What did you bring? Click here
A lot of people ask us, "What do you have in there? What are you bringing?" So, we took inventory before and after our North and Central America trip. Honestly, we packed way too much and dreaded it. We were able to sell and unload a few things, but I would highly recommend taking a test trip before any major ventures. This will help you determine what you are missing and what you really don't NEED.

   

Why?
To understand why we created Travels with Rover, you either know us or need to read more about us.    

   
How were you able?
We honestly believe that just about anybody can do this if they really want to.  We saved up, sold our house, our car, as well as most of our furniture and a lot of junk that just collected dust in our closets and garage.  We had a budget. We camped almost every night and cook most of our meals, but we did not give up certain pleasures of life like a glass of red wine and a fine ale around our camp fire. 
   

How did we prepare for North and Central America?
Our preparation was not extensive.  We bought maps from Rand McNally and books like Mexico's Pacific Coast & Copper Canyon, Mexico Camping/RV Guide, and Central America by Car by Mike Nelson - available through Sanborn's at 800.222.0158, AAA's Mexico Travelbook, and Lonely Planet's Central America on a Shoestring. While I really appreciate Lonely Planet guide books, they are specifically geared to travels by back pack, bus and plane. In hind site, I wish I would have read the booked called Driving the Pan-Amercican Highway to Mexico and Central America, by Raymond F and Aubrey Pritchard, and purchased the Foot Print book for Central America, instead of Lonely Planet.

Medical. We got our shots for Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Tetanus, and Hepatitis A and our prescription for Malaria.  That was fun, as we got the shots all at once, two in each arm.  Our health insurance is the most basic plan with the greatest deductible, but does not cover anything specific for international travel.  We never got sick. We drank purified water everywhere except Costa Rica where tap water is potable.

Insurance. We purchased Mexican auto insurance (required to bring a vehicle into Mexico) from Vagabundos and insurance for Central America (although not required by any country) from Sanborn's Insurance - call John Ginn at 800.222.0158 or direct at 956.682.7433.

More room. Our biggest effort in preparation for the trip, which only took all of 10 days, was extending Rover from a two door Defender 90 to a four door Defender 110.  Click here

South America. We completed the application for obtaining the Carnet de Passage en Douane for travel to some countries in South America.  If you don't have a Carnet you will have to ship your vehicle to Peru. Visit the Canadian Auto Association's web site for more details on obtaining a Carnet if you're planning to drive to South America. Note: you must put up cash, or charge your credit card, for the full "value" of the vehicle travel to some countries. While the value must be reasonable, it does not have to match the amount for which you insure your vehicle. Lesson learned: estimate the value as low as reasonably possible when completing the application for the Carnet and be prepared to fork over the equivalence of this amount in Canadian dollars. You will receive the Canadian dollars back when you exit all countries and return the Carnet.

   
What about safety?
In all of our travels throughout the world, we've never encountered any situation  more dangerous than we've experienced in the U.S.  We plan to be smart and as safe as possible, without hindering our experience.  We added steel bars and brackets to most of the windows and mounts for the steel sand spreaders over the windshield and the back door.  In this way, bandits might be able to break the windows, but they won't be able to take anything out.  We bought a machete in Mexico and brought pepper spray, both of which we never had to use.
   

Why did we convert the truck to a 110?
Marty has always wanted a 110 and Allison always wanted more room.  Our families wanted us to be safe.  We both wanted to be drier in the elements.  But, we wanted to maintain a 4 wheel drive vehicle that we knew we could rely on in all conditions.  So, we added a longer chassis and a new body that was 32 inches longer than the old one.  And, above all, we still have a Land Rover Defender.  Click here
   
What type of GPS do you use?
Garmen eTrex Legend, which includes maps of North and South America.
   
What about money?
We only brought about $300 U.S. with us and hid it in various places throughout Rover for emergencies. The good news is everyone takes U.S. dollars if you're in a bind and don't have any local currency. We've been pretty lucky finding ATMs in gas stations and banks in larger cities. However, all of our credit cards are Mastercard/Cirrus which is NOT as easily accepted as VISA or American Express. I would highly recommend making sure you bring a VISA/Plus if you are traveling for an extended period of time throughout Latin America.
   

What's a 110 anyway?
A Land Rover Defender 110's wheel base is 110 inches, versus the Defender 90's 93 inches. Range Rover USA only imported 509 North American Standard (NAS) 110 models into the US in 1993. The NAS model with a V8 engine and an external rollover cage is radically different than those sold in other markets . To learn more, Land Rover enthusiast's May 2001 magazine includes an extensive article on the NAS Defender 110, from which I gathered these fun facts: The NAS 110 had a 3.9 litre injected V8 engine with 180bhp and 227 lb ft of torque. The engine was in the same state of tune as the contemporary US Range Rover, had catalytic converters in the exhaust and ran on unleaded petrol. The transmission consisted of a five-speed LT77S primary gearbox and an LT230 two speed transfer gearbox with manually lockable centre differential. All vehicles had disc brakes at the front with drum brakes at the rear, and came with power-assisted steering. There were 500 US vehicles, 25 Canadian models, and nine prototypes, making a grand total of 534 NAS 110s in all. For example, check out Rover Sightings for examples of NAS 110s. We were lucky to have Dave's 110 around Rovers North as a reference point when we have questions. However, our 110 is NOT one of the 500 NAS models imported in 1993. Our tub comes from a 2000 model that was dismantled to be used as an armored vehicle.

   
How did Rover hold up?
Marty had his fair share of repairs on the trip including: two flat tires, a water pump, four shocks, a thermostat, removal of the catalytic converters from the muffler, wiring failure in dashboard and the rear tail lights, bursting hoses between the engine and the radiator, the heater core, one wheel bearing, and a rear axle ball joint. So, be prepared for repairs with a good manual and spare parts. Rovers are hard to find throughout Mexico and Central America, other than in Costa Rica where they are plentiful.