Overland Travel: How Ryan Drove From Seattle To Southward America
I abhor driving. I don’t similar driving inwards my ain country, allow lonely unusual ones. It’s non that I’m bad at it. It’s simply that I exercise it so infrequently that it makes me nervous these days. And so I’m ever fascinated yesteryear people who move yesteryear car. Back inwards the early on days of this weblog I met a grouping of guys driving a trip unopen to the world. They had crazy stories. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few months ago, I announced nosotros were going to start doing to a greater extent than reader stories to highlight some of your crazy stories. In our commencement reader spotlight, we’re talking to Ryan who is driving from Seattle downward to the tip of South America amongst his girlfriend! (Which, let’s go honest, sounds similar an amazing adventure!)
Nomadic Matt: Tell everyone hither nearly yourself!
Ryan: I’m 33 years onetime together with originally from Seattle, Washington, but afterward college I spent 5 years working inwards Washington, DC inwards the halls of Congress. When my boss decided to retire inwards 2012 instead of run for re-election, I opted to withdraw hold a yearlong sabbatical to road-trip across the American West together with to hike together with climb equally much equally I could. When the twelvemonth came to an end, though, I wasn’t ready to surrender the nomadic lifestyle, so I simply kept going.
So how did you lot go into travel?
My commencement overseas move experiences were cheers to studying abroad inwards college, amongst lengthy stays inwards Florence, Italy, together with Sana’a, Yemen. Both trips instilled inwards me a feel of wanderlust that stuck amongst me through my years of working a desk job, together with I believe they played a pregnant utilisation inwards eventually getting me out in that location on the road.
Where has this amazing trip taken you lot so far?
Following my yearlong route trip through the American West, I headed downward to Republic of Colombia amongst a buddy together with nosotros laid out explore the country. We exclusively made it equally far equally Medellín, where I settled down. I felt a ask to dull downward afterward living out of my truck together with and so a backpack for nearly fifteen months — together with and so coming together a slap-up local girl.
my girl together with I drove my truck from Seattle to Medellín, traveling overland through every province inwards Central America together with having an amazing time. We had to ship the truck from Colón, Panama, to Cartagena, Colombia), since in that location are no roads through the Darién Gap (the missing link inwards the Pan-American Highway.
We stopped inwards Medellín for a combat 1 time to a greater extent than to regroup, but nosotros are straightaway getting ready to caput out on utilisation ii of the route trip: driving all the way to the southern tip of Patagonia, which is a house I withdraw hold long dreamed nearly visiting.
We volition mostly go traveling along the Andean spine on this journey, together with I’m looking forwards to immersing myself inwards the mount scenery.
What made you lot create upwardly one's hear to maintain this trip?
My solo route trip across the American West was an absolutely transformative experience, together with the seed of driving to Patagonia got planted inwards my hear together with took root over a few years. I began to think, why simply movement across America when you lot tin movement across all of the Americas?
I also similar exploring novel cultures together with foods together with immersing myself inwards unlike languages whenever I move overseas. I long to acquire a petty further afield, to acquire off the well-worn tourist track, together with that tin go quite difficult. I’ve traveled the backpacker circuit together with schlepped my handbag unopen to colorful petty towns together with hopped on together with off populace buses — but when you’ve got your ain wheels, a whole novel globe of move opens upwardly together with allows you lot to acquire away from the crowds together with immerse yourself inwards local life.
What’s been the biggest lesson so far?
Just how doable this course of educational activity of trip is!
When you lot withdraw hold inwards the whole range of driving across Central America — traveling into “dangerous” Mexico, dealing amongst corrupt cops or protests together with blockades, together with contemplating the logistical hassles of crossing 8 or nine international borders amongst your vehicle together with and so loading it into a shipping container to South America — it tin all simply go overwhelming. It seems almost impossible.
But when you lot interruption it downward into a day-to-day journey, it was all quite easy. One affair flowed from another, nil was equally hard equally nosotros imagined it would be, together with nosotros came out to a greater extent than confident together with capable amongst every petty bump inwards the road.
What’s your issue 1 slice of advice for a trip similar this?
I’d tell 1 of the best parts nearly move is overcoming challenges together with embracing the unknown, so simply allow choke of the thought of waiting for things to go perfect!
In the overland move community, I’ve seen countless people who invention for years together with years, investing to a greater extent than together with to a greater extent than money into their vehicles together with accessories, together with spending to a greater extent than fourth dimension together with money on the “getting ready” phase than they exercise on the actual move together with adventures. It’s equally if the planning becomes the substitute for genuinely doing.
But equally for to a greater extent than concrete advice for a novel traveler, I’d highly, highly recommend learning equally much of the target linguistic communication you lot tin earlier leaving. The commencement fourth dimension I came to Colombia, I had the basics of Spanish: ordering food, getting unopen to inwards a taxi, other formalities. But my travels withdraw hold acquire so much to a greater extent than rewarding equally my linguistic communication skills improved together with I could genuinely communicate amongst the people I was coming together on a daily basis.
What are the logistics of a trip similar this? Is it hard to plan?
Logistically, in that location are a few basics you lot should withdraw hold covered, which would entail having the originals (and lots of copies) of all the relevant vehicle documents: your title, registration, etc. But you lot don’t genuinely ask much to a greater extent than beyond your passport, together with a full general thought of where you lot are going (or inwards some cases, places you lot shouldn’t go, for safety’s sake). But if you lot add together inwards some equipment to allow you lot to army camp together with cook, you’ll go much to a greater extent than versatile on the route together with withdraw hold to a greater extent than options for saving money.
One incredible resources that initially planted the thought of driving all this way was the annual Overland Expo inwards Flagstaff, Arizona, where a few grand people get together every boundary to speak nearly all aspects of overlanding. They offering seminars together with talks from experienced travelers on everything from security together with security to camp-cooking recipes to border-crossing tips together with tricks. Attendees are a mix of people who withdraw hold completed massive drives across the Americas or Africa, people inwards the planning stages for a large international trip, together with those who simply similar camping ground out of their vehicles inwards the USA.
Being unopen to so many like-minded people who had “been there, done that” was what initially made me experience similar this was possible — though it was some other ii years earlier I drove across the edge into Mexico.
Due to the sheer scale together with doubt of a monster trip similar this, it tin indeed go hard to invention everything out inwards advance inwards terms of where to go, where to stay, etc. Before leaving, nosotros planned inwards wide strokes the route nosotros would take, nearly how long nosotros thought nosotros would withdraw hold inwards each country, etc., but nosotros were opened upwardly to beingness flexible throughout the journey.
Luckily in that location withdraw hold been many travelers who withdraw hold documented their trips on their blogs together with tin furnish a proficient frame of reference on edge crossings, where to camp, security concerns equally a driver abroad, together with so forth.
One of my favorite resources spell on the route was a website called iOverlander.com, where swain travelers add together prices, descriptions, together with GPS coordinates to everything from complimentary campsites to inexpensive hotels amongst secure parking lots. It has acquire the go-to resources for overland travelers.
What’s been the most hard utilisation of your journey?
The hardest utilisation together with the easiest utilisation are both the same: traveling amongst your vehicle. An obvious unusual license plate tin attract interest, both proficient together with bad: friendly locals volition withdraw hold notice together with chat you lot upwardly nearly your travels — together with to a greater extent than unscrupulous people powerfulness target your vehicle for the valuables inside.
Traveling amongst your ain vehicle provides added worries at times. You must ever go somewhat witting of the full general security of your vehicle so equally to non expose yourself to potential break-ins when parking on the street — or fifty-fifty inwards some parking lots — together with in that location are the added difficulties of traveling into pocket-size colonial cities amongst narrow roads. Then there’s finding a hotel that also offers secure parking for your vehicle when so many cater to the backpacker crowd.
That beingness said, nosotros had no break-ins or anything similar that on the whole journey, together with spell nosotros were cautious, nosotros weren’t overly so or paranoid.
The easiest utilisation of this trip, though — 1 time to a greater extent than — is having your ain vehicle, which agency you lot are complimentary to convey quite a combat to a greater extent than materials than if you lot were backpacking. We move amongst gear for mutual depression temperature together with warm weather, for full general army camp comfort, together with for cooking, equally good equally quite a few electronics: laptops, cameras, a pocket-size solar panel, etc. We also withdraw hold the liberty to choke when together with where nosotros want, without beingness tied to populace transportation or the traditional backpacker circuit.
So in that location are ii sides to the same coin, but I’d tell the benefits of “overland” move similar this far outweigh the negatives.
Does this cost a lot to do? How exercise you lot maintain costs down?
The large up-front cost for overland move is plainly the vehicle. Vans, trucks, or SUVs are by together with large the vehicle of pick for most overlanders, given their size together with the powerfulness to create a infinite to slumber within the vehicle (or on superlative of it, amongst a roof-top tent).
If you lot already withdraw hold a truck or van, you’ve overcome the biggest cost. I used my onetime 1991 Toyota 4×4 pickup — the same truck I’ve had since high schoolhouse — together with it served me good amongst the add-on of an elevated canopy together with a uncomplicated build-out of the dorsum to create a sleeping platform together with storage system.
If you lot withdraw hold to purchase a vehicle, you lot would exercise good to await for an older rig that is sold all over the world, similar a Toyota, so you lot won’t bargain amongst to a greater extent than obscure vehicle create or engine parts that powerfulness go hard to come upwardly yesteryear inwards other parts of the world.
If you’re looking to buy, you lot could also bring together overlanding groups together with endeavor to purchase from a swain traveler who has of late completed the trip together with is looking to unload the vehicle at a inexpensive cost rather than ship it overseas to their dwelling household country. They typically sell inwards Panama, Colombia, Argentina, or Chile.
There are people who withdraw hold done the trip amongst a traditional automobile together with many who consummate the movement yesteryear motorbike or fifty-fifty yesteryear bicycle — so don’t allow the fact that you lot don’t withdraw hold the “perfect” vehicle halt you lot from this adventure.
In terms of the actual costs during the trip, it tin vary a lot from province to province together with depending on the telephone commutation rate, but I’d tell our full general dominion of pollex for the entire trip thence far was nearly $75 per day, equally a couple. That cost is overall for everything, including gasoline, hotels or camping, food, etc. As always, you lot could exercise it for either less or to a greater extent than money, depending on the private traveler.
The cost breaks downward to unopen to $20/night for lodging, $20/day for food, together with $35/day for vehicle expenses (gas, toll roads, paid parking, maintenance, etc.). But those daily averages tin vary a lot from house to place.
Sometimes a country, similar Mexico, is so inexpensive to move inwards that nosotros discovery ourselves eating out often together with finding budget hotels. But other times a province is so expensive, similar Republic of Costa Rica (for gas, lodging, food, everything!), that nosotros pass virtually all our fourth dimension camping ground together with exclusively occasionally eating out. Our strategy for keeping costs downward is to slumber to a greater extent than often inwards the dorsum of the truck at inexpensive or complimentary camping ground areas, together with to laid upwardly a petty to a greater extent than often.
Surprisingly, in that location aren’t many costs associated amongst bringing your vehicle into each country. Some countries require you lot to purchase insurance, others don’t; some withdraw hold pocket-size fees ($10-15) associated amongst bringing your vehicle across (temporary import permit, insurance, fumigation), some are free, some are form of expensive, similar Republic of Honduras ($40).
But overall it is quite affordable to cross international borders amongst a vehicle, together with your biggest expenses remain the regular costs of gasoline together with maintenance.
If you lot desire to follow upwardly on Ryan, he is the writer of Big Travel, Small Budget together with the blogger behind Desk to Dirtbag, detailing his travels together with outdoor adventures afterward leaving his Washington, D.C. desk job. Right straightaway you lot tin discovery him route tripping across all of South America together with follow his adventures on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
P.S. – Ever wanted to see Austin? Next month, I’ll go leading a pocket-size grouping of people unopen to my dwelling household city! We’ll go staying inwards the hostel I own, visiting my favorite locals bars together with restaurants, hanging amongst some of my cool friends, together with ii stepping the black away! If you lot desire to pass a few days downward south, here’s to a greater extent than information!
Sumber https://www.nomadicmatt.com
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