Drive Nacho Drive

http://www.drivenachodrive.com

For a slightly different motorsport experience, but very GRM: Brad and Sheena are a young couple who have just set off on an around-the-world trip in their modified Vanagon named Nacho. Brad is an excellent writer and I think everyone here will enjoy what he's done to prepare the truck. I highly recommend reading the blog, the preparation and/or befriending them on the Facebooks.

The water system is mind-bogglingly awesome.

I'm bookmarking this blog, it's pretty cool.

Whelp, I'm going to be useless at work Monday.

Already spent 45 minutes or so checking out the site, liking them on FB, and re-posting to FB for others.

I wonder how much a couple would need to save up for something like that?

Would $50k be enough?

There's one post detailing how they adjusted their spending so they could save the money. I have no idea what it would cost.

ok.. they want to travel around the world.. but they need people to donate money to them to allow them to do it..

alrighty then..

i can see this ending in much the same way that whole "let's travel around the country and build forts and jump down hills and stuff" thing did about 6 months ago. anyone else remember that?

edit: it was called "forts and the in between".. and it was sad in every possible way.. http://fortsandtheinbetween.com/

novaderrik wrote: ok.. they want to travel around the world.. but they need people to donate money to them to allow them to do it.. alrighty then.. i can see this ending in much the same way that whole "let's travel around the country and build forts and jump down hills and stuff" thing did about 6 months ago. anyone else remember that? edit: it was called "forts and the in between".. and it was sad in every possible way.. http://fortsandtheinbetween.com/

I largely agree with you regarding soliciting and accepting donations for things like this... all the way to things like "occupy". I'd rather donate to someone embarking on an adventure though.

Neat trip plans, and great van though.

I dunno, this seems like a pretty well-planned adventure. A little more grounded than the Forts weirdos seem to be. As for the requests for donations, well, it never hurts to ask right? Hey, it helped us get to Newfoundland. I never got the idea they were depending on online donations to make it happen.

You can either throw stones at them for having the temerity to say "if you like the site, you can donate some cash" or you can celebrate what they're doing and enjoy the writing. I know what I'll be doing.

^I'm glad you pointed out about your donations, I was about to bring it up.

That's a good read

As for the donations thing, they seem to have things well planned, but a few extra bucks always helps. There are probably a number of middle aged and older folks who wish they had an adventure like this when they were young, and want to help support it so they can live vicariously. Nothing wrong with that.

Does anyone else see the folly with a wasserboxer in third world countries?

I know someone who cashed in their 401k to buy a house. I'd rather use some of mine on a trip like this...if I was going to cash it in for something.

tpwalsh wrote: Does anyone else see the folly with a wasserboxer in third world countries?

what? that there will be loads of people who know how to rebuild them wherever they go?

I submit: http://www.finalgear.com/shows/topgear/10/4/

mm right water cooled so nevermind all that. But I always take the time to re-watch the batswana special

mmm I wonder if there is a way to get his cabinetry cad so as to not "waste" 6 months recreating them?

Yeah, I've got an interest in those CAD files as well. Even if they are built around his custom water tanks.

I can see how an aircooled van might be preferable from a repair standpoint in the middle of nowhere. Good point.

no hot water in the aircooled though... I was thinking a 1.6 TD might be nice for being able to make fuel out of anything slippery, although it would be way slow :P

tpwalsh wrote: Does anyone else see the folly with a wasserboxer in third world countries?

Yes...

Bad choice.... Or is it a diesel?

Not to belabor the donations point, but here's the gist of what I'm trying to say:

I'd feel pretty silly asking for donations to do something which is all in all, pretty silly and frivolous, globally speaking, when there are hungry people out there needing donations to eat.

I mean, take loans for the adventure, write a book, and I'll buy it (see: crazy Congo adventure by Belgian couple). But asking for donations so you can do a trip that amounts to a vacation from the "real world" while the rest of us sinners toil away breaking rocks , a little tacky if you ask me.

But maybe I'm looking at it wrong- maybe its the modern version of "on the road" except instead of accepting rides and food from strangers, in exchange for a good story or the occasional BJ, you give them the story as you're going, providing vicarious pleasure and pain for those stuck behind their desks or under cars with obligations, who just aren't able to ever convince themselves or their spouses to do such thing.

Me? I'm doing it on my own dime. Looks like a really interesting and cool trip though, and I'd love to buy a subscription to their site to follow along and learn.

Damn! I am envious.

Rog

And if everything goes well, they're creating a new market for upscale Westfalia conversions.

that westy is jammed full of awesome!

Lots of awesome. I badly want to do something like this, though I envision more of a lap around Canada/US...

That's one heck of a Westfalia, that's for sure.

All, Thanks for the encouraging comments about our trip. I hope our blog can remain a source of entertainment for you while we make our way around the world.

It seems a lot of you are really bent out of shape about our donations button, and some of you are under the false impression that we require donations as a source of funding. Judging by the work on our van, wouldn't you expect us to be a little more prepared than that? ;)

We did our research and settled on a reasonable budget based on past travelers of similar routes. Then we increased that budget by about 50% just to be safe. We decided that in case we came back to a bum job market, it would be nice to have a year's living expenses in reserve. That number is the amount of money we saved for our trip. We don't rely on donations at all. Bill Gates doesn't need money either, but he offers a product that makes our lives better, so we pay him anyway. I'm not asking anyone to pay us to do this trip, but I wholeheartedly disagree with the accusation that allowing people to donate to our cause is in some way irresponsible.

Keep it positive, people. I sure will, and I'll keep on trying my hardest to deliver the best quality travel writing that I can, for your own entertainment value.

All the best,

Brad Drive Nacho Drive

I've been following you guys and I really like what you are doing.

Safe Travels!

Good luck. There was a couple here that planned to do the same with a converted tanker tank, years ago. They prepared for just about everything-even had some corporate funding (IIRC) -except the 24/7 togetherness and stress.Ended very badly and divorced. http://gadgetopia.com/post/1941 I hope you fare much better!