Your Drifters are Fiona and Jerry, a couple of long term travelers who’ve been together for over 20 years and plan on staying on the road for as long as possible. From 2013 through 2014 we hitchhiked and backpacked from Portland, Maine to the Panama Canal and back again. We’re currently travelling long term, having been on the road from 2017 right up to today.

Our Route: 2013-2014

_____ Route South,   _____ Route North,   _____ Water Route,   _____ “El Chepe”, Copper Canyon Railway

Where We’re From

  • Fiona is from Dublin, Ireland
  • Jerry is from Sharon, Pennsylvania

Watch Our Video!

Travel Style

After living in Portland, Maine for 14 years we decided it was time to do what makes us happy –  travel! We are not flashpackers, luxury travellers nor influencers – not on our budget or with our wardrobe! Instead we travel by the simplest and cheapest means possible. Our budget dictates our travel style.

Woman in green T shirt leading man by the hand to washing machines in a laundromat.

  • Long Term: Currently travelling slowly for over three years with no end in sight.
  • Budget: Everyone has a budget but ours is quite meagre. We’re self-confessed skinflints sticking to a budget of $15 USD each per day.
  • Independent: We make our own schedule, and our own mistakes!
  • Aimless: We’re not much for planning and we like to get off the beaten path as much as possible.
  • Van Life: We have driven the length of the Baja Peninsula twice over the last couple of years.
  • Housesitting – Affords us the opportunity to save money on accommodation and hang out with cute wee critters.

Our Budget

Our budget is $15 each per day. How do we do it?

  • Hitchhike – This saves us money and offers never a dull moment.
  • Public Transport – Forget expensive tourist shuttles and give us a packed, dirty bus any day.
  • Walking – Is there any better way to actually see the world around you than walking through it?
  • Street Food – We’ll eat just about anything (cheap), anywhere (cheap).
  • Housesitting: We can live rent free while taking care of someone’s house and their pets.
  • Cheap Local Hotels: These are much cheaper than hostels and much more authentic.

Six Things You Should Know About Fiona

  • She can’t swim!
  • She is deathly afraid of birds and feathers.
  • Her favourite job was working as an elf in Santa’s grotto for two Christmases in Dublin.
  • She’s been barred from a pub in Dublin along with Santa, the other elves and some Gardaí (police) due to post-Christmas celebrations.
  • She can divine (dowse) for water – but cannot swim!
  • She saw Tom Jones live in Las Vegas whilst sitting next to Joe Perry from Aerosmith – a bit of a highlight in her life!

Six Things You Should Know About Jerry

  • He is allergic to sesame seeds and cashew nuts.
  • He knows someone who was shushed by Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing on Dallas).
  • GWAR bought him a taco salad at a Taco Bell in Cleveland, Ohio.
  • Jerry was interviewed on Good Morning America.
  • He’s had the same wallet for over 25 years.
  • He once fasted for 14 days on a dare.

Our Travel Highlights

  • A 16 hour ferry ride from La Paz to Mazatlan with Mexico’s biggest Air Supply fan.
  • We stayed in a castle in Paggese, Marche, Italy
  • We bumped into a fellow KEXP 90.3 FM fan in Tuxtla Gutierrez at the Mexican Independence Day Festivities. He saw Fiona’s KEXP T-shirt.
  • Indulging in a hammam in Patras, Greece.
  • Attending Carnival in Venice (Fiona).
  • Having our own tandem kayak to paddle about whenever we wanted on Bahía Concepción.
  • Hitchhiking for a year and encountering so much kindness.
  • Getting a lift from the police whilst hitchhiking in El Salvador.

Comments are closed.