Thomas and Esther
Names and ages Thomas, 26 Esther, 23
Hometown? Amsterdam, Netherlands
When did you leave and from where?
The first of October 2010 to Panama, then traveled down towards Ecuador, where we got this idea, took a flight from Lima, Peru to Texas, USA mid February, built our bus there and crossed the Mexican border the 15th of May.
Reason for taking this trip
To be able to cruise around with friends we make on our way and see places in a way not a lot people see it. Plus the idea of a moving hostel is pretty cool
Why did you decide to drive?
Since our plan was to built a moving hostel, driving is the only option
What type of car are you driving? Did you make any modifications to your car for this trip?
We bought a 1990 Bluebird school bus(12 meters long), removed the interior and built the following
-Private room in the back
-Six dorm beds with reading lights and fans
-Shower
-Living area with benches, sound system, storage etc.
-Kitchen with stove and refrigerator (only working when we have a hookup)
-Sink with fresh water tank and grey water tank
-Four extra batteries and inverter for 110V. These are charged while driving, but we also got a generator on the back.
-The bus also runs on vegetable oil, but it is really hard to get good quantities here, so we´re mostly running on diesel
Plus everything you need to cook and live on the road. We built everything ourselves out of wood and screws, and the occasional weld. Took us 2 months to build, plus one month waiting for paperwork.
How did you save up or finance your trip?
We saved while working in the Netherlands. This made it so that we could buy and build the bus. We are sustaining ourselves by asking money from our guests for every night they stay with us.
How long do you plan on traveling?
As long as we still enjoy our bus, but we want to be back in May 2012
Where do you plan on driving?
Since it´s a moving hostel, the paying guest will decide, together with us of course, where to go. At the moment we´re going south towards Nicaragua, turn around in Panama to go back up
What were your family’s and friends’ reactions when you told them about your trip before you left?
Thomas always had adventurous jobs and travels, so his mom was not surprised. Esther's family was a bit surprised about this radical change but convinced about this wicked plan pretty quick when they saw the first photos. Did you speak Spanish before you left your home country? How much Spanish?
Are you taking more Spanish lessons as you travel? If so, where and for how long?
Thomas spoke a bit of Spanish, learned during previous travels, Esther took two weeks of Spanish course in Medellin, Colombia. Our Spanish is good enough to get around, although some more classes in Nicaragua could be a good idea. Around 10 more hours, just to pick up some more grammar.
Do you have a favorite place or country that you have visited during your trip?
Before the bus, Colombia and Ecuador were awesome, right now El Salvador is really cool, friendly people, good roads, beautiful beaches and mountain villages.
What was the weirdest thing you experienced on your trip?
Changing cylinder heads on a remote Guatemalan mountain. We got stuck for 5 days, with the nearest village 10 km and closest mechanic 20 km away.
What was the worst border crossing?
USA-Mexico, they didn´t let us in with our paperwork, stating we had a ´Private Bus´ and this was apparently not allowed. Took us 300 dollars and five days to get a ´Transmigrante´ status, which gave us only ten days and a set route to Belize.
Do you have any advice for others who may be considering driving the Americas in a bus?
Get the biggest engine you can find and a manual gearbox. We left with a Ford 7.3 engine (no turbo) and a automatic, but we had so much trouble climbing hills in Guatemala, constantly overheating and all kinds of trouble. Descending those ridiculous Guatemalan hills with an automatic is not recommended. We also got kinda stuck in San Pedro la Laguna, GT, the hills were so steep you had to take the turns in two parts. I´d didn´t dare to go back up, so we decided to get a new engine and gearbox there. Now we got a DT466 with turbo, and a 5 speed manual, and so far it´s doing great. Plenty of power, it´s not the fastest thing, especially uphill, but it can pull the bus with ease. Also downhill breaking works great, saving those precious brakes.
Would you do it again?
YES, it´s an awesome way on traveling, being completely self sufficient you can park virtually anywhere, set up camp, cook cheap food from markets while enjoying a cold beer with background Bob Marley, sitting with everybody around the table discussing what we´ll do next….
Do you have a blog or a website describing your trip? If so, what is its address?
Search Benni Bus on Facebook for plenty of pictures.
