We met on Tinder & quit our jobs for ‘dream’ road trip – then blew £20k in just 6 weeks..it all went downhill from there
A COUPLE who met on Tinder quit their jobs for a “dream” road trip but blew half their savings in just six weeks.
Matt Saunders, 27, and Rachel Kelly, 25, met four years ago after swiping right for each other on Tinder.
Since then, the two “best friends” have been saving up for their joint dream; to drive from Alaska to Argentina.
The couple, who were living in Clapham, South London, saved £40,000 between them, with Matt saving independently one year prior.
They’ve since quit their jobs and so far have faced not only “insane” wildlife but Mexican cartels too.
Earlier in June, before they embarked on the trip, Matt and Rachel had a truck and camper ready and waiting for them.
However, the camper went and broke and the truck started having issues.
This resulted in Matt and Rachel blowing more than half of their savings on a new transmission and camper within the first six weeks.
After crossing several “fake checkpoints”, organised by cartels, the couple finally crossed the Mexican border on October 10.
Matt said: “On the way through, there were probably about four or five checkpoints and we’ve been warned that some are not official checkpoints, they’re basically the cartel dressed up as policemen.”
They even spent one night sleeping in the car park of a Home Depot in their 1997 Dodge Ram and Northland camper after being warned not to drive after dark.
Their next mission is to cross the Darien Gap, an impassable jungle on the Colombia-Panama border notorious for criminals.
Although their funds have depleted, their determination hasn’t.
Rachel said: “I’m getting to Argentina even if it leaves zero pounds in my bank account.
“We know we want to make it regardless of what happens, even if we’re not doing all the things we thought we were going to be able to do.”
To better support themselves, the couple have set up a Go Fund Me that’s attracted over 80,000 followers.
Matt added: “It was a bit scary for us leaving London, especially as it has taken so long to plan and save.
“You’ve got to seize the moment and just go out and do it.”
Previously, Matt was working as a quantity surveyor and Rachel had a job with a sales company.
They shared a three-bed flat with three others before giving it up for a lifelong dream.
A series of unfortunate events
Matt said: “The plan was to take a year off to do the trip and it was the best way for us to tick off all the places we wanted to see in one go.”
Once they’d saved £40,000 and quit their jobs, they flew to Canada and stayed with Matt’s brother, Tom who lives in Canmore, Alberta.
Tom also set them up with the truck and camper.
Matt explained: “We spent a lot of money on the camper, around £2,500, doing it up and making sure it was good to go, and we had loads of checks done on the truck.”
On June 20, the couple left for Tuktoyaktuk, North Canada.
Then, disaster struck. While they were travelling south through Dawson City in Yukon, their camper gave up the ghost.
In fact, it was a complete right off as the roof gave way.
But this was only the beginning of Matt and Rachel’s series of unfortunate events as next, the truck blew up in Valdez.
Matt explained: “Our transmission blew up on the garage floor.
“It was in the middle of nowhere, it’s quite a small little town and it’s only got one mechanic.”
The couple had to dish out 7,000 dollars (£5,390) to fix their transmission, which took three weeks to complete.
Matt continued: “Most people there just run their car into the ground so we had to pay to get it fixed.
“Fortunately our mechanic was very kind and he gave us his spare house to live in and gave us a spare car.”
The new camper also cost them £5,000.
Matt said: “We’ve been saving for five years and spent half our budget in the first six weeks, which wasn’t ideal.
“We spent £15,000 in one month and we had a budget of £3,000 a month it was definitely a kick in the teeth.”
Rachel added: “We were planning on having all these fun experiences, like scuba diving, learning how to surf, but we just can’t afford that anymore.”
Luckily, their GoFundMe page has earned them £1,300 so far.
Rachel said: “We were in such a situation where people were asking us how they could donate money to help and the only thing we could think of was GoFundMe,”
Despite the disasters, the couple have had an “amazing” journey so far.
They’ve spent three months exploring 10 US states, such as Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, California and Utah, hiking through 17 national parks along the way.
Rachel said: “It’s so beautiful, one minute you’re in a desert, half an hour later you’re in the mountains, then you’re by the sea.
“Meeting all the people is amazing and the wildlife has been insane as well.”
Matt added: “I wanted to do a few dangerous hikes so we did Half Dome in Yosemite, Angels Landing in Zion National Park and I went down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.”
What’s next?
The journey ahead of the couple looks both costly and treacherous.
They must navigate around the Darien Gap via a boat, a jungle at the Colombia-Panama border which is impossible to pass through due to treacherous terrain and gang violence.
Plus, pay up a 7,000 US dollar (£5,390) charge before they reach Argentina.
Rachel said: “It’s when you’re out of your comfort zone where you learn the most about the world and the people in it.
“You don’t learn that sitting at a desk in London.”
To follow Matt and Rachel on social media, visit their Instagram here: instagram.com/ramonthepanam/?locale
To find out more, visit their fundraising page here: gofundme.com/f/msu65-help-us-get-to-argentina