15 Responses

  1. Brent says:

    Dan,

    I have enjoyed reading about your adventures. I have a friend who is overlanding in the Congo and have been looking for a way for him to document his travels. There are so many more options out there now than when you were on your epic adventure. Do you have any suggestions that you have come across since? At the time were you simply placing points on a Google map for the “where is Dan” portion?

    • Dan says:

      Hey Brent,

      Actually I didn’t have the best internet on the road, so a friend was putting points on a google map for me. It works OK, but it’s not great.
      Many people upload a track log from their GPS for this purpose.

      Do you might passing on contact details for your friend? I’d love to get more Africa information into

      Thanks,
      -Dan

  2. Megan says:

    Hi Dan!

    I found your blog while doing a google search about ferrying from La Paz in Baja over to Mazatlan, and immediately realized I’d stumbled across a gem. I’ve spent the last week of evenings after dinner living vicariously through you and your intensely inspiring journey, not to mention incredible photos. I must admit, when I reached the post about parting ways with The Jeep, I was hard pressed to not get choked up! 😉 It is both awesome and weird to read the whole journey from start to finish in such a ‘short’ period of time, it felt like watching a documentary on fast forward maybe? So incredible.

    Thank you so much for the time and effort you put in to publish all of this, so that those of us with ‘that crazy wanderlust’ can enjoy it so much, not to mention feel validated about our own pull to see how far we can go, on every possible level.

    Imagine my surprise, and yet strange sense of ‘well of course, the world is a smaller place than we often give it credit for…’ – I was in the Yukon doing camp work south of Dawson in the fall of 2011, not really all that far from your Yukon fall camping post. Wondrous strange. :)

    Thank you, and best of luck in wherever the road takes you.

    -Megan

    • Dan says:

      Hey Megan,

      Thanks very much for the kind words. It’s awesome to hear that even after a couple of years my stories are still inspiring people.
      Showing others how possible it is to live your dreams was one of my main goals, so I’m extremely happy my website is still doing that.

      It puts a huge smile on my face :)

      All the best, keep adventuring,

      -Dan

  3. shanhuang says:

    hello Dan,a u interested to put your story on chinese outdoor magazine? pls contact me if u are ok with that.thanks! shan

  4. Mark says:

    Hi Dan,

    Firstly, thanks for a great blog. We have just started out on a very similar road trip and your site has been a wealth of information and inspiration. We are currently on the first leg from Edmonton up to Alaska so we’ll be around Whitehorse on and off over the next couple of weeks. If you are still around this area, I would love to try to catch up with you if possible, if only to say thanks and maybe buy you a beer or a coffee or whatever.

    If you’re interested, please feel free to email me.

    Thanks again,

    Mark

  5. Derrick says:

    Hi Dan,

    I stumbled across your blog as I was doing some research on the Pan American Highway, and I must say that I’m excited to start reading! Your most current post caught my eye, and I was wondering if there is video footage of your presentation. I am planning on making the PanAm adventure a year or so from now, and I expect that your presentation would be an excellent resource. In fact, I expect your entire blog to be an excellent resource. I’m sure I’ll be spending a whole lot of time reading through it. Anyways, please let me know if there is any way I can view the presentation you gave back in February. Thank you!

    • Dan says:

      Hey Derrik,

      Thanks for the kind words.
      There is no video of my presentation, sorry.
      Actually, everything you need to know is at WikiOverland, the encycopedia of Overland Travel – it’s the best resource on the web for planning this kind of trip. My blog has a ton of info too, though it’s a little dated now, WO data is more up to date.
      If you have specific questions, I’m happy to help in any way I can.
      All the best,
      -Dan

  6. Kevin says:

    Hi Dan,

    Like a few others here I found your blog (sort of by accident) while googling some more general information about traveling through South America. I have randomly come across many dozens of blogs chronicling long term travels but I usually read a few entries, get board, and move on. With yours I found myself coming back over and over enough that I eventually just had to start at the beginning and read the whole thing!

    I have been planning and saving for a trip of my own for a few years now and have finally decided that this February is the time! I have known I want to do an extended trip like this for quite a while but I’ve been unsure as to how I want to approach it. I am an avid climber and mountaineer and want to incorporate that into my travels (as well as exploring the towns and culture) but didn’t know exactly how I was going to manage traveling with all the gear as a backpacker moving though bus stations and airports. Your blog has given me just the inspiration I needed to decide to turn my travels into a road trip. Having a car will make it much easier for me to bring the gear I want, get farther off the beaten path, and spend more time camping instead of paying for hostels and hotels.

    So, I want to say thank you for all the time and effort you put into telling your amazing story! I think my trip will be vastly different than yours, but your story makes me think it is possible. A lot of my friends and family think driving is a bad idea, they think it will be too hard and that I should abandon the idea of being able to climb while I travel, but your story has been a huge source of motivation for me to keep pushing to make this trip exactly what I want it to be, a climbing trip!

    P.S. I may also curse your name for talking me into this if I find myself stranded and alone on the side of the road somewhere in South America :)

    Kevin

    • Dan says:

      Hey Kevin,

      I’m really happy to hear my blog continues to be useful and inspirational to people considering doing the same.
      Having a vehicle will absolutely get you off the beaten path, and allow you to carry all your climbing stuff with ease.

      Of course your friends and family think it’s too big/hard/whatever – but they are just going off what they see in the media, they have no first hand experience.
      Border crossings are not hard, even with a vehicle.
      You’ll absolutely want to checkout WikiOverland, the encyclopedia Of Overland Travel for all the logistical information you’re going to need. Please take 5 minutes per country to update it too so the info is useful for everyone else.
      Other people planning to leave soon are posting on http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/forums/18-Central-and-South-America and a new Facebook group just sprung up of people that are on the road, or recently completed the trip. https://www.facebook.com/groups/panamtravelers/ (If you can’t join, send me a friend request and I’ll add you)

      Feel free to ask me (or any of those places) any of the questions you have lingering – you’ll find a huge community of people willing to help and give advice.

      All the best & have fun!

      -Dan

      PS – Go nuts cursing my name :) Remember to say something nice too when you’re watching the sunset with a $1 beer someplace beautiful :)

  7. jon says:

    Dan,

    Is there an email address I can reach you at?

    Thanks,

    Jon

  8. yash says:

    Hi Dan!

    Wonderful blog! I am happy and jealous about your road trip.
    Any way I could contact you?

    Thanks.

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