Walk across U.S?

Question

I had a curiously strong question. Is there any way I could simply walk across the united states? I wanted to walk from Maine to Oregon in order to raise awareness about different tragedies occuring in the world today such as poverty, hunger, destruction of nature, etc. Would I need some sort of passport if I wanted to just walk across the country. I would probably get sponsors and set a limit so I dont have all the time in the world. So would it be easy, legally speaking, to do?

Answer 1

you can do that if you want to... but as long as you don't cross over into canada on the way to oregon, there is no need for a passport.

Answer 2

If you're a US citizen, of course you do not need a passport. You might want to take your driver's license with you but that's not even necessary. You're free to do that walk without any sort of authorization.

If you're not a US citizen, then you will need a visa of some sort. Citizens of certain countries can stay in the USA for non-business purposes for up to 90 days without a visa -- see the list of qualifying countries at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/withou... Other than that you'll probably need a tourist visa.

I'm not sure what kind of "business" walking across the USA constitutes. I mean, obviously it's not gainful employment, yet you mentioned the possibility that you might be sponsored... Well, like I said I'm not sure what your status would be. I'm definitely sure that doing it would not be a problem, legally speaking. Why don't you give your local embassy of the US a call and see what they think about your idea when it comes to the visa you may or may not need?

It's a good idea by the way.

Answer 3

You do not need a passport to walk between Maine and Oregon as long as you do not go through Canada on the way.  

Just to let you know.  I rode my Bicycle from Seattle to New Jersey and it took me 48 days, averaging about 65 miles a day.  So walking would take about 6 months, and that is if you walked about 20 miles a day.  So you need to plan around weather and the changing seasons.  For example make sure you make it to the Rockies before winter.  Also, we went 75 miles between any signs of civilization at one point in North Dakota.  So you will need a good support group to make across the less inhabited parts of the middle of the country.

I wish you luck but urge you to have everything in order before you go.  Do not just start walking.  In order to raise awareness I would suggest you keep it to just a few problems so as not to lose focus.  Americans have very short attention spans.  You may want someone to coordinate with the media for you so you can get on local news in the towns you pass through.  Remember you are not raising awareness if no one knows about it.  You may also think about filming it and posting to Youtube.