How long would it take me to drive from New Jersey to Panama ?

Question

I am planning to drive thru central america, and would like to know how long it would take if let's say I drive at least 14 hours daily. Any other tip anyone may have about the subject, will be grately apreciated!

Answer 1

Too long.

Seriously, it will take you longer than you planned, although I'm sure it will be an interesting drive. Just be prepared.

Answer 2

It will take you about a week..But I would not dod it, because there are some areas, between Nicaragua and el Salvador that still have some military resistance groups that MOST likely will give you trouble....

Answer 3

You're sure to end up in a disaster. Going that distance in car can only result in health issues, car problems, gas expenses, food expenses, and you have to rent a room sometime to shower some even if you do sleep in the car.

It would take days straight worth of driving, dividing that up by 14. There's no way. You'd have to buy a new car in order to get there, and then possible replace it in order to get back. You'd also get sick if you've never driven huge distances before. Even a truck driver couldn't last that drive, and they drive long distances all the time.

Realistically, you'd get part of the way and be forced to turn back. And it's not like you can just Map Quest it and find an exact way to get there. You'll more than likely waste time and money just getting out of Mexico.

But if you do decide to do it. You should try to video document it. At least you have a chance of selling a good quality cross-country road trip documentary to a network or production company.

And do yourself a favor and don't rely on Yahoo! Answers for help on this one. Talk with a travel agency that can tell you the best and most efficient way to get there.

And hopefully your polylingo.

Answer 4

Too long. Just hop on a plane,it's safer.I'm not trying to be sarcastic but it get dangerous in Mexico and Guatemala. I know people who've driven to Guatemala from here (RI) and it takes 2 weeks.

Answer 5

I made a round trip to Panama in 2004 from near Atlanta Georgia. The whole (roundtrip) was 32 days, but involved some sightseeing, total 10k miles. For most of it I was driving solo.

I would say it took me about 10 days of actual driving to get to the canal. With no sightseeing or problems at all it could be done in 8 but what would be the point of that. Plan for some repairs. The bumpy roads tend to wear on vehicles. I replaced my breaks in Costa Rica and clutch in Honduras. THe first repair took most of a day and the second nearly 2 days to obtain the parts and make the repairs. I doubt I would have needed either repair for another year or two in normal US driving.

I strongly advise against driving after dark on secondary roads in mexico and ALL roads further south. There are just too many common road hazards. Potholes, animals, children, police and random other road hazards are everywhere. Fatigue also will make you miss turns or Hotels.

Military/Police checkpoints are also common and it is very hard to see a man wering camo in the dark. They dont like it when you have to slam on the breaks when you suddenly see them. They can add some time to driving, sometimes as many as 10 checkpoints for documents may be passed in a single day, about 1 in 5 times they do a complete vehicle search so don't cary anything illeagal it will probably be found.

My rule of thumb is a hard day of driving in the US is 800-1000 miles, Mexico is about 600-700 on freeways, any of the further south countries, or secondary Mexican roads 400-500 is a hard 12 hour driving day.

In adition expect to spend 1-4 hours for each border crossing to do paperwork. Honduras-El Salvador was the worst.

A GPS is a great help, road signs are often absent and it is easy to go in entirely the wrong direction by mistake. Dont beliveve the maps, often a road indicated as paved may never have been paved.

Hotels are common and cheap, but some would be unacceptable to a homeless crack w***e. Others are quite good. "Motels" are aparently for upperclass locals to have affairs in. They are placed 30-60 minutes drive from all the major cites, they conceal your car in a covered garage to make sure the wife does not find out. They are clean but their purpose is obvious.