Luis and Lacey

Names

Luis and Lacey

Hometown

Arcata, California

Name of your trip

Lost World Expedition

Why the name?

We love National Geographic and old classic expeditions and we wanted a fun grandiose name for our trip. A definition of Expedition is: "a journey or voyage undertaken by a group of people with a particular purpose, esp. that of exploration." Well, that sounds like us and all other folks that are traveling overland.
We say "Lost World" because to us, the world and all its goodies are still lost. We are finding it as we go.

Reason for taking this trip

We where inspired by other folks driving the Americas while we where backpacking through Guatemala and Honduras.

Why did you decide to drive?

Amongst a host of other reasons we got tired of riding buses and not being able to pull over and stop at any place we wanted to... we also hoped that having our own truck could be our home on wheels (and it is)

Are you also taking along pets?

Tie, our Black LabxGerman Short Haired pointer mutt started the trip with us, but he had a very hard time adjusting to life in the Landcruiser. He now lives with Luis' sister and family in Florida. :(

What type of car are you driving?

We are driving a Californian 1987 Toyota Landcruiser, with an Australian diesel engine.

Did you make any modifications to your car for this trip?

We replaced the gas guzzling engine with a diesel that gets roughly twice the mpg's, also replaced the fuel tank with a 40 gallon diesel tank, we installed a homemade drawer system that houses our kitchen and added storage, a 12volt fridge, a second battery to power said fridge and a solar panel to help the battery out, a roof top tent is our home.

How did you save up or finance your trip?

We planned, saved and spent very little for a little over three years and Lacey had 3 jobs at one given point.

How long do you plan on traveling?

Originally 1 year, that was changed to a year and a half and now we just decided to say that as long as we can, we will. At least through the end of 2011.

Where do you plan on driving?

Very slowly from the U.S. to Argentina, trying to spend at least some time in every country in the America's.

What were your family’s and friends’ reactions when you told them about your trip before you left?

Mixed feelings at first. Some excitement but also apprehension, even concern and fear a about the "dangers" in Latin America. After we started everyone has gotten very exited and supportive of the trip. We have received family and friends as visitors a few times.

One of our favorite reactions was from a friend. When we told him we were driving to Argentina, he simply replied: "Why not just fly there."

Did you speak Spanish before you left your home country?

Luis speaks fluently and Lacey spoke a little when we entered Mexico at this point (10 months since crossing into Mexico) Lacey's Spanish is quite good and getting better.
Are you taking more Spanish lessons as you travel? Lacey has Rosetta Stone and uses it probably less than she should.

Do you have a favorite place or country that you have visited during your trip?

This question is frequent and impossible to answer fairly, but I guess we CAN say that we loved Mexico and Guatemala, but Belize and El Salvador were very pleasant surprises.

What was the weirdest thing you experienced on your trip?

I am not really sure we have had any weird things happen. We have eaten ants, rodents, grasshoppers, drank mezcal with a scorpion in it, caught giant squid with our bare hands, seen hundreds of cicadas molt at once... but weird is a weird word.

What was the worst border crossing?

The ONLY bad crossing has been El Salvador-Honduras. It was a nightmare of epic proportions and very expensive.

Do you have any advice for others who may be considering driving the Americas?

Just do it! Plan as much as you want, but be flexible and open to whatever comes your way.

Would you do it again?

We have not finished, but we can in all honestly say there is no way we would not do it again.

Do you have a blog or a website describing your trip? If so, what is its address?

Lostworldexpedition we also have a Facebook page with the same name.