A couple quit their jobs and spent £40k travelling 40,000 miles on the longest road in the world - through 16 countries. Matt Saunders, 28, and his girlfriend, Rachel Kelly, 26, from Clapham, took a break from their jobs to travel down the Pan American Highway - with a budget of £40k.
On June 4, 2024, the pair set off from the UK to Canmore, Canada, where they spent £15k purchasing a Dodge Ram - a pick up truck- a camper for the back, and spent money getting it roadworthy. They then made their way to Alaska and set off down the Pan American Highway, visiting 16 countries on the way - including Guatemala, Peru and Bolivia.
Matt, who is a quantity surveyor, admits that it has not been smooth sailing; the couple nearly died in the Peruvian Andes after their truck nearly fell off a road with a 1000ft drop due to the road conditions.
The couple are currently at the Galapagos Islands before heading back to the UK. Matt said: "The freedom that this trip has given us is insane. We spent 11 months visiting some of the best countries in the world.
"It has been daunting, but this lifestyle has given us so much freedom. The freedom of living in the van, being able to be where you want each day, waking up with a different view.
"When you backpack and fly everywhere, you end up missing so much, whereas the drive gives you that adventure and excitement that nothing else can."
In 2018, Matt got his first taste of adventure when he drove from London to Mongolia in a 1-litre Suzuki Alto. When he returned to the UK, he met Rachel on Tinder in 2020, who had told him she wanted to travel, so the pair got planning this trip down the Pan American Highway.
Matt said: "Seven years ago I drove from London to Mongolia in a little crappy car that your grandma would drive. After doing that, I got the sense of adventure. When I first met Rachel, she said that she wanted to go travelling. I told her to wait a couple of years as I had a plan to explore America by car, and she was on board."
The couple managed to save £40k from their salaries and set off from the UK and headed to Canmore, Canada, to visit Matt's brother on June 4, 2024.
While in Canada, the couple spent £15k buying a 1997 Dodge Ram and a camper for the back. But, a few days into their journey, the roof on their camper collapsed and the truck's transmission blew up, leaving them needing to spend £10k to get it fixed.
Matt said, "Day three into our journey to the Arctic, our camper broke and we had to live with it like that for six weeks. When we got to Washington State, a mechanic said it was unfixable, so we had to shell out another £5k to buy a new one, which was half of our budget gone."
Matt and Rachel, a sales person, set off from Alaska down to Pan American Highway - the longest road in the world - on June 24, 2024.
They drove 40k miles through 16 countries in 11 months before they finished in Ushuaia, Argentina Matt said some of the highlights from the trip have been the countries they visited, including the USA, Chile and Argentina.
He said: "We loved visiting the American National Parks with their remoteness and wildlife. The culture in Central America was really cool, they had some great beaches.
"Patagonia has some incredible wildlife, which was amazing. We spent 11 months on the road going to some of the best countries you can visit."
Matt said some of the biggest challenges they have faced have been the breakdowns. The truck was set on fire twice, the wheel fell off in rural Patagonia, and the couple nearly died in the Peruvian Andes after their truck nearly fell off a road with a 1000ft drop.
Matt said: "We have had our fair share of breakdowns, we had two fires in the camper, which was scary. We nearly died in the Peruvian Andes with our car nearly sliding off a 1000ft drop on muddy roads.
"It was a dangerous road, and intense rain basically made it impassable but we couldn't turn around. Last week the wheel fell of the truck in rural Patagonia and had no spare. We were stuck for three days figuring out what to do."
After completing their Pan American Journey in Ushuaia, Argentina, they sold their 1997 Dodge for £5k to a follower in Uruguay and headed to Brazil on foot before arriving in the Galapagos Islands.
The couple plan to head back to the UK in the summer, but said they are "daunted" by the thought of returning.
Matt said: "We are spending a few days Galapagos Islands before returning to the UK in a few weeks. We are daunted by the feeling of returning to the UK, but we are excited to see our family and friends. I will be returning to work, and Rachel is still figuring out what to do."
Matt and Rachel are sharing their travels on: @ramonthepanam
LIST OF COUNTRIES:Canada, America Mexico, , Salvador Honduras Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brasil
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