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Driving and camping from Argentina to Montana? Why not?! Listen in this week as Dylan Drake tells us how her family did exactly that. She and her husband Thomas had been living in Argentina, and when they decided to move back to the US, they thought the best way was to spend a year and camp their way through South and Central America!
Shortly after their first daughter was born, they moved to Argentina for a job opportunity. When the job contract ended (about 3 years later) they decided to head back to the States, now with 2 kids, driving by car rather than flying, and fulfilling a lifelong dream of family camping.
The plan was to go slow and dive in to each country they visited, enjoying their family and the experiences and adventures along the way. It was much more aboutbeing just a family. Dylan was really proud that kids had adjusted so well. Learning to sleep in new places was a HUGE learning curve but something the kids learned and continue to apply to everyday life.
Dylan also talks about getting visas and the stresses associated with border crossings. It costs about $150 per visa, per border, for US passports. They would prepare for “border crossing days” by staying about an hour from the border to avoid border towns because there’s a lot of chaos at the borders, They would then try to stay somewhere else further away. Auto Insurance was typically sold at the borders, and sometimes you could even get it at the supermarket (along with a dozen eggs!) or at a bank. They mostly looked for a 30-day plan, trying to gauge how long they would be in a particular country.
Some of the major highlights from the trip, were hitting the beaches once they hit the caribbean. Machu Picchu was another highlight. She was grateful for the opportunity to see it with her kids as it’s been a dream of hers for a very long time!
The next trip planned is possibly a bike trip around the US! We’re excited to see where they go! Thanks again Dylan for taking time with us!
Show Notes:
Their blog can be found at: www.camperclan.com
Be sure and check out their Instagram page, they have over 25,000 followers and when you see the quality of their photos, you’ll understand why.
You can also follow them on Facebook.
Some recommendations:
Air BNB – A super site for finding budget accomodations.
They had the best luck finding local campgrounds through Google.
Also, the linked up with Facebook groups such as:
And for reviews of hotels, and hostels:
