport size pictures, a photocopy of our operators license and a fee along with the paperwork for the permit for each permit we want. It usually takes 6 weeks to get this request processed and mailed to us. So, when this item is due for renewal we must know where we will be so we can take delivery of the permit.

The real question is, “How will you keep your vehicle registration and your driving license current when you have no address?” The authorities need someplace to send the renewal information and, more important, you need to receive the information when it is sent!

What to do?

We have an address that we use in the USA. See the Mail page for more informaiton aout this. By doing this we have an address that we can use for the registration of the bikes and for our driving licenses. If you think that this is a trivial item we suggest that you try to get your vehicle registered someplace where you do not have an address. Worse, if you are on the road when your registration or operators license comes due for renewal and you do not get this done you may not get past the next border.

Every country in the world has it’s own unique set of requirements for vehicles. For example, in Canada the instruments that indicate the speed the vehicle is moving must be in kilometers per hour. In the USA it must be in miles per hour. Emission standards for vehicles in the USA can be different in one state than they are in another - California emission standards are the toughest in the USA. If you live in California and buy a vehicle in another state because you want to avoid paying the California sales tax on the vehicle you will never get it registered in California because it will not meet the California emission standards. The same is true for vehicles manufactured for the European market. They do not meet the standards for USA vehicles and if you want to import a European specification vehicle into the USA you must do the necessary conversions for the vehicle to meet USA standards before the authorities will allow it to be registered.

Now, having said all that you begin to understand why we bought bikes in the USA. Think about how you will keep the registration on your vehicle current while you are traveling. For us it is easy because our address is with family members and they can let us know when the renewal arrives and we can pay the fees. The good news for us is that we do not need to present the vehicle for inspection because it is not required in our state. But, this could be a real problem if the place where your bike is registered does have an inspection requirement and will not renew your registration because your vehicle is out of the country when the renewal is due.

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