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We are leaving January 2 2008 from south Texas to Costa Rica and would appreciate any advice from anyone who has made this trip
Didn’t make the trip but be carefull ! You will travel trough some very dangerous countries. In fact you have to be prepared for everything….. try to travel in a group with the same direction, better then alone. Good luck !!!
Don’t do it.
Put it this way. I have talked to tens of people who have done it.
Although I have heard horror stories and no big deal stories, When I ask the question – would you do it again? – not once has any one said – yes. Not once. nough said for me.
The preferred driving route is to your nearest international airport, but if you insist on trying this, bring lots of new bath towels with which to bribe the border guards and Customs agents at each frontier.
Don’t bring anything that might catch the attention of those border guards. No guns, no drugs, nothing in large enough quantity to be resold, no plants or seeds, no animals, etc.
People who have done this advise to link up with other North Americans and make a caravan of it.
Also, your U.S.-issued car insurance does not protect you in Mexico, and you cannot enter Mexico without the coverage they require. Resolve this matter before you leave home (unless you’re heading for the airport).
We knew someone who tried this, got just south of Mexico City and turned back. They speak no Spanish and they could not find anyone who spoke English. No one would take their U.S. dollars (probablay due to the number of counterfeit bills in circulation), and all the ATMs would dispense was dollars. Even the bank wouldn’t exchange their dollars for pesos.
I am 60 years old so its now or never. We speak Spanish and feel like this would be a trip of a lifetime. I have to try it at least once. We have owned a house in Costa Rica for 9 years where we spend the winter months. I thank everyone for there reply but my mind is set on making this trip
I am from Costa Rica and not even I would dare such roadtrip. Just thinkin about going through Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua would be scary enough for me to prefer driving to the nearest International Airport. This is not going to be like an RV trip around the U.S. Sammysdream. In the border towns of Mexico and Guatemala there is a big problem with “mareros” which are latin street gangs and known to be some of the most vicious and violent in the western hemisphere. These towns are also full of “coyotes” which specialize in smuggling people into the US and prone to having the presence of lots of South American drug cartels. If I was to make this trip I would do some serious research, ask for references from people that have taken the trip in the past 1-2 years, talk to the consulates of each of the embassies I am fixing to cross through for advise, get travel insurance, find a way to have money access in case of being robbed at gun point and establish the safest driving route possible. This is possibly one of the most dangerous road trips you can take, but if you prepare yourself properly and know all the dangers involved then you could possibly have a good experience.
I met two young guys from San Diego who did the trip and said it wasn’t to bad…but would not do it again. Mexico was the roughest part of the journey. One group they caught up with were pulled over and robbed and one guy was pistol whipped. They said Central America was not to difficult, but as David stated a caravan is your best bet. They were stopped often in each country and it required quite a bit of negotiating with police, porn seemed to be what worked best(just what I was told). Borders were always a big hassle as well. Good luck!
Hi Sammy:
Are you driving an RV or pulling a camping unit or are you staying in hotels? I was going to drive down (from Canada) in the summer but if someone else was going I might wait and hook up for added safety. Are you interested in getting a caravan together or do you prefer to go it alone?
4 friends of mine did the trip last year. They had little walkie talkie radios between the 2 cars – it helped alot at borders. They also had a small safe built into their cars below the rear passenger seat bolted to the chassy to keep passports and other documents safe from opportunistic theives. They paid to lock up their cars every night (they were carrying alot of stuff including a laptop and fancy camera gear) and someone in each car spoke fluent spanish. They used people at each boarder crossing to help with their papers. They also left a full copy of all of their documents with a family memeber and added the family memeber to their credit card accounts incase stuff was stolen and needed to be reissued while they were on the road. They took 3 weeks to Costa Rica and had an amazing experience – but at times a pretty stressful one. Boarder crossings were the worst, they asked for receipts for everything even $2.00 to reduce rip offs and used local currency where possible!
You do need special insurance for Mexico, but it cost little ($30), I think the AAA directed them to an agent (sorry can’t find the info). Good luck and remember everything is replaceable (passports included) except your life, so if you are stopped at gun point give up whatever they want even your car – Once had a guy rip off my fake Oneil sunglasses at gunpoint – evidently he was a big cheese and had left his house on a sunny day without any.I think it sounds like a once in a lifetime experience, that’s why diego’s pals didn’t want to do it twice (not because it sucked). But once is a great opportunity, and if you speak fluent spanish it will make your life easier. That was a fantastic idea about bolting a safe to the chassis of the car. I’d do some google searches like ” —-american highway travelogue” or something like that to see if you can read some real life stories. I’m suer there will be challenges, but there will also be rewards. Be safe and have a great time!
Edited on May 30, 2007 15:26
hennalounge….I did the trip but as a single male did not have the guts or carelesness to go by car. I did however, go by bus and the trip was overall very good and only took 3 1/2 days. Crossing the border was easy and the trip was very pleasent. Go for it.
Terry From TexasHere is a blog on making the drive;
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