Feature: Sarah from The Long Way South — Women Overlanding the World

“Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light.”

— Yogi Bhajan

My fiancé and I have been together since high school and have always wanted to travel together. In 2009, shortly after graduating college, we embarked on our first road trip where we toured the U.S. for six months living in the back of our ’96 Dodge Ram pickup. It was a very simple life and we fell in love with life on the road immediately. In 2012, we decided to take our travels further and drove the same truck with the same set up from Maine, USA to Argentina following the Pan American Highway. We took two years to complete this trip and knew this would be a lifestyle we would need to incorporate in our lives no matter what. Since then, we have had a couple different travel rigs that we take to Baja in the winter. We take four months off each winter and travel across the U.S to Baja and back. Currently, we are in Baja enjoying our new rig- an ’07 Dodge Ram with a Four Wheel Camper!

Who or what inspired you to choose independent vehicle travel as your mode of transportation?

100% my fiancé, Nate. He got me hooked after a backpacking trip to Costa Rica. Once we realized we could drive ourselves to the places we wanted to explore, we were sold! We loved the idea that we could move at our own pace and go to areas that are otherwise less explored by the typical flight travel plans. That, and we adopted a dog, so driving made it so much easier to travel so he could come along too!

Everyone always asks a traveller what their favorite country is. Do you have a favorite country? If not, what is a place that is special to you?

Latin America as a whole is a wonderful place. I love the lifestyle, the people, the food and the fact that the scenery can change in an instant. But I would have to say that Mexico has my heart, through and through.

Travelling has taught me…

Everything! I am such a better person now that I travel. I have learned to go with the flow more (something I am always working on) and to thoroughly enjoy each place I visit. I have realized that you can live on so little. The people down here don’t have much, but are so grateful for what they do have and are some of the most giving people I have met! It has also taught me that there are the most wonderful people out in the world. I have built some of my best friendships with people I have met on the road and consider them my family!

Overlanding sucks sometimes because…

When I first read this, I couldn’t think of anything. What could suck out of something you so desperately want and need out of a lifestyle? But, as I sit here with my sick dog in my lap, I realized one thing… and remembered many other instances from past trips. When one of your tribe is sick or hurt, whether it is your spouse, your child or your dog, it sucks the life right out of you. Being in an unfamiliar place, speaking a second language, navigating your way through a foreign country and meeting new people, all while tending to a medical emergency is very tough. I am still learning to control my anxiety when these things happen so I can take it in stride and figure out the best way to attack the situation. Also, car accidents. Yeah, those suck too! We had a sticky situation in Colombia that I wouldn’t want to experience again.

I am a badass woman because…

Hah! I for sure am not. But I would love to be one! I feel empowered when I am surrounded by women who travel alone, drive these huge rigs through tiny streets and just have an overall badass demeanor. I strive to be like them! That said, I guess I am badass because I put myself out there and do what I want to be doing, even though others (especially people at home) may not understand my life choices.

One of the most common questions we get is about finances. Do you have any tips, tricks or advice on this topic?

Ooohhhh this is a good one I know a whole lot about! I am very strict about our budget. Nate isn’t even allowed to carry any money! I write everything down in a little notebook and tally it up at the end of each month. I figure out where the majority of our money goes and we make adjustments from there. Recently, I started getting fancy and keeping track on a spreadsheet in Numbers that does a whole lot of the configuring for you so I’m really digging that! Other than keeping track meticulously, I would say to always be thinking that you are spending more than you think you are so you surprise yourself at the end rather than disappoint yourself.

How has this experience changed you?

I feel that I am more open to meeting new people, trying new foods and just being myself. It is so empowering to just be you. It took me a long time to figure that out. I used to always be so worried about what people thought of me but now I just act like my goofy self, and it seems to work for me!

What do you think is the biggest challenge for women overlanders? And the biggest advantage?

I think I feel more vulnerable than Nate in a lot of situations. When I go for a run by myself, I always bring one of my dogs. I feel the need to watch my back. I don’t like getting whistled at when I am walking around town alone or out for a jog. It’s also wayyyy more difficult for us to pee in public places than men. As far as an advantage goes, I would say the fact that we are going against the grain as women overlanders. We are teaching others that the new “norm” is women, out on the road, doing everything a man can do… and more!!

What are your favorite overland resources (blogs, books, FB pages, etc.)?

I love reading people’s personal blogs and watching their YouTube channels. It makes it easier for me to live vicariously through people when I am at home, working, planning the next adventure.

What is a simple life hack you’ve discovered while on the road?

I don’t know if it is necessarily a hack, but people always comment on how we don’t have a lot of stuff. When we pack, we have a rule that everything has to have a place. Nothing is more frustrating than constantly organizing your things or picking up messes when things going flying around when you drive on dirt roads. It’s surprising how little you actually need! We also use full sized quick dry bath towels- they don’t smell after using them for days on end and dry super quick so can be stored before you hit the road! Also, dry shampoo- the brand Verb is the best one I’ve found. They make one specifically for dark hair and it actually makes your hair feel clean and smells super good. Oh, and cast iron pan pizza…. As pizza fanatics with no oven in our rig, we had to find a way! And it is so, so good!!

What advice would you give to someone with a dream to travel overland?

This is going to sound cheesy, but just do it. Seriously. Do it. Don’t making excuses. Whether it’s going all out and buying a rig and doing a big trip with your loved one or it’s taking weekend trips to the next state over by yourself or it’s booking an organized trip surrounded by people who have a similar dream. There are so many different ways to approach your dream and maybe you have to complete it in stages or pieces, but if you learn to adapt, it will happen!