Driving across south america Bianca and her dog zeus

On The Road Feature: Driving across South America with Bianca and her dog Zeus

Driving across South America as a new driver is no small feat—but doing it while working remotely with your dog Zeus? That’s next-level adventure. Bianca and I have been Instagram friends for a few years, and when I saw her sharing about her driving lessons in preparation for this journey, my first thought was: “Surely not.” Then: “she is crazy—but in the best possible way.”

I kept following her updates throughout the trip, amazed by the ups and downs of her adventure. This journey took place in 2024, but I know I needed to share her story with the Digital Nomad community. Today, Bianca is living in China with Zeus, hosting group trips across China and Colombia.

Hey Bianca, tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m Bianca (duh), and I’m a mostly solo female traveler from NYC. I dabble in a little bit of everything from digital media to copywriting to modelling, but at the moment I’m working remotely as an ESL (English as a second language) teacher to students in China. I also have a dog named Zeus, who I found in China and am now traveling with!

How did you get into travel and what sparked the travel bug?

Actually I had absolutely no desire to travel except to Dominica (where most of my family is from) and was content to stay in the U.S. for my entire life because I was convinced it was the greatest country in the world 😂

Luckily for me, I went to Boston University where they actually really pushed students to study abroad and were constantly advertising their 200+ study abroad programs. Pretty much everybody I knew studied abroad at least one semester (usually in the third year), and peer pressure combined with not wanting to be on campus with all of my friends in different countries led to me making the decision to study abroad in Milan, Italy. There was an added bonus of it actually being cheaper for me to study abroad than domestically so I was stoked!

Fast forward to my short 3 months in Italy and I was completely blown away by how so many little things about life were different and while it wasn’t necessarily better than home (I actually hated Milan…) it completely changed my perspective and made me want to see more of the world. Being in Europe also taught me the wonders of Ryanair and I got to see a total of 7 countries in my time studying abroad so I was itching to see more by the time I returned home.

I have been following you for a while and I was both Shocked and Inspired when I saw you were driving across Latin America with your dog Zeus! where did this idea come from? 

I got stuck in China during covid for around 3 years and while it was generally a good time (surprising, I know), there was one period in 2022, aka the Shanghai lockdown, where I realized I needed to make an exit plan and figure out what I wanted to do next. I decided that I wanted to visit every country in the world, but wanted to make my next venture one where I could visit multiple countries in one go. I had already seen a lot of Asia, so my next options were South America or Africa. I landed on South America mainly because of budgeting.

As for driving, I thought about all the ways I could have done this, and if I didn’t have Zeus I probably would have opted for taking buses around like a sane person. However, I didn’t have anywhere to keep him and definitely wasn’t going to rehome him, so I figured that I needed to learn how to drive, got my license, and set off on this adventure. Now I’m driving through South America with a dog!

As for how it’s going…it’s going…

The journey has been beyond chaotic to say the least but I’ve been able to see so many incredible places, try out amazing food, and meet the most genuine people! I can’t read his mind, but Zeus also seems to be having a good time and definitely enjoying all the new foods!

What has been one of your most memorable moments during your Latin America trip?

I think the most memorable moment for me was crossing my very first border from Chile into Argentina and realizing I was doing this for real. The Andes mountains were in the backdrop and I just pulled over and ran around with Zeus for a while. I had no idea what was in store for me over the next few months, but I couldn’t wait!

Life on the road sounds dreamy, but it’s not without its challenges. What’s been your biggest hurdle, and how did you overcome it?

Hahaha I would have had a completely different answer two weeks ago but this week I had my biggest challenge by FAR – it completely blew any problem I’ve had out of the water.

I’m currently driving through Guyana and unlike any of the other countries I’ve been to so far, Guyana doesn’t really have any small towns that you pass along the way from one city to another. I was on my way to an Amerindian lodge and after about 2 hours of driving I got not one, but TWO flat tires in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing but a dirt road ahead.

Luckily someone on a motorbike told me there happened to be a shop up ahead so I drove on the flat tires for about 20 minutes (thus completely shredding them and damaging my rims in the process) about to get there. I was still 2 and a half hours out from the lodge and while someone helped me replace one of the wheels with my spare ad told me there was a tire shop 25km away, I had no way to get there and I wasn’t sure I had enough cash to get a replacement tire anyway.

In the end I made the decision to go back to Lethem, but because I teach in the mornings, I missed the only bus there and had to hitchhike. The only vehicle that stopped for me was a big rig truck that didn’t have enough space so I had to sit on a metal tray and hang on for dear life as we hurtled through the bumpy dirt road for 2 hours – my back is still messed up.

Replacing my tire wound up being more complicated than I thought because I have a Ford which uses 5-hole rims and my rim had a crack in it. Fords aren’t a common brand in Guyana and all the cars here use 6-hole rims so I needed to find a welder to help me. Without going into tooooo much boring detail, I had problem after problem and wound up staying 3 days in Lethem before I could finally get my tires sorted!

Even though all this put me way behind schedule, I like to think that I just wasn’t meant to be on the original schedule for a reason – kind of like those people who are upset they missed their flight only to learn later that the plane crashed! Who knows what would have happened if I had gotten where I wanted to be 3 days earlier?

For anyone dreaming of a nomadic lifestyle, what’s your number one piece of advice?

Do your research and make sure you are ALWAYS aware of the wifi situation if you’re working remotely! Some countries are notorious for having terrible internet, and it’s better to know ahead of time so you can be prepared.

Where do you think everyone should add to their travel bucket list? Any hidden gems you’ve discovered?

Peru! Literally the whole country. The food is unreal and there is so much to see and do, you could go a hundred times and still need to come back. My personal favourite was the 7 Lakes of Ausangate (7 Lagunas de Ausangate). It’s an alternative trek to the famous Lake Humantay that’s slightly easier (still not easy in my opinion), but instead of one beautiful lake, you get 6 absolutely stunning ones! (one was kinda lackluster).

Where can people find you?

I can be found on instagram @queenb_travels and, more sporadically, on tiktok @queenbtravels!