Travel Tips and Safety Concerns For Van Travel Through Central America
 

Hello!
In December 2009, myself, a dog and male friend will be packing up a camper van and starting the drive from Vancouver BC, Canada to Central America (I haven't put a final destination because who knows where we will end up in the amount of time we have! :) ) We are planning to stick to the coast, but other than that we are keeping our travel plans open. This will be the first time that either of us has done such an extensive road trip (Kris has drove from Vancouver to Mazatlan, Mexico last april but thats as far). Anyway, I was wondering if there has been any other travellers out there who has done a similiar trip either in a RV or a vehicle, that has any travel advice. I am especially interested in hearing stories about driving through the central American countries, as this is our main destination goal and may do some bee-lining to get there in time to enjoy it :).
I have also been reading the travel advisories on the Canadian government website and have given myself quite a scare! I know that they do this to keep you aware, but I was also wanting to hear some stories from travellers in Central America on how safe they felt especially if they were RVing or travelling in a vehicle as we will want to stay most nights in our campervan :). The countries we are paticulary interested in visiting are Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and Costa Rica. Thank-you for your advice and your time in replying to this forum! :)

Car breakins are not uncommon in Costa Rica, so it's best not to leave anything in your car unattended if you can help it.

For part of the trip the information on the http://99daystopanama.com/ website or the book by the same name.


I've never taken my own vehicle down but have lots of Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras photos with travelogues/blogs.
http://flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

Keep us posted!

I haven't done that type of road trip. This might not even be an issue but are you going through any checkpoints where your dog has to be in quarantine? I'm not sure how that works so just a thought.

I agree that "99 Days to Panama" is an interesting read. Of course, I don't think they spent enough time in Costa Rica. Have a great adventure! Guatemala has me worried right now. We had a friend ambushed on the road to Tikal from Palenque (at night) They were not harmed but lost their passprots and valuables. Just be careful and I would advise only traveling in the day time.

We rented a car in Guatemala for a week in February. We were advised not to drive at night.

When we still had a motorhome (which we wouldn't dream of taking anywhere south of northern Mexico), we used to joke with our Costa Rican driver about how long it would last in our favorite Central American country. My guess was 5 minutes. The driver's (Luis's guess) was 0 minutes after our backs we turned. Our non-joking appraisal was that worries and concerns about our safety and that of the RV would be so great as to completely overpower any joy we might otherwise experience. To me it sounds like the kind of trip that would be fun to talk about after you did it, but green hell in the doing.

Iam from Costa Rica, the road are in bad conditions all the year, but is safety drive fot some places like southern Costa Rica: Uvita dominical, manuel antonio, Perez Zeledon( i liove here), and one more thing if tou find accomodations in southern Costa Rica visit this site http://www.southercostarica.biz and see many options.
I hope that you have a great travel

Make sure your van is in excellent mechanical shape before you try this endeavor. Parts on some makes can be very hard to come by.

You do probably need to check with each country about their rules/regulaions about your dog.

Have your researched where you can park your camper over night? I would hesitate just stopping anywhere. Not sure you have thought this trip through. A friend drove the coastal route to Cancun and would never do it again. It took forever, could not use the airconditioner and they ended up in less than suitble motels. Once they got to the beach area, they were dying of the heat in their camper van. I would rethink taking any animal. Another friend was on a bus when it was attacked and her sister was shot through the head and died in Mexico. My cousin was in Guatamala and ran into a group of men on a hiking trail who robbed him and nearly raped his girlfriend. Yes, this can happen in the US but here you know the culture and help is usually nearby. Travel needs to be done with care and planning for what you are thinking of doing. Be careful! I travel a lot and spending nights in a van in these countries doesn't sound safe to me.

ME AND MY FRIANCE AND MY DOG ARE GOING TO COSTA RICA DECEMBER 26
WE LOVE FOR YOU GUY TO GO WITH US
I BEEN READING HERE THE IS BETTER TO HAVE 2 OR 3 CARS WITH MORE PEOPLE
I M FROM COSTA RICA AND MY FIANCE IS FROM USA
WE LIVE IN NORHT CAROLINA
WE CAM MEET YOU AT THE MEXICO BOTERS
THANKS GOOD THE I FIND YOU I BEEN LOOKING FOR SOMEONE FOR THE LAST 2 DAYS MY FRIANCE DONT WANA DO IT IF IS JUST US
CALL ME AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU GUYS LIKE TO HAVE A GROUP 7049133666 ALEX

I'm planning on leaving from Denver, CO around December 20. I've never done a road trip into Central Am, although I've been to Costa Rica several times and rented cars. I was planning on traveling alone with my truck/camper/dirtbike, and would love to find a few people to caravan with. I'm just going for the adventure with no real dates or plans other than probably meeting some friends in CR in January. Let me know if you are interested in making the trip together.

Right now I'm reading up on insurance needs. Mexico seems simple, but I'm still looking for the rest of Central Am. Any suggestions?
Steve

To Steve, So far I have read that insurance can be bought at each border crossing for the central american countries. I also did some reading on the 99 days to panama site and they said the same. We have changed our travel date to January 1st to enjoy some some snowboarding in Montana :).
To the others, thank-you for your replies. I have been doing some reading and the trip may be risky, but others have done it and have had no problems. We are going to take all the neccessary precautions and the risk seems like it will be the same as travelling through the US or anywhere else. Our van is mechanically sound :) We found a jem! and have been donig a lot of work on it to get it in tip top shape! Thank-you again as advice is always appreciated

I look forward to hearing about your adventure when you get back.

Hi Many of the travellers are more seasoned that myself but I never had a problem driving in CA. I did meet a group of travelers with about 20 motorhomes about 3 years ago. They had all there stopped mapped out and even some places had arranged security. Travel at night is always a no no. I have found he poorer you look the better. Don't ever brag about your plans and where you are going next to a local or fellow traveller you never know who is really listening. I think its great that other people share your interest in travelling and group travel makes sense. I have seen windows smashed out in several vehicles over the years but have never had my rental car broken into. Always be aware.