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The Year We Ruined Our Lives: A Family Road Trip Through Mexico and Central America
Paul and his wife Rebecca had it all. Good jobs, healthy kids, their dream house, and the nagging feeling that the American Dream wasn't all it was cracked up to be. But they were still more than 20 years from retirement so there didn't seem like there was that much they could do about it.
Then one day while drinking rum on the beach, they met a woman who was traveling the world for a year with her two teenage children. That chance encounter planted the seed that maybe Paul and Rebecca could shake things up a bit.
After years of saving and planning, they bought a classic Volkswagen van, took their 12-year old daughter and 9-year old son out of school, packed up their house, and spent a year driving through Mexico and Central America. In The Year We Ruined Our Lives, Paul takes you along for the ride in their 30-year old van as he and his family climb and descend tall mountains to get to some of the hottest places on earth, are relentlessly pounded by the Pacific surf while they practice falling off their surfboards, come face-to-face with a 400-year old mummy, search for waterfalls and other mostly safe places to jump from, make chocolate and sell it to naked people, and begin their never-ending hunt for the best grilled meat.
Yet, despite all their preparation for the family road trip of a lifetime, Paul and Rebecca failed to take into account one important thing. That after having exchanged the daily eat-sleep-work lifestyle for complete freedom with their time and energy, they might not want to go back home.
Part travel memoir, part how-to-guide for planning your own family overland adventure (including tips on outfitting the van, road safety, homeschooling, packing, travel apps, navigation techniques, essential gear, traversing the Panama Canal for free, and crossing borders), The Year We Ruined Our Lives is also fun and thought-provoking, as Paul ponders questions that he never had to consider in his law practice; "Why are sea turtles endangered?" "What to do about homeschooling when your students think you are a bad teacher?" "How often do sloths pee?" "Why does the world's longest road, the Pan-American Highway, often resemble a disused road to nowhere?" and finally, "How will we go back to the lives we left behind?"
Then one day while drinking rum on the beach, they met a woman who was traveling the world for a year with her two teenage children. That chance encounter planted the seed that maybe Paul and Rebecca could shake things up a bit.
After years of saving and planning, they bought a classic Volkswagen van, took their 12-year old daughter and 9-year old son out of school, packed up their house, and spent a year driving through Mexico and Central America. In The Year We Ruined Our Lives, Paul takes you along for the ride in their 30-year old van as he and his family climb and descend tall mountains to get to some of the hottest places on earth, are relentlessly pounded by the Pacific surf while they practice falling off their surfboards, come face-to-face with a 400-year old mummy, search for waterfalls and other mostly safe places to jump from, make chocolate and sell it to naked people, and begin their never-ending hunt for the best grilled meat.
Yet, despite all their preparation for the family road trip of a lifetime, Paul and Rebecca failed to take into account one important thing. That after having exchanged the daily eat-sleep-work lifestyle for complete freedom with their time and energy, they might not want to go back home.
Part travel memoir, part how-to-guide for planning your own family overland adventure (including tips on outfitting the van, road safety, homeschooling, packing, travel apps, navigation techniques, essential gear, traversing the Panama Canal for free, and crossing borders), The Year We Ruined Our Lives is also fun and thought-provoking, as Paul ponders questions that he never had to consider in his law practice; "Why are sea turtles endangered?" "What to do about homeschooling when your students think you are a bad teacher?" "How often do sloths pee?" "Why does the world's longest road, the Pan-American Highway, often resemble a disused road to nowhere?" and finally, "How will we go back to the lives we left behind?"
295 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2022
66 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 24, 2022
So fun to read about this family's adventures, especially during our time of COVID-19 isolation.
Paul's voice really comes through as he describes everything from border crossing, to card playing to how many pieces of underwear are really necessary for a trip like this. Plus bugs, food, beer, and all the people they meet on their travels. Thanks for a great read.
Paul's voice really comes through as he describes everything from border crossing, to card playing to how many pieces of underwear are really necessary for a trip like this. Plus bugs, food, beer, and all the people they meet on their travels. Thanks for a great read.
July 29, 2022
I appreciated the overall conceit of the book - story of a family’s travels in a van through Mexico and Central America for a year. But this isn’t much of a story so much as a laundry list of places visited, borders crossed, things eaten. And this isn’t much the story of a family as the author (mostly) thinly tolerates his 13 year old daughter, hangs out with his 10 year old son and barely mentions his wife except with occasional faint surprise that the one Spanish speaking member of the family who also happens to be an immigration attorney specializing in Central America might be useful. There’s other gripes I have with this book (the author absolutely revels in being so cheap while not making much of how poor the areas they are visiting are) but on the whole this narrative flattens the adventure of being on the road for a year to a recounting of places seen, things done without much in the way of reflection of what any of it means. Maybe that was his point and I missed it but ultimately this one wasn’t for me.
March 5, 2022
This was a fun and addictive book to read! I could not put it down!
Paul Carlino is a talented, witty, laugh out loud writer! It was fun to feel like I was traveling along with them on their year long adventure (yet in the comfort of my own temperature-controlled home!)
This book is great if you are dabbling with the idea of a yearlong travel adventure or you just want to live vicariously through someone else’s yearlong travel adventure (sadly I fall under this category - the heat alone would have made me too grumpy to be around …I would have lasted 12 hours tops!)
The pictures and sketches of their trip and van help you picture just how a family of four could live out of a VW van (aka Wesley) for a year. I think I am going to get eyelashes for my car too!
**I really hope there is going to be a follow-up book on the next step in their lives (don’t want to give away the end!)
Paul Carlino is a talented, witty, laugh out loud writer! It was fun to feel like I was traveling along with them on their year long adventure (yet in the comfort of my own temperature-controlled home!)
This book is great if you are dabbling with the idea of a yearlong travel adventure or you just want to live vicariously through someone else’s yearlong travel adventure (sadly I fall under this category - the heat alone would have made me too grumpy to be around …I would have lasted 12 hours tops!)
The pictures and sketches of their trip and van help you picture just how a family of four could live out of a VW van (aka Wesley) for a year. I think I am going to get eyelashes for my car too!
**I really hope there is going to be a follow-up book on the next step in their lives (don’t want to give away the end!)
April 10, 2022
An inspirational and engaging travel story by an intrepid family
This was an inspiring and amusing travel diary of a family who packed up everything and travelled south in a campervan. What I liked about this book was the honesty etched on every page. So many stories like this tend to skirt over the reality of travel with two kids in tow. This was a refreshing ‘warts and all’ account full of description, local customs, villages, food and people.
The family volunteered as they travelled and tried to find the reality of life behind their chosen destinations. It also inspired them to change their whole approach to life too.
The book has lots of tips and information for anyone thinking of setting off on a similar adventure, but even if you are just an armchair traveller, you can be inspired by this intrepid family’s story.
This was an inspiring and amusing travel diary of a family who packed up everything and travelled south in a campervan. What I liked about this book was the honesty etched on every page. So many stories like this tend to skirt over the reality of travel with two kids in tow. This was a refreshing ‘warts and all’ account full of description, local customs, villages, food and people.
The family volunteered as they travelled and tried to find the reality of life behind their chosen destinations. It also inspired them to change their whole approach to life too.
The book has lots of tips and information for anyone thinking of setting off on a similar adventure, but even if you are just an armchair traveller, you can be inspired by this intrepid family’s story.
March 13, 2022
I so enjoyed this book of a family taking a risk and going on an adventure! When I read this book it is like I’m hanging out with the author and having a discussion, a laugh, and a beer. Their adventures are fascinating. And I love how he added helpful tidbits about traveling through Central America. You don’t have to be rich to travel! Just be a good planner, research, save some money, and be resourceful.
December 27, 2022
It was not as entertaining from a voyeuristic standpoint as other family GAP trip books. It might have valuable info if you are planning on driving through central America, but then again, it might be out-dated.
September 21, 2025
Truly Inspiring
Love that this family pursued their dream. I'm sure many of their friends and family thought they couldn't, or shouldn't do it, but they did it!!!
What an experience! YOLO!
Many funny stories of traveling with preteens.
Love that this family pursued their dream. I'm sure many of their friends and family thought they couldn't, or shouldn't do it, but they did it!!!
What an experience! YOLO!
Many funny stories of traveling with preteens.
March 21, 2023
I really loved this, and read it very quickly. I attribute part of that to the fact that I picked up this book at a time when Im dreaming of a different kind of life, fantasizing about full-time travel, and getting quite excited about our upcoming trip to Mexico.
So I went into this book already super excited about the premise of the story -- a family of four sell everything, quit their comfortable predictable American lives, and go overlanding in a camper van for a year, driving from Virginia to South America. SIGN ME UP.
Based on the last medicore travelogue I read, I went in fully expecting some subpar writing, very blog-esque chapters, and not much insight but was hoping for some practical advice or actionable tips.
However, this book surprised me and was well-written! It made me laugh a lot, smile most of the time, and kept me turning the pages because I wanted to know where they ended up next and what wild adventure they'd end up on! It was also jam packed with practical details and explanations for why they did things the way they did, so even if you wanted to follow in their footsteps, you could feel empowered to do it in your own way, taking what they learned and iterating on it.
Is it a chronological travelogue of their journey? Yes. Can it feel a bit episodic at times? Sure, but any road trip story does. But, different from the last travelogue I read, there were certainly narrative and thematic threads tying the story together. Reocurring characters and subplots even! And while there isnt like a big character arc for any of the people in the story, the family DOES go through changes, some more significant than others, and the ending might end up a wee bit different than expected (or does it? I mean, I wasnt surprised, haha!)
A negative review I read before reading said it wasn't funny and that the author didnt mention his family members at all.... so I wonder if we read the same book, ha! It was QUITE funny -- though a lot of his humor is dry or sarcastic, so maybe it just isnt some people's jams... but I loved it. He also talks about his family.... all the time. It's a story about.... the family. LOL. But yes he definitely focuses on how he felt and thought given that he's writing a travel memoir from a first person perspective.
I admit I skimmed a few bits -- specifically the nitty gritty details of each border crossing; some were interesting, but others, I just didn't care that much -- but for the most part, I had a hard time putting this book down!
So I went into this book already super excited about the premise of the story -- a family of four sell everything, quit their comfortable predictable American lives, and go overlanding in a camper van for a year, driving from Virginia to South America. SIGN ME UP.
Based on the last medicore travelogue I read, I went in fully expecting some subpar writing, very blog-esque chapters, and not much insight but was hoping for some practical advice or actionable tips.
However, this book surprised me and was well-written! It made me laugh a lot, smile most of the time, and kept me turning the pages because I wanted to know where they ended up next and what wild adventure they'd end up on! It was also jam packed with practical details and explanations for why they did things the way they did, so even if you wanted to follow in their footsteps, you could feel empowered to do it in your own way, taking what they learned and iterating on it.
Is it a chronological travelogue of their journey? Yes. Can it feel a bit episodic at times? Sure, but any road trip story does. But, different from the last travelogue I read, there were certainly narrative and thematic threads tying the story together. Reocurring characters and subplots even! And while there isnt like a big character arc for any of the people in the story, the family DOES go through changes, some more significant than others, and the ending might end up a wee bit different than expected (or does it? I mean, I wasnt surprised, haha!)
A negative review I read before reading said it wasn't funny and that the author didnt mention his family members at all.... so I wonder if we read the same book, ha! It was QUITE funny -- though a lot of his humor is dry or sarcastic, so maybe it just isnt some people's jams... but I loved it. He also talks about his family.... all the time. It's a story about.... the family. LOL. But yes he definitely focuses on how he felt and thought given that he's writing a travel memoir from a first person perspective.
I admit I skimmed a few bits -- specifically the nitty gritty details of each border crossing; some were interesting, but others, I just didn't care that much -- but for the most part, I had a hard time putting this book down!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews