Driving the Pan-American Highway to Mexico and Central America [Paperback]

Raymond E. Pritchard (Author), Audrey Pritchard (Author), Chris Howard (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

The purpose of this guidebook is to assist those wishing to drive through Mexico and into Central America. The United States was a sleeping giant in the 19th century. The railroads that were built across the country were instrumental in its development. Mexico and Central America are being awakened from their slumber by the building of the Pan American Highway.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A 'must' guide for anyone thinking of driving through Mexico to Central America." -- Costa Rica Today Newspaper

From the Author

In the future travel, ecotourism and trade agreements will stride hand in hand with industry to create exciting and explosive new growth in this part of the world. This will lead to the development of new tourist meccas for vacationing North Americans and others Furthermore, the present economy is forcing many retirees and senior citizens, who live on fixed incomes, to seek more affordable housing and life-styles south of the border. Just like the birds facing the coming winter, they will turn to the South in ever greater numbers.

The massive numbers of automobiles in Mexico and the Central American countries assures proper road maintenance and an abundance of modern service stations. Many of these new stations are being equipped with stateside Circle K-type mini-marts and provide complete car care.

The past history of the ancient Aztec and Mayan civilizations are here for us to rediscover. However, the greatest discovery we have in store, are the lovely and fascinating peoples of these countries.

With these things in mind, we have created this annual guidebook as an aid, so you can step out without fear, and enjoy the beauty of this historical part of our hemisphere.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Costa Rica Books; 6 edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881233480
• ISBN-13: 978-1881233480
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,024,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars better, more accurate info available on the Internet, April 25, 2006

By 

M. Barreto (DPO, AE United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Driving the Pan-American Highway to Mexico and Central America (Paperback)

I did a lot of research on our trip. We live in Honduras and are driving to the US over a three week period as we leave the area for good, so ordered the book. I was already very versed in the trip from countless stories on the Internet, and from exploring Central America over the last three years, so found the book simple, badly written, and not very helpful at all. I suggest that instead of spending your money on this book, you do research on the Internet and you will get much better information for free.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Outdated, August 20, 2005

By 

John E. Halkyard "Author: 99 Days to Panama" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Driving the Pan-American Highway to Mexico and Central America (Paperback)

We bought this book before our RV trip in 2003 which eventually resulted in our own book, "99 Days to Panama" (www.99DaystoPanama.com). We found the info mildly useful but not accurate, e.g. Hotel Guanacoste Travel Lodge in Liberia, Costa Rica, hardly has a "trailer park". We recently bought the 6th edition of "Christopher Howard's" version with a new cover but it is exactly the same as the 6th edition of Pritchards book we bought three years ago.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Really Enjoyed This Guide, March 25, 2003

By 

Phil Baker (David, Panama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Driving the Pan-American Highway to Mexico and Central America (Paperback)

I've made the trip from the U.S. to Panama by car four times. Each trip has been different and a real adventure. Although this guide should be updated it contains some good tips and many anecdotes. One of the best parts is where others share their experiences while making the journey. I also liked all of the essential Spanish vocabulary the book contains to help non-Spanish speakers in case they get in a jam. The part about border crossings is also helpful. They can be a real drag and very frustrating. This book helps prepare people for them.
I really wish the publisher would come out with a newer edition. I'plan to contact them and see if they'll let me share my experieces in the next edition. In short, if you plan to make the trip to any Central American country this book can help you.