. . . LAND ROVER OVERLAND EXPEDITION

Panamerican Actual Expenses
(compiled by Jeff Willner)

For this budget I did have the advantage of knowing the terrain and having a budget from the previous trip. It was different from the Around-the-World budget in several ways. Instead of purchasing Carnet insurance (indemnity) we opted to write a cheque to the Canadian Automotive Association as a deposit. This has the advantage that we got the money back at the end of the trip (on my last trip I didn't have enough spare cash to tie it up as a deposit). I also explicitly charged depreciation - though it was at a very low rate (commercial 4x4 rental runs $100-200/day). This was an easier method than having to wrangle with the crew to cover repairs.

This budget understates true expenses because I used a lot of equipment from previous trips including the satellite phone, camping equipment, tools, and emergency first aid kit. I replaced all the tires. Despite having a service check, the Land Rover broke down twice on the trip which caused major inconvenience. Next time I will replace all the rubber before setting off (belts and hoses), even if they look fine.

Shipping to South America for 3 months of driving would have been economical. However, my wife and I got unexpectedly pregnant and had to cut down our trip, there were breakdowns, and the rest of the crew took a 4 week 'vacation' in the middle of their 3 month stint. So we each ended up with 5 weeks of driving - which made this trip expensive. Therein lies the problem with a vehicle-based trip. If the vehicle breaks or you have an accident, you need to have room in the budget.

Originally intended to cost about $6,000 per person, the trip ended up costing my wife and I about $8,000US each.