The Big Adventure

As I said before, my life with Victoria and Jason was pretty great. But then one day they bought a truck… a giant truck, that I can’t even get in and out of on my own! They told me we were going on a Big Adventure, and that we were going to live in the truck. How is that even possible? And why would you ever give up our comfy couch?! I has so many questions… where are we going? Are my friends coming? Do I get to bring my toys? They kept telling me I was going to love it, that there would be more beaches, sunny spots and friends to play with than I can even imagine, and that it was going to be an incredible adventure.

But isn’t life already an adventure? We’ve been to Palm Springs, to Joshua Tree, to Idyllwild, to San Diego and even Miami! But we always get to come home after. Why would we ever want to live in a truck? It didn’t seem like I was going to get much of a say in the matter, but I sure hoped they know what they’re doing…

The Panamerican Highway through Mexico and Central America

The Pan American Highway through Mexico and Central America

Jason says: Neli needs to simmer down a bit. From what I can tell her favorite thing in life is to lay on the beach, basking in the sun. And that’s basically what we planned to do for six months as we wound our way down the Pan American Highway. The basic plan was to start our trip at the beginning of October 2013, do a quick two-week loop though California, and head south from there. This gave us the chance to try out the Tundy & Bliss Island, to make sure everything is good to go before we made our way south and crossed the border sometime before the end of the month. We planned to spend about a month in each country, and to travel as far as Panama.

A lot of our friends and family wanted to know why we wanted to do this trip. We had a great life in Venice, with amazing friends and neighbors, an awesome wee house and challenging and creative work to do. But when we were on a holiday in Mexico in 2012, the idea was hatched and just wouldn’t go away. I’ve always loved camping and road trips, and this puts those two things together with an incredible setting. The thought of driving through Mexico had been with me for years. Combine that with Victoria’s love of Central America and her wish to live there, and we knew this trip could turn both of our dreams into a once in a lifetime experience. Thanks to some added inspiration and a ton of information from folks who preceded us on this adventure (Sprinter Life, Life Remotely, Home on the Highway, Adventure Americas and 30 for Thirty to name just a few) we knew it was not only doable, but it might not be as crazy as most people seem to think it is.

We didn’t know exactly where the road would take us, but we looked forward to volunteering, adventuring, exploring, eating, drinking, swimming, hiking, driving (slowly) and making a ton of new friends on the road. As it turned out the original plan to be south of the border for 6 months turned into almost a year and a half, a whopping 500 days in Mexico and Central America.  We drove slower than we thought, spent way more time than we had planned for exploring each country we visited, and never even made it to Panama!

Currently we are back in Los Angeles, working and saving like crazy so we can get back on the road in 2016.  Where will we go?  We’ve discussed seeing all 50 states and Canada, flying to London to buy a rig to explore the UK and Europe, as well as backpacking through Asia.  What we do know is it won’t be long before we are on another Big Adventure, wherever it may be.  We hope you’ll read about our Big Adventure in Mexico and Central America, and maybe gain a new perspective on these incredible countries and their amazing people, as well as continue to follow along (or come visit!) as we explore California and prepare for our next Adventure. Happy Trails, adventure friends!

Punta de Mita, Mexico, where the idea for the adventure was born.

Punta de Mita, Mexico, where the idea for the adventure was born.