We drove the Pan-American Highway in a 4x4 van in about 20 months, covering some 70,000 kilometres (43,500 miles). Two months before we left I expected the paperwork to be harder than the gear. To prepare, sort the vehicle, country-by-country insurance, the sea crossings (we booked the Atlantic four to five months ahead and the Darién four to six weeks ahead) and a monthly budget.
This guide is the checklist from our first vlog. I recorded it two months before we left, so some answers were still open then. Where we know the outcome now, I give it.
In this guide
- The route
- The van
- Gear
- Insurance, visas, permits
- Shipping and ferries
- Budget and work
- Health and training
- Safety
- How long to allow
- Questions
The route
We lived in Europe, so the van went by sea first. Hamburg to Halifax. From Halifax we drove to Alaska, then south through the Americas. The plan was to leave in April 2022. We reached Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina, in October 2023 and the trip ended in Montevideo, Uruguay, in November 2023.
We had driven from Europe to Singapore, across the Sahara and on many shorter trips. For the next trip we looked at Africa and Asia again and picked the Pan-American. It is one of the longest routes in the world, and we had the time and the chance to do it then.
Choose the van first
Everything else follows the vehicle, so settle it before you buy gear.
Our earlier trips ran in a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 120, sold in the US as the Lexus GX470, with a rooftop tent. A mechanic is round the corner in most countries and parts are everywhere.
For the Pan-American we switched to a 1998 Iveco TurboDaily 4x4 van. We looked for one for two years and bought it about ten months before departure. We had done a few trips in it, none of them big. The van would be our home for more than twelve months.
The Iveco was a bigger unknown. No mechanic round the corner, no parts everywhere, and I am not a mechanic. I estimated about 50,000 miles ahead of us and had no record of how the van would hold up.
The van was never sold in North America, which can make parts harder to find. A brake hose let go in the Rockies and we backtracked to Calgary to get it fixed. We carried a lot of spares, and the brake hoses were not among them. Our Iveco TurboDaily 4x4 review tells the full story. For your own vehicle, list the parts you will not find locally and carry them.
We were open about the Iveco’s problems on camera. We did not want to paint a sugar-coated picture, so people thought we had more trouble than others. Most overlanders we met had problems, and the Iveco was about average.
The problems we had: more flat tyres than other overlanders because of two-piece split rims, which we fixed by replacing the rims in Colombia. A timing chain that jumped, so we replaced it. A clutch cable that snapped. A rubber coolant hose that split and lost us coolant in Baja. A cracked leaf spring. A cracked roof rack. A brake disc repair. A handful of smaller jobs on top.
Not sure you need four-wheel drive at all? Read our 4x4 guide. We spent about 98% of the trip in two-wheel drive.
Gear
Gear is a list. At two months out I still had items open. An extra solar panel was bought but not fitted, and the battery and inverter were unfinished. Water tanks, headlights and clothing were still on the list.
Do gear early, because the paperwork will not wait for you.
Fuel is dirtier in North and Latin America than in Europe. Check your engine’s sensitivity, and check AdBlue if your vehicle uses it.
Insurance, visas and import permits
Our van is registered in Hungary. Once it reached Canada we needed insurance, and we did not want to leave the port without cover.
A foreign-registered, converted van is not a standard quote. You send photos and describe how it was built. Some insurers said no. One told me plainly that it wrote no insurance in Canada and no personal auto insurance in the US. You are looking for the one that deals with international travellers.
The ways to find one are Facebook groups, forums and the blogs of people who made the same trip. Then you phone and email companies. We approached about twenty and kept a log of the answers. Some wanted photos, one wanted a six-month minimum and some said no.
Canada and the US
In February 2022 I found Seguro Gringo, which sells cover for foreign vehicles in Canada and the US. They suggested one 180-day policy for both countries. It cost 1,002 US dollars and ran from 11 April to 8 October 2022. It covers liability and medical costs only: 100,000 US dollars for injury to one person, 200,000 per accident, 100,000 for property damage. It came with a Canadian insurance card in English and French and a US policy.
A Thum Insurance quote that arrived a month after we bought ours offered a package for 1,316.20 US dollars for six months: collision and comprehensive with a 1,000 US dollar deductible, liability up to 500,000 US dollars, and no suspension, cancellation or refund once started.
I told another overlander in January 2023 that the policy is good to have but nobody will ever ask for it. Carry it anyway, because the policy is what pays if you have an accident.
Mexico, Colombia and the rest
Cover is a country-by-country question. The North American policy did not cover Mexico. Seguro Gringo quoted 386.36 US dollars for 180 days in Mexico. We bought a policy from Baja Bound instead: an HDI standard policy for 182 days from 16 November 2022 at 152.21 US dollars. It covered liability, medical costs, legal aid and roadside assistance, but not theft or fire.
In Colombia we bought the compulsory SOAT policy online in late April 2023. In Central America and the southern half of South America we bought cover at each border. It was cheap.
Visas are the second problem. You cannot arrange them all in advance, because a visa issued a year early expires before you reach the border. Check each country against your own passport and sort the early ones first. Before departure, the only visa-type paperwork we had to arrange on Hungarian passports was the electronic authorisations for the US and Canada. Your passport should be valid for at least six months. We also carried two sets of international driving permits: the 1949 Geneva version for the US and possibly Canada, and the 1969 Vienna version elsewhere.
The third problem is the vehicle itself. Every country south of the US, from Mexico on, issued us a temporary import permit for the van. Expect to do the vehicle paperwork at each border. You do not need a carnet de passage for the Pan-American Highway.
An expired European roadworthiness test does not matter anywhere in the Americas. The van needs a new test once it is back in Europe. At home the consequences differ by country. In Hungary an expired test means a tow truck, and every modification has to be entered in the registration.
Entry paperwork starts at the airport. At Toronto, passport control questioned us about our plans because we had no return ticket. Have your answer ready. Showing the shipping confirmation and photos of the van satisfied them.
Shipping and ferries
Hamburg to Halifax
We shipped the van from Hamburg to Halifax roll-on roll-off, through Overlander Shipping in Hamburg. It cost 2,150 euros: 1,985 for the shipping and 165 for transport insurance. We booked it four to five months before departure.
Pack the van for the crossing. We locked everything in cabinets and under seats and put simple seals over the doors. The shipping company takes no responsibility for what is inside. The van arrived with the seals intact and one door lock not working.
Do not tie your flights to the sailing date. The booking moved from a 28 March sailing to early April, and the ship arrived on 22 April. We flew on 10 April and collected the van about 25 April.
The Halifax steps were short. The agent there emails about a week before arrival. You can collect about 48 hours after the ship docks. Canada customs comes first, then the container terminal, and the agent arranges the appointment. Bring the original vehicle documents and your original passport. You get a stamp on a copy of the bill of lading confirming the import date. It is the only proof that the van entered North America, so carry it. Customs asked how long we were staying, why and where from. It took minutes.
Panama to Colombia
No road connects Panama and Colombia. The Pan-American Highway stops at the Darién Gap, so you ship the van across. No car ferry runs there any more, because the business that ran it shut down. We used Overland Embassy and went roll-on roll-off. Their first ballpark was 5,000 to 5,500 US dollars, twice what I expected. The firm quote was 2,985 US dollars for all fees in Panama, plus 650 to 850 US dollars for Colombian port and import fees. Our total came to close to 4,000 US dollars all inclusive.
Book four to six weeks ahead. A 150 US dollar deposit confirms the booking and fixes the price. You need your passport, the vehicle title and registration, and your import permit and insurance copies once you are in Panama. The van goes to the port about three business days before sailing and gets a police inspection in Panama before loading. Allow up to four business days to collect it in Colombia.
Montevideo to Hamburg
We shipped the van home the same way. From Montevideo it went roll-on roll-off to Hamburg, again through Overlander Shipping. The final invoice was 3,307 euros: 3,100 for the shipping, 182 for marine insurance and 25 for contents. Local costs in Montevideo were another 749 US dollars. The vessel was due in Montevideo on 27 November 2023. The crossing took three to four weeks, and I collected the van in Hamburg on 9 January 2024.
The Montevideo agent’s rules were strict. Send the car papers, a passport copy, the temporary admission paper, insurance and a toll tag at least 72 hours ahead. The agent told us to be at their office about a week ahead for the paperwork and local costs. We had to deliver the van to the depot by 24 November, with five storage days included. Only the driver may deliver it. The van must be unlocked with no personal effects inside, and gas bottles need a gas-free certificate.
We handed the van over in late November 2023, spent about a week in Montevideo and Buenos Aires, and then flew back to Europe.
Do not leave cash in the van on a roll-on roll-off ship. Theft happens on these voyages, and a container is safer.
Ferries
Ferries are part of the route as well: the Yukon River at Dawson City, the Baja California ferry from Pichilingue to Mazatlán and Chiloé in southern Chile.
Budget and work
Our target was about 2,000 US dollars a month for the two of us, including visas and vehicle repair. Plan for $1,500 to $4,000 a month, depending on what you need and on the country. Canada and the US cost more, and cheaper countries pull the average down. Shipping is not in that figure. Price the crossings as their own line.
Your own total will differ from our target. It depends on your taste, on how long you stay and on which countries you spend the most time in. Split the budget into three parts so you can see where the money goes. The first is the one-off cost before you leave: the van, paperwork and preparation. The second is the sea crossings. The third is the monthly running cost, which is the only part that moves with how you travel. Add a repair line to that third part if your van is old, as ours was.
Budgeting starts years before departure, not two months out. We saved and set aside what we wanted to spend on the trip. We also planned to work a little on the road, so we did not live on savings alone.
The preparation itself cost money. From January to April 2022 we spent 11,134.53 US dollars before the trip began. That included the flight to Canada, the van’s roadworthiness test, vaccinations, medicines, spare parts, a new battery, insurance, the US and Canada travel authorisations, international driving licences and the shipping. We kept a 55-item task list for all of it.
Work has a date too. We both worked full time and had to tell our clients we would stop from April 2022. Decide when you are certain you are going, then tell the people who rely on you.
The second vlog in the series, Driving The Americas: How Can We Afford It?, covers how we afford a trip like this. For earning on the road, see how to make money while overlanding.
Money on the road
Cards work almost everywhere, except with roadside fruit sellers and at street food stalls. Keep a few thousand dollars in cash, hidden in several places in the van, but never in the van on a ship. Wise or Revolut cards help with cash withdrawals.
Health and training
You sit in a truck for hours and spend weeks in remote areas. We planned for both.
The first item was a first aid refresher. We knew the basics and wanted them current before remote areas. We also had vaccinations and health checks in February and March 2022, and set up a Garmin inReach with emergency contacts. For health cover we used a monthly SafetyWing plan, only in the US and Canada.
The second was a one-day self-defence course. I do not mean guns. I wanted the theory: how to talk your way out of trouble and how to get out of it.
Fitness was the third. I had a lower back problem and was in physiotherapy, working out what I had to do each day to keep it working on the road. I spent ten hours a day at a computer, and I expected a trip with hiking and activity to help. Fix a problem like this before you leave. Our guides to staying fit and healthy overlanding and exercises for overlanders cover a daily routine.
Safety on the road
For each country on the route we planned to collect information first, so we knew how to stay safe there.
One lesson came from Ecuador. A campsite below Laguna Cuicocha looked safe and turned out to be dangerous. Many overlanders camped there, the concentration drew the attention of locals, and that made us targets. On 15 June 2023 three masked people armed with weapons attacked us there at night. We escaped. Good check-ins on iOverlander do not guarantee a spot stays safe. Use the app as a starting point and judge each spot yourself.
Our advice: use organised campsites and treat iOverlander as a research tool, not a guarantee. When you shop, one of you goes in and the other stays with the van, and valuables go in a safe inside it. When you park for the night, point the van so you leave quickly without trees, bushes or ditches in the way. Lock the doors when you are inside and keep the key within reach. Carry pepper spray within reach, because it is better to explain it to the police than to end up in hospital, but check each country’s rules first. Our vanlife safety guide has the full list. It also covers that night in Ecuador.
How long to allow
We planned a minimum of 12 months, with a return home in April 2023 or the summer of 2023. I called that short for many overlanders.
The trip took 20 months and about 70,000 kilometres (43,500 miles), from Halifax in April 2022 to Montevideo in November 2023. The van was in Panama on 24 April 2023, a year after our start, with South America still ahead of us. Budget your time and your money for the longer figure.
Pan-American Highway questions
What is the Pan-American Highway?
It is a network of roads linking North, Central and South America, not one single road. It runs from Alaska towards Argentina, with a roadless break at the Darién Gap between Panama and Colombia. Published lengths range from about 30,000 to nearly 48,000 kilometres, depending on what is counted.
How long does the Pan-American Highway take?
Our trip took 20 months. We planned 12 as a minimum.
How far did you drive on the Pan-American?
Our route from Halifax to Montevideo came to about 70,000 kilometres (43,500 miles) over 20 months. That includes the drive from Halifax across Canada to Alaska before heading south.
How much does the Pan-American Highway cost?
Our target was about 2,000 US dollars a month for two people, including visas and vehicle repair. Plan for $1,500 to $4,000 a month depending on needs and on the country. What you spend depends on your taste and the length of your trip. Shipping is not included in that figure. The three crossings together cost about 5,457 euros and 4,749 US dollars. Preparation before departure cost 11,134.53 US dollars, which already includes the first shipping.
Do you need a carnet de passage?
No. You do not need a carnet for the Pan-American Highway. Every country south of the US, from Mexico on, gave us a temporary import permit for the van.
How did you ship the van to Canada?
Roll-on roll-off from Hamburg to Halifax, through Overlander Shipping in Hamburg, for 2,150 euros including transport insurance. We booked it four to five months ahead.
Can you drive from Alaska to Argentina?
Yes, apart from the Darién Gap, where you ship the vehicle. We drove from Halifax to Alaska, then south through Canada, the US, Mexico, Central America and South America. We reached Ushuaia in October 2023 and finished in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Can you drive through the Darién Gap?
No. No road connects Panama and Colombia, so you ship the vehicle. No car ferry runs across the gap any more, because the business that ran it shut down. We went roll-on roll-off with Overland Embassy for close to 4,000 US dollars, all included.
Can you drive your own car into Mexico?
Yes, with the right paperwork. Our US and Canada policy did not cover Mexico, so we bought a separate Mexican policy that started on 16 November 2022. Mexico also issued a temporary import permit for the van. From Baja we took the ferry from Pichilingue to Mazatlán.
How do you insure a foreign-registered van?
Send photos and the conversion details to insurers that work with international travellers, and expect many to refuse. We bought a 180-day Canada and US policy from Seguro Gringo and a Mexican policy from Baja Bound.
How do you ship the van home from South America?
We sent ours from Montevideo to Hamburg roll-on roll-off. The final invoice was 3,307 euros including marine insurance, plus 749 US dollars in local costs in Montevideo. The crossing took three to four weeks.
Is the Pan-American Highway safe?
Mostly, in our experience, but not risk-free. Over years of trips on six continents we had only a few incidents. The scariest night of our lives was in Ecuador in June 2023, when three masked people armed with weapons attacked us. We escaped. What helped was researching each country, using organised campsites, parking so we could leave quickly and judging every spot ourselves instead of trusting app check-ins. Our vanlife safety guide has the full list.
Do you need a 4x4?
No, for most of the distance. We spent about 98% of the trip in two-wheel drive. The full answer is here.
This post belongs to our Pan-American Highway diary series.