We made it to the bottom of the WORLD!

[HourlessLife]

Congratulations to you both. Your Gladiator Alu-Cab build, and your incredible journey have been an inspiration to me and my husband. Our Gladiator Alu Cab Mod Cap Family tent build is just beginning. We learned a lot off of your videos. I still have lots of questions on the build but I guess that is where the fun and learning begins on everyone's build. Makes it yours. Huge thanks to you both. Debbie and Matt

Debbie and Matt, first off thank you for taking the time to share that. It truly encourages Brittany and I.

We don't do YouTube or even Patreon for that matter to be internet famous or make a ton of money. (We actually don't make a lot of money from those platforms lol) But with that said, we create content mainly for Caspian so he has it to look back on someday.

But we also do it for folks like you and Matt.

Every time we hear that we helped someone pursue their own dreams, it really makes it all worth it. (Videos are a lot of work especially for amateurs like us!) But we've met several families that have been helped or impacted and that fills our sails and reminds us that it is worth it! Especially when we're at an overlanding event and someone comes up to us in person and tells us, "You have no idea how much you encouraged and inspired us that we too could do it. We just went to ______ and it was amazing!" We love hearing stories like that.

So I'm glad we were able in some small way to help you guys and I'm genuinely excited for you. The AluCab ModCap looks awesome! I hope you guys post some photos and videos of your journeys. I'd love to see that unit in real action!

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[HourlessLife]

Good luck with Arica. It is truly an amazing place. We’ve made three trips there. If I can offer a bit of unsolicited advise skip Algeria and Tunisia and focus on the Southern part of the Continent. We absolutely loved Botswana and Namibia!

Wow! That's amazing! 3 trips to Africa?! Unreal!

So first off let me just say we'll take all the tips.

Second, we do not plan on doing all of Africa. Our current plan is to do a year going through 6-8 countries in Southern Africa. Starting in Capetown and making a loop around the southern part of the continent. I think the farthest north we plan to go may be Angola, and then to cut across the continent and eventually circle back to Capetown.

I appreciate you chiming in and would love to learn from your experiences!

 

[HourlessLife]

Congrats to you and your family. I've been watching your video.

Thanks so much for celebrating this milestone with us. Hope you enjoyed the video.

 

[Gee]

Like all the above - congratulations! Well done and long may it continue. It's wonderful to have you guys out there and finding what works and doesn't with the Alucab Canopy Camper set up. Mine's on a Gladiator also, and does lots of miles and nights in New Zealand. Although in one sense we all 'compare notes' it's often done without talking directly to each other - so I wanted to add my thanks.

 

[HourlessLife]

Like all the above - congratulations! Well done and long may it continue. It's wonderful to have you guys out there and finding what works and doesn't with the Alucab Canopy Camper set up. Mine's on a Gladiator also, and does lots of miles and nights in New Zealand. Although in one sense we all 'compare notes' it's often done without talking directly to each other - so I wanted to add my thanks.

Thanks and same to you! We've heard so much about overlanding and camping in New Zealand. It seems so remote to get there and so beautiful! Funny how we can be doing what we're doing and STILL be jealous (in a good way) of what someone else is doing. That's the wanderlust. Thanks for commenting and encouraging and I'd love to see some NZ photos of your travels!

 

[Blade1668]

Thanks so much! Appreciate the encouragement.

So I speak Engish and Spanish fluently.

Brittany speaks English fluently, she's conversationally fluent in Spanish now, and she is tackling French on Duolingo in preps for Africa and Europe. I think she's been doing it every day for 4 years. So she's picked quite a bit up but hasn't been able to use it in conversation.... yet.

Caspian is fluent in English, conversationally fluent in Spanish now, and he picked up an amazing amount of Portuguese in our short time in Brazil. Both Brittany and I were astonished at how fast he picked up the language. We were cracking up because we'd go places and someone would say something to us, and we'd break out our phones to translate, and Caspian would say, "Daddy he's just asking if you want to order any appetizers and he's recommending the shrimp." Both Brittany and my jaws dropped the floor. He did this on multiple occasions to the point where we'd just ask him what the person was saying. It was honestly amazing, but I think he's just at that age that all kids are at when it comes to languages that he picks them up like a supercomputer. It will be interesting to see what he picks up as we continue to travel.

That is awesome for your whole family. Best of wishes to you and family. Since he's getting multiple languages early in life he's definitely going to be heads above everyone else let alone the multiple places he's seen. I wouldn't be surprised if he will be able to speak a dozen languages in a few years.

 

[HourlessLife]

That is awesome for your whole family. Best of wishes to you and family. Since he's getting multiple languages early in life he's definitely going to be heads above everyone else let alone the multiple places he's seen. I wouldn't be surprised if he will be able to speak a dozen languages in a few years.

Considering he already calls himself a polyglot.. his vocabulary scares me more than his ability to learn languages, He's either going to be one of the coolest kids around, or one of the most dangerous lol.

 

[Figmo]

Are you unconcerned about the safety of your family in some of these crossings?

I have long dreamed of driving to Argentina but the info about safe routes seems to change weekly. e.g. there once was a time Ecuador was considered a peaceful country but these days....not so much.

How do you handle security?

 

[Rusty PW]

Considering he already calls himself a polyglot.. his vocabulary scares me more than his ability to learn languages, He's either going to be one of the coolest kids around, or one of the most dangerous lol.

Sounds like my one grandson. Either he's going to invent something to help all of man kind, or he's the next mass murder. I'm leaning to the later.

 

[HourlessLife]

Are you unconcerned about the safety of your family in some of these crossings?

I have long dreamed of driving to Argentina but the info about safe routes seems to change weekly. e.g. there once was a time Ecuador was considered a peaceful country but these days....not so much.

How do you handle security?

Figmo, let me just say that if this is a dream of yours, do it. We actually have an Hourless Life shirt that says, "Ignore the fearmongers"

The reality is that bad things do happen...all over the world.

There are more carjackings in the city of Chicago on an annual basis than there are in the entire state of Veracruz, Mexico which is considered by the State Department as unsafe for travel. We (and many others) have traveled through all of Latin America without incident.

Bottom line is you should pursue your dreams.

Do your due diligence, talk to folks who have ACTUALLY done the trip and not to folks who only want to give you their armchair opinions based on what the media puts out there.

Remember that these folks in Latin America are very much like the rest of the world. They are hardworking people who love their families, go to work to try and have a better life, they take their kids to school, go to the grocery store, do their laundry, pay their bills and live life just like the rest of us. Sure the culture is different, but generally speaking the heart and motives are the same.

I have some "simple" rules that I've followed that have allowed us to travel all the way to the bottom of the world and back WITHOUT INCIDENT:

1. Never drive at night unless absolutely necessary.
2. Be where you plan to camp by 3pm. That way if your gut is telling you something is off you have several hours of daylight left to find an alternative. (Plus you'll get better rest and enjoy where you are)
3. Talk to the locals. They have something we don't. Which is the knowledge of their area. An area may look unsafe to you and be totally chill. Meanwhile an area may look safe to you and have a series of break ins or vandalism recently. The locals know, just like you would in your local area.
4. Always pay to park whenever possible. One of the many jobs the locals do down here as part of the culture is security at parking lots. Find a decent one with other cars, pay the fee and go have fun.
5. Carry a satellite communication device (Like a Garmin InReach) so that you always have comms with folks even where there is no signal.
6. At all border crossings arrive early and give all documents they ask for without hesitation to officials. Smile and be patient. Remember you are a potential guest in their country.
7. At all non-border crossings (random checkpoints whether police or military), never hand over your original documents. Show them if asked, but don't hand them off. Smile, offer a soda, be very patient and you'll get through just fine. We've been through hundreds.
8. Talk to folks who have RECENTLY done the stretch you plan to do next. We do this all the time and it has really helped. Don't talk to someone like me who my southern trek through Mexico was completed 3 years ago. People love to live in their "glory days" and will tell you all the things they learned 5 years ago that has no current relevance whatsoever. Their information is outdated. There are plenty of folks just like us who are doing the journey. Someone has driven where you plan to drive in the past week or so. Find them and talk to them. They'll have the best and most recent information.
9. Stay aware of what is happening in the country you are currently in and the one you plan to go to next. Just focus on those two. Don't bother yourself with Ecuador if you aren't going to be there for a year. Things change all the time. Remember that when there are road blocks or protests they have absolutely NOTHNG to do with you. The people are angry and often rightly so, but they aren't angry at you. You just happened to be in an area where they are demonstrating. Again, talk to them, understand their plight, offer them an ice water and a sandwich. You'd be surprised that often times, they'll make a way for you to pass through. Other times you'll just wait a few hours and then they'll release the road block.
10. The cartels aren't after you. As a matter of fact they don't want the attention that messing with you would bring. If they want a vehicle like yours, they'll just go out and buy three of them and call it a day. They aren't going to jack you up and get the attention of the government of your country. It's not worth it to them.

Hope these are helpful. Let me know if anything I wrote was unclear. I'm seriously around to help folks and do my best to share what I've learned.

I wish you the very best and do indeed hope that you ignore the fearmongers and pursue your dreams! ~ Eric

 

[HourlessLife]

Sounds like my one grandson. Either he's going to invent something to help all of man kind, or he's the next mass murder. I'm leaning to the later.

Man I hope Caspian never goes that dark, but I will say that if he was in the Men In Black movie, he'd be the little kid carrying the astrophysics book lol.

 

[smlobx]

Figmo, let me just say that if this is a dream of yours, do it. We actually have an Hourless Life shirt that says, "Ignore the fearmongers"

The reality is that bad things do happen...all over the world.

There are more carjackings in the city of Chicago on an annual basis than there are in the entire state of Veracruz, Mexico which is considered by the State Department as unsafe for travel. We (and many others) have traveled through all of Latin America without incident.

Bottom line is you should pursue your dreams.

Do your due diligence, talk to folks who have ACTUALLY done the trip and not to folks who only want to give you their armchair opinions based on what the media puts out there.

Remember that these folks in Latin America are very much like the rest of the world. They are hardworking people who love their families, go to work to try and have a better life, they take their kids to school, go to the grocery store, do their laundry, pay their bills and live life just like the rest of us. Sure the culture is different, but generally speaking the heart and motives are the same.

I have some "simple" rules that I've followed that have allowed us to travel all the way to the bottom of the world and back WITHOUT INCIDENT:

1. Never drive at night unless absolutely necessary.
2. Be where you plan to camp by 3pm. That way if your gut is telling you something is off you have several hours of daylight left to find an alternative. (Plus you'll get better rest and enjoy where you are)
3. Talk to the locals. They have something we don't. Which is the knowledge of their area. An area may look unsafe to you and be totally chill. Meanwhile an area may look safe to you and have a series of break ins or vandalism recently. The locals know, just like you would in your local area.
4. Always pay to park whenever possible. One of the many jobs the locals do down here as part of the culture is security at parking lots. Find a decent one with other cars, pay the fee and go have fun.
5. Carry a satellite communication device (Like a Garmin InReach) so that you always have comms with folks even where there is no signal.
6. At all border crossings arrive early and give all documents they ask for without hesitation to officials. Smile and be patient. Remember you are a potential guest in their country.
7. At all non-border crossings (random checkpoints whether police or military), never hand over your original documents. Show them if asked, but don't hand them off. Smile, offer a soda, be very patient and you'll get through just fine. We've been through hundreds.
8. Talk to folks who have RECENTLY done the stretch you plan to do next. We do this all the time and it has really helped. Don't talk to someone like me who my southern trek through Mexico was completed 3 years ago. People love to live in their "glory days" and will tell you all the things they learned 5 years ago that has no current relevance whatsoever. Their information is outdated. There are plenty of folks just like us who are doing the journey. Someone has driven where you plan to drive in the past week or so. Find them and talk to them. They'll have the best and most recent information.
9. Stay aware of what is happening in the country you are currently in and the one you plan to go to next. Just focus on those two. Don't bother yourself with Ecuador if you aren't going to be there for a year. Things change all the time. Remember that when there are road blocks or protests they have absolutely NOTHNG to do with you. The people are angry and often rightly so, but they aren't angry at you. You just happened to be in an area where they are demonstrating. Again, talk to them, understand their plight, offer them an ice water and a sandwich. You'd be surprised that often times, they'll make a way for you to pass through. Other times you'll just wait a few hours and then they'll release the road block.
10. The cartels aren't after you. As a matter of fact they don't want the attention that messing with you would bring. If they want a vehicle like yours, they'll just go out and buy three of them and call it a day. They aren't going to jack you up and get the attention of the government of your country. It's not worth it to them.

Hope these are helpful. Let me know if anything I wrote was unclear. I'm seriously around to help folks and do my best to share what I've learned.

I wish you the very best and do indeed hope that you ignore the fearmongers and pursue your dreams! ~ Eric

Eric-
This is perhaps THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE, and accurate synopsis, of traveling internationally. Thank you for putting this out there.

Your comments about dealing with border crossings and checkpoints were particularly spot on. As an example on our recent expedition to the Sahara, starting in Algeria the immigration process to enter the country TOOK 7 HOURS Even though we had all the proper documentation. We were warned it could take a while and we just decided to chill and relax. The Colonel in charge of immigration was so appreciative of our attitude he personally carried a case of refrigerated water out to us as an apology for taking so long!

Thanks for posting this!

 

[Blade1668]

[QUOTE="HourlessLife, post: 1591154,

I wish you the very best and do indeed hope that you ignore the fearmongers and pursue your dreams! ~ Eric
[/QUOTE]
I clipped your post, but definitely needs to be reread for anyone traveling anywhere really.

I traveled in many places around Europe some in 89-90 then in mid 90's solo. Many places most people didn't think it was safe or recommend. The interesting thing was flying back into the USA. Having my passport canceled at immigration and customs. Be friendly but reserved and respectful. Many places "We Americans" have a bad reputation. I could write several pages on why, but just watch some utube, tik tok it's apparent. International traveling part of that opinion was formed was back when only entitled and or wealthy traveled from American or military predominantly. Blending in helped too, by not being a loud ugly American. I figure that is still the same. IMHO and said to me by several German friends.

 

[Kevin_D]

...I was telling Caspian (who is 8) that whether he realizes it or not, out of the roughly 8 billion people on this planet, for his age he is one of the most well traveled people on the planet.

Not just for his age, but for all ages!
My neighbor was telling me just the other day that she's never been outside WA & OR!
We've been many of the places you have, and hope to be.
But we do it on a big boat.
And congratulations on driving to Ushuaia! What an achievement!
Once again, we've been there on the way to a big boat.

Kevin

 

[HourlessLife]

Not just for his age, but for all ages!
My neighbor was telling me just the other day that she's never been outside WA & OR!
We've been many of the places you have, and hope to be.
But we do it on a big boat.
And congratulations on driving to Ushuaia! What an achievement!
Once again, we've been there on the way to a big boat.

Kevin

Thanks so much Kevin! We've run into so many people in so many different countries who have never visited some of the most beautiful areas of their own country that is less than 5 hours away. Same thing in our own country where many folks we meet have never seen parts of their own state that are incredible. Travel is amazing and I'm glad to hear that you've been around so much. I can't imagine your stories from the sea. Having circumnavigated the globe twice myself on a ship I have plenty of them. Ushuaia feels like our first major milestone on this journey and we're so glad to have made it! Africa next!

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