Destined for Wild on Traveling the Pan-American Highway in a 80-Series Land Cruiser

Overland Journal Podcast host Ashley Giordano talks with Josh and Vanessa of Destined for Wild about completing the Pan-American Highway from British Columbia to Ushuaia in a 1994 80 Series Toyota Land Cruiser with a Camp-Tech pop-top. They explain why they left home for nine months, how they chose and built their vehicle after ruling out a right-hand-drive Delica, and what mattered most: reliability, parts availability, and a simple setup. They recount an early Mexico breakdown where a U-joint failure damaged the drivetrain, how locals helped, and how it shaped their travel mindset. They discuss lessons learned (communication, health, slowing down, packing smarter), reverse culture shock back in Canada, misconceptions about safety, and future plans to rebuild the truck and continue traveling.