If you’ve spent any amount of time watching van life Youtube channels or camper conversion build videos, you’ve probably already connected the dots. Van life isn’t always perfect views and funny conversations while driving. Especially if you are heading to South America like Trent and Allie––and their dog Frank––in the video below.

Bumps and problems on the way such as difficult border crossings or tense encounters with locals are part of the gig. Is driving through Mexico Safe? Which borders are the most difficult to cross? All of these are questions you may ask if you’re considering an overland adventure below the US border.

Van life––moments of fear

Overland adventure is incredible. But it isn’t without it’s moments where you wonder why you are there for just a second. Adrenaline kicks in and travelers find themselves questioning everything. Even when the issues aren’t big picture terrifying, scary experiences like these in the video below definitely shake you up and help you learn on the journey to wherever you are going.

Is Mexico safe?

The first country you drive through on your way from the United States to Argentina is Mexico. There are all sorts of scary stories about border towns and Cartel run-ins. But is driving through Mexico safe? In their van life Youtube channel, Allie and Trent talk about all the fear around crossing that border into Mexico.

One of the most striking points of their comments about Mexico is the fear that surrounds the whole experience. Many of their trusted friends and relatives were telling them not to drive through Mexico. The couple received warnings that they’d get kidnapped or murdered. The fear, it turns out, was far worse than the reality of the experience. At least for Trent and Allie, driving through Mexico proved safer than the warnings portrayed.

Not everyone has a dreamy experience with Mexico. However, for this van life Youtube channel Mexico turned out to be an overall positive experience. It’s the first border they crossed and the first country they drove through. At the time they recorded the video, Allie and Trent are headed through Colombia.

Don’t get your dog stolen!

There are intense moments and border scams they talk about in the video. Plus, there are actually some very scary van life moments that they talk about in the video when people approached their van. In fact, there is even an anecdote from a time when someone tried to break in. But perhaps one of the scariest stories they tell isn’t about cutthroats or whether driving through Mexico is safe.

One story Allie and Trent tell in the video is about a couple that actually stole a puppy from some other travelers they met along the way. Trent and Allie have a Blue Heeler and apparently that’s a breed that is rare down below the border. They had several instances where one or both of them felt very uncomfortable and got a gut feeling that people were trying to steal their dog.

It could be your dog, not your money that gets stolen

At one point, they met another traveling couple who told them about their experience with having a blue heeler puppy stolen from them. Someone just picked up the puppy and threw it in their car and drove off! The takeaway here might be that you have to be smart and not assume you know where the danger is. Also, Trent and Allie are very sincere in the video about the fact that––even though they experienced so unsettling moments on their adventure––the camper van trip overall has been entirely worth it thus far.