Preparing for multi-month international travel
Preparing for multi-month international travel
It took my fiancé Cait and I over a year to set aside the time and money for a two-month overland adventure across Chile and Argentina. Time was the big factor, as she had to juggle moving between day jobs and I had to clean up my freelance schedule. Priorities are key here, and we made a big travel trip together this year a priority.
Neither of us has much money, but we prioritized adventure and made it happen. The trip cost us a few multiples of what we expected however. The main cost for us was the Toyota 4 Runner we purchased in Santiago for the trip. We planned to sell it off at the end of the trip for a small loss, much less than a two month rental would have cost. Instead, we sold it for scrap in southern Chile after the engine seized in the middle of nowhere southern Argentina only two weeks into our ownership.
It took my fiancé Cait and I over a year to set aside the time and money for a two-month overland adventure across Chile and Argentina. Time was the big factor, as she had to juggle moving between day jobs and I had to clean up my freelance schedule. Priorities are key here, and we made a big travel trip together this year a priority.
Neither of us has much money, but we prioritized adventure and made it happen. The trip cost us a few multiples of what we expected however. The main cost for us was the Toyota 4 Runner we purchased in Santiago for the trip. We planned to sell it off at the end of the trip for a small loss, much less than a two month rental would have cost. Instead, we sold it for scrap in southern Chile after the engine seized in the middle of nowhere southern Argentina only two weeks into our ownership.
The main cost was the Toyota 4 Runner we purchased we planned to sell off at the end of the trip. Instead we sold it for scrap...
The main cost was the Toyota 4 Runner we purchased we planned to sell off at the end of the trip. Instead we sold it for scrap...
Travel is about what you make of it
Travel is about what you make of it
Travel is all about what you make of it, not about what it tries to make of you. We changed our route and plan, used the scrap money to rent a car for a few weeks and were able to cover more than 90-percent of the route we wanted, hitting all but one big highlight.
The big takeaway, after surviving the vehicle breakdown, sickness, food poisoning, financial hits and so much more was that the adventure only truly begins when… For us this two-month South American adventure has provided quality life long memories, and proven that we can handle anything when we work together.
After surviving the vehicle breakdown, sickness, food poisoning, financial hits and so much more is when the adventure begins.
Marriage is our next big life step, and only a few months away. Hopefully it creates many more lasting memories, but hopefully without quite as many big bumps in the road. Prioritize what truly matters to you and make those things happen. No excuses, now, during or after you’ve achieved a goal. Keep moving and keep smiling.
Nearly my entire wardrobe, which fit in a small suit case, for this two-month adventures consisted of Club Ride.
Nearly my entire wardrobe, which fit in a small suit case, for this two-month adventure consisted of Club Ride Apparel. The versatility of the clothing to work in a wide range of climates, during outdoor adventure activities and still look good out at a nice restaurant is perfectly suited for adventure travel. All the pieces that were well used on this trip are still in my daily wardrobe, and still the pieces I reach for most often. Versatility, durability, comfort and style. Can’t ask for much else from your clothing!
by Bryon Dorr
