No Wrong Turns: Choosing a Car for an International Road Trip

In the initial planning stage, we had a hard time finding recommendations about what kind of car would be the best for this type of trip, so we had to muddle through on our own and hope that whatever we chose would be hardy enough to withstand a year long (maybe more) driving trip.

Choosing a car can be a bit difficult — you don’t want to stick out too much, but you also need a car in good, solid condition that will be able to tolerate the demanding roads and sweltering heat.

Here are some things to consider when choosing a car for a long road trip of this nature:

Make of Car

Mexico seems to have an abundance of Fords, Toyotas, and Volkswagens. But we’ve also spotted plenty of Isuzu Troopers, Land Rovers and Jeeps. Some of the most popular models are the Ford Bronco and standard Toyota truck, which we were told are some of the easiest cars to fix. Our VW, a 1991 Golf, has done well, but finding parts has proved to be an issue (at least in the Baja) — something we did not anticipate.

A Ford truck or SUV seems to be the way to go. Whichever car you do choose, try to pick one with a relatively simple engine, this way if you do require a mechanic’s help they should be able to get you back on the road as soon as possible.

Clearance

If you don’t want to see your car’s guts all over the road, pick a car with high road clearance. Roads conditions can be pretty rough with potholes, uneven surfaces, and rocks among other things that make you wonder what the Mexican definition of “road” truly is. Extra clearance insures that the rocks, bumps, and holes won’t knock lose any items that you’d like to keep, like your oil pan. We’ve been lucky and the only part we have lost is the bottom part of our bumper.

4-Wheel Drive

This is something I would highly recommend in your car choice. As mentioned previously some of the “roads” are often barely more than tire tracks. Sand, rocks, and potholes bigger than the car make navigating the roads tough. 4WD will minimize the chances of getting stuck where smaller, less powerful vehicles might have problems. You don’t need 4WD but it might be a nice addition if you are planning to do a lot of back road driving.

Fuel

Gas isn’t cheap so you will want to choose a car that is efficient. The standard fuel options are gas or diesel. Some people may prefer diesel, which can often be cheaper than gas (though not always), and is reputed to be more environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient.

A/C

This is a long going debate between Tom and I: should we have gotten A/C? We don’t have it and though it can be warm (ok boiling!), with the sunroof and windows open we manage to get a really good breeze going. One thing to consider is that in some of the larger cities, having your windows down might not be the safest option. It doesn’t take that much to reach in and grab something through a car window, which means you could end up melting in a hot vehicle while safely driving though town. So if you can’t handle the heat, investing in air conditioning is a good option. Though I have heard if your A/C system breaks you might be out of luck in getting it fixed quickly or at all.

Suspension

As I mentioned roads are bumpy, so bumpy you will be irritable instantly. Make sure your car has good suspension and if your shocks are old you might want to consider replacing them before you leave — you are for sure going to need them!

When choosing your vehicle make sure you think about where you intend to drive and invest the time into making sure your choice is going to be reliable. Have your mechanic give your car a tune-up and replace any part that seems to be on its way out. You might as well shell out the cash to have your car in good working order before you leave, this way you can spend time enjoying the ride instead of worrying about whether you will make it to the next town.

For us our little VW is working out fine: it is discreet, pretty tough and lets us drive some crazy roads. With only two mechanic visits under our belt so far, good gas mileage, and my ability to dig a tire out of sand in record time, we think we made the right choice though some days a little cool A/C and a bit more clearance would be nice.

“No Wrong Turns”
chronicles Kelsey and her husband’s road trip — in real time — from Canada to the southern tip of South America in their trusty red VW Golf named Marlin.

Armed robberies in Baja keep surfers away

I lived out a hippie fantasy of mine a few years back when an old boyfriend and I drove his truck from Alaska to Mexico, camping the whole way. In Baja, where we camped on a beach for a month, he ran out of money and my funds got pretty low. We had to subsist on a diet of bread, rice, and oatmeal which were alternately flavored with peanut butter, jelly, maple syrup, or chicken bouillon cubes. I think I had one margarita that whole month, but nevertheless it was a great time — dolphins would swim by, I could swim laps along the shore, and my hair even started to dread (which was my incentive to finally wash it).

I could go on about my idyllic pseudo-hippie days, but the point of my story is to compare the Baja of my early twenties to the troubling Baja of today. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that a half-dozen robberies and car jackings along Baja’s 780-mile stretch have been targeted at U.S. surfers. One story, from a Swamis Surfing Association member, is particularly gruesome:
[Chris] Weber said he and his girlfriend had gone to Baja to escape the foul air caused by the wildfires in San Diego County. Just after sundown Oct. 23, two men wearing military clothing and ski masks confronted the couple.

“They made us get down on all fours – execution position – and put guns to our heads,” said Weber.

Then the armed gunmen sexually assaulted Weber’s girlfriend before taking $10,000
worth of computers, video cameras and other gear. Weber acknowledges that his career guiding surfing tours in Mexico is over, and he urges other would-be Baja surfers to do the same.

Weber’s incident isn’t isolated, and a string of roadside robberies seems to indicate a rising threat to Baja tourists. In similar cases, “the perpetrators fooled tourists into pulling off the road by using flashing lights similar to those mounted on police cars. These thieves forced their victims to kneel and put firearms to their heads.”

These stories alone are practically enough to keep this reformed hippie-wannabe insulated in her tiny Alaska town. But I also know that if I had the chance for another road trip down to Mexico, I’d probably go for it — with extra caution added, and expensive gear left at home.

For more stories and information on how to report an assault, read the Union-Tribune’s article here.

Thanks to Marilyn Terrill over at National Geographic’s Intelligent Traveler for the story tip.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of December 31

With so many interesting stories coming out and into the New Year it made selecting this week’s five a bit difficult, yet I think I’ve gathered a well-rounded batch for you to review.

5. Think Before You Click:

Here is the sad tale of a German tourist who accidentally booked a ticket and flew into Sidney, Montana when he actually wanted to go to Sydney, Australia. The lucky fellow was able to make it to his intended destination with the help of family and friends, but talk about a costly mistake! Ouch.

4. Ask The Pilot:
Looking for the answer to all your flying questions? Why not “Ask the Pilot” or pick up the book to see if your question happens to make the selection of commonly pondered questions.

3. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum:
When a former president is no longer with us it is a big deal to say the least and many feel the need to pay some sort of tribute. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is just one place to start or perhaps you can think and thank him on your way from the ATM as he was the dude that made it legal to pull money from a machine. Not as grand as a trip to the museum, but its just a thought.

2. Paddling Baja Dispatch: Day 2:

After another great trip, Erik returns to share with us the details of paddling Baja. In this dispatch he talks about his guide Carlos, jagged coastlines, incredible rock formations, Mexican food, and rum and of course he does the favor of including some very cool photos from the affair. There is more to come, but in the meanwhile catch up on this if you already haven’t.

1. Chinese Shish Kabobs:
Death-wish or delicious? I don’t know about the food found in the pictures from Neil’s pal Pete, but I do know they make my skin crawl to the point where these Chinese shish kabob would be staying far from the taste-buds and only close enough for photo ops. Do proceed with caution.

Paddling Baja Dispatch: Day 2

There is something nearly indescribable about waking up on the first day of a paddling trip when you know that what lies ahead are days of nothing but paddling in a place you’ve never been. Your mind cannot quite grasp the collective moments of joy and, perhaps, misery, that lie ahead. Of course, even the most miserable day paddling beats a day at the office, and so while we had little idea what lay ahead, we knew that the moments would begin to flow the second we opened our eyes.

And so we awoke that first day giddy with anticipation. We grabbed some coffee and immediately met up with our guide, an amiable, capable-looking Mexican guy named Carlos. The morning was cool, and our boats had already been sent North to a deserted bay on the island. From the get go, luck was with us. Sort of.

Carlos stood in front of a colorful map of Isla Espiritu Santo that was painted on the wall of the Mar y Aventuras hotel. He showed us our route and explained that because there was a rather heavy wind blowing down from the North, they were going to take us by skiff to the top of the island where we’d be dropped off to paddle South.

We’d signed up for a self-supported paddle trip, which meant that we were supposed to carry all our own stuff: gear, food, supplies. But with the strong winds, the company decided instead to send along the skiff for the entire trip. That suddenly made things a whole lot easier. It meant that our actual paddling loads would be much lighter and that we’d also be able to bring along much more food and drink than we’d planned. Hmmm…drink. On the bad side, this meant that our notions of a true wilderness adventure dimmed a bit. But it also meant that the luxury quotient, as it were, rose significantly. Having a skiff along meant that we could just toss our stuff into its spacious hold whenever we took off. It relieved us of a big burden and of the time it takes to pack up everything neatly every time we headed out in the kayaks. We could have objected…but of course, we didn’t

The skiff took us about ten miles North to a spot on the island where our kayaks had been dropped the night before. The ride was a marvelous visual hors d’oeuvre of what lay ahead. We motored over the wind-scalloped blue seas and along the jagged coast where layer cake rock formations rose high above us. Cactus stood guard from the cliff tops, acting as prickly sentinels.

We disembarked at the spot where our kayaks had been kept overnight, had a quick lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches and then headed out to reach Candelero Bay, where we’d set up our first camp. We had two tandem (or double) boats and two singles. My friend Mark Humphries and I rode in one of the doubles and my other two friends, Erik Riegler and Dork Alahydoian paddled in the other. Carlos was in a single as was a perky, graying brunette from Vancouver, British Columbian an emergency room physician whose presence as both a testosterone-diluting female and a doctor was welcome.

The first day of paddling was decidedly relaxed. The seas were rough, but we stayed close to shore where the winds were tame and the swells less severe. By 4 pm, we’d made camp at Candelero Bay and immediately set up our tents. Meanwhile, Carlos and our skiff driver Angel, went about making dinner.

One of the unexpected pleasures of our trip was that our guide, Carlos, had a deep fondness for both good Mexican food and, more importantly, good coffee. To our astonishment and everlasting satisfaction, his abiding passion for these things made every meal and every morning a delight. And as anyone who has taken extended trips into the wilderness knows, hunger does indeed make a fine sauce. But so does habanero salsa, and Carlos was both lucky and prescient to have a few iron-clad stomachs on the trip and brought along a few bottles of the stuff.

Of course, nothing washes down extremely hot Mexican food better than rum, and so as we sat and ate our first meal of fresh tacos that early evening, and as the sun sank into a saffron stew of clouds on the horizon, we sat on the beach in portable chairs and sipped icy cold cups of Bacardi and Coke.

Soon after, bellies full, shoulders weary from paddling and heads nicely lightened by rum, night came, a canopy of stars shimmered overhead, and we sat and talked about life and the necessary and incandescent thrill of getting away on trips like this.

Photo of the Day (12/12/2006)

OK, folks, this is the first of a series of posts I’m going to do on my very recent paddling trip to Baja California. I got back on Sunday night after a deliriously awesome five days paddling in the turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez. This post is a simple one. A picture, which may or may not be worth 1000 words, of my two pals crossing a nice little stretch of water with a crop of redstone in the foreground.