What's the longest road trip you've ever been on? A few days, or maybe even a week? We managed to catch up with Kelsey and Tom, who are on a road trip spanning two continents. Despite the fact that they're on a voyage of massive proportions, they've managed to create an excellent blog, Joydrive, where they share their experiences, photos, and funny stories from their trip. For more on them and their trip, check out our interview below.
Names: Kelsey and Tom
Hometown(s): Calgary, Canada and Kaikoura, New Zealand
Current Location: Costa Rica – Central America
Tell us about the trip you're on. Where have you been, where are you going, and what inspired your voyage?
The plan is to drive from Calgary, Canada to the tip of South America. At the moment we’re surfing Playa Negra, a fairly remote beach break on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. We’ll be headed into Panama in a few weeks to figure out how to ship our car around the Darien Gap, the missing link in the Pan American Highway
We can’t really remember how driving the Americas came up. We had done a bit of backpacking before, we also both wanted to learn Spanish so Central and South America became the destinations. Driving seemed like a really interesting adventure and it also offers us a bit more freedom.
What's your favorite travel memory?
Varanasi, India for Tom’s 27th birthday. Up at the crack of dawn drinking bootlegged whiskey and listening to the enthusiastic boatman’s drunken stories while floating down the Ganges Rivers surrounded by sunken ruins.
Do you have a favorite airport (or a favorite border crossing)?
Belize to Guatemala was our favorite border crossing so far because it was so simple. No hassles at all.
What's on your essential packing list?
Kelsey – Toilet paper.
Tom – Patience.
What have you learned to leave at home?
What can't you live without?
A camera and notebook
If you got stuck somewhere and were never able to leave, where would it be?
Kelsey – Based on the places I have seen so far I would say London, England though I hate to pick just one.
Tom – There’s no place like home.
What's the biggest travel myth that you can debunk?
People are essentially good!
What mistake have you learned from that could help others to avoid the same mistake?
We would probably have chosen a car with a bit more clearance, the roads and speed bumps in Central America can be punishing, but we still have faith in our little VW Golf.
What's the first thing you do when you get to your destination?
Look at a map, get lost, and then track down some food.
What do you plan before you leave home and what do you leave to chance?
We’re kind of happy go lucky – we usually have an idea of where we are going and the documentation that is required but other than that we are pretty easy-going.
You find yourself in an unfamiliar situation while on the road. What do you do? How do you approach a problem? What advice would you give to a timid traveller?
Don’t freak out, stand your ground and be polite.
Your most memorable meal....
Chicharron is deep-fried pig-skin (not at all like bacon). Our Mexican host family decided that we needed to try it…with eggs and green salsa. According to Tom it was definitely not the hangover remedy they promised it to be.
If you could only give one piece of travel advice, what would it be?
Try to learn some of the language wherever you are.
What's your take on souvenirs? What do you bring home with you?
We like to pick up trinkets on the road but most things get given to family and friends.
Do you have a travel experience that's changed how you look at the world or changed your life?
Tom – Meeting my wife in Singapore
Kelsey – What can I say after that…
What's your next trip?
There are a few ideas brewing – New Zealand and the UK are on the horizon though we could be stuck at the bottom of South America washing dishes after this trip… that wouldn’t be too bad either.
Anything else you want to share?
We just launched a website called Drive the Americas with some friends we met on the road. In the spirit of collaboration, this site is open for any and all road trippers to contribute information to help create the most comprehensive site for people interested in driving the Pan-American Highway.
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