Helpful Info & Pan-Am Prep

CAMPSITE LISTINGS
The technology and information available today has completely changed the game from when we got our start.  When we hit the road we scoured travel blogs and hounded other travelers we’d bump into, collecting as many coordinates and waypoints we could use to find campsites or avoid getting too lost.  Unfortunately I invested a lot of time and energy collecting this data and printing it out to use offline.  Well gone are those days and there is some really cool mobile apps like iOverlander which was a collaboration  by a few of our friends.

BORDER CROSSINGS & VEHICLE SHIPPING
The nitty gritty logistics for those "fun moments" during the journey. Read more...

FUNDING OUR JOURNEY
We didn't win the lottery and we aren't trust fund babies.  We have funded our travels entirely out of our own savings, strict budgeting and putting in lots of overtime.  Even with modest salaries as a nurse and a firefighter, we were able to budget enough to travel over 2+ years.  Read more...

LEARNING SPANISH
It's very important to be able to communicate in spanish BEFORE heading south.  Everything else will fall into place if you can speak the language.  Read more...

ELIMINATING JUNK
We looked at everything we had acquired over the years as either replaceable or sentimental. The replaceable items were sold or donated.  The sentimental or irreplaceable items were put into storage with family, and we hope to eliminate some more when we go back through it all.

LIVE SIMPLY
While preparing for our journey, we moved into a warehouse and found several roommates.  This drastically cut our monthly expenses.  We stopped going out, eating out, and our weekly movie habit.  Once we made these sacrifices the savings quickly piled up.

VACCINATIONS
We went to a travel clinic in Austin and let them poke us with a thousand needles until we had all the necessary immunizations. Read more...

DOING HOMEWORK
When researching for a big Round-The-World trip or Pan-Am journey, it's not a bad idea to do your homework.  Click here for a list of helpful websites, forums, and other resources that made it easier when planning our Pan-Am adventure.  

ATTEND OVERLAND EXPO
If you are serious about traveling overland and not sure where to start, I highly encourage you to attend Overland Expo.  It's an incredible event that takes place twice every year where you will meet hordes of experience travelers with great advice.  Don't be discouraged by some of the overbuilt vehicles and expensive doodads, all you truly need is a passport and a backpack to see the world!  Read about our first experience at Overland Expo.  Expo West is during the Spring-time Flagstaff, AZ and there is now Expo East which takes place during the Fall in Asheville, NC.  There's a good chance you'll see us at an event, especially if you come to Expo East in Asheville so be sure to say hello!  If you’re heading south, we typically participate in Q&A discussions on Latin America, remote medicine, couples travel, backpacking skills, borders and bribes, etc.  We usually do a really fun 2 hour Interactive Border Crossing Simulation that recreates some stressful situations like military and police checkpoints, unofficial roadblocks and aggressive border-helpers.