Things To Know About the Expedition

About the expedition: Drive Around the World aims to raise money for Parkinson's disease research by taking four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition mile via a pledge form that can be found on the Drive Around the World Web site. Everyone making a pledge of $10 or more toward Parkinson's research will be put in a raffle to win a fully outfitted Land Rover Discovery II identical to those used on the global expedition. One hundred percent of the money pledged goes toward the research efforts of the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, Calif.

The Drive Around the World Web site includes route information, team journals, and an education page for students.

What to read: Drive Around the World is sponsored by Lonely Planet, which publishes the endlessly useful Central America on a Shoestring. Lonely Planet Guatemala, by Conner Gorry, also came in handy. Moon Handbooks also publishes excellent guidebooks to the region, including Moon Handbooks: Guatemala, by Wayne Bernhardson, and Moon Handbooks: Nicaragua, by Josh Berman and Randy Wood. The best individual country guide for El Salvador is On Your Own in El Salvador, by Hank and Bea Weiss. The Footprint Nicaragua Handbook, by Richard Leonardi, also proved helpful during our travels.

Though there are no comprehensive books covering the wildlife areas of Nicaragua, Costa Rica wildlife guidebooks cover many of the species found there. A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica, by F. Gary Stiles and Alexander F. Skutch, and the Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica, by Carrol L. Henderson are useful in identifying Nicaraguan wildlife.

As for travel reportage, Tim Cahill's Road Fever is a classic account of organizing and executing a vehicle-dependent expedition through the Americas.