Vanlife in South America: Travelers' Experiences

A family from Argentina sold their business to live in a converted bus and embark on a journey honoring Diego Maradona. They purchased a model 60 bus in 2021 and plan to travel to Naples, Italy. The family funds the trip by selling souvenirs and doing odd jobs.

Starting in 2026, Argentina will require a Category C1 driver's license to operate many motorhomes and travel trailers. The new regulations remove vehicles over 3500 kg and trailers over 750 kg from the B1 and B2 license categories. The industry association FATCRA argues this will paralyze the sector, as most motorhomes built on van chassis exceed the weight limit.

Argentine Gustavo Peña is raffling off his motorhome, a converted 1970 Renault 4 van. Over four years, it traveled approximately 30,000 km across Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. The raffle will be held on April 16, with a minimum entry fee of 10,000 Argentine pesos.

A man was detained while attempting to steal from a parked motorhome in El Bolsón. The incident occurred at 8:30 PM on Tuesday on Rivadavia Street, where the 26-year-old intruder entered the vehicle. During the arrest, he resisted and caused physical injuries to a woman. Stolen items, including a TV and electronics, were recovered and returned to the owners.

The Belgian Van Reempts family faced a major setback during their trip to Argentina in a motorhome. A persistent error appeared in mid-February, which several local workshops, including Bosch specialists, failed to fix. The vehicle now operates with limited power, and the nearest MAN-recommended workshop is 867 km away.

Mercedes-Benz's Argentine representative, Prestige, has started manufacturing motorhomes based on the Sprinter and electric bicycles at its plant in Virrey del Pino. The motorhome production is part of a strategy to diversify and utilize the plant's capacity. The company's president also noted record Sprinter sales in January and plans to export the model to the United States.