Trouble strikes Ryan Magee, AussieEspanol, on his Tuk Tuk travels

A Brisbane man attempting to become the first person to travel the length of North and South America in a Tuk Tuk has had a major setback in his 55,000km journey.

A Brisbane man who went viral announcing his bid to become the first person to travel the entire length of North and South America in a Tuk Tuk has had a major setback in his 55,000km journey.

Mt Gravatt man Ryan Magee, also known as AussieEspanol, is aiming to be the first person to travel from Argentina to Alaska in a Tuk Tuk.

The 24-year-old was inspired to travel through Latin America after learning Spanish in 2020, while quarantined in a hotel following a trip to Japan.

Ryan Magee is being accompanied by his rescued Doberman Patti on the 55,000km journey. Photo: Ryan Magee

“I fell in love with the culture, the music, the food, all of it, along with the people and the friendliness, I had the urge that I needed to travel (South America),” he said.

While he was initially planning to do the journey on motorbike, his safety gear got held up in customs in Argentina, forcing a rethink.

“I had a friend travelling through Bolivia, and in the back of a photo, there was a Tuk Tuk,” he said.

“At that point, I had no idea that there was Tuk Tuks in Latin America, and I started to do a bit of the research to if it would be possible to do this journey and this route in a Tuk Tuk.

“And it is, so I thought, yeah, I’m just going to go for it.”

Ryan Magee's Tuk Tuk. Photo: Ryan Magee

He announced his grand plan on his Instagram and TikTok pages with the videos going viral, collecting 5.2 million views on Instagram and 6.5 million views on TikTok respectively.

Accompanied by his rescued Doberman Patti, he is expecting the 55,000km journey across 23 countries in his motorised three-wheeled rickshaw, which has a top speed of 65km/h, to take five years.

Ryan Magee's planned route for his Tuk Tuk journey through North America. Photo: Google Maps

Ryan Magee's planned route for his Tuk Tuk journey through Central America. Photo: Google Maps

Ryan Magee's planned route for his Tuk Tuk journey through South America. Photo: Google Maps

After setting off from the southernmost city in the world of Ushuaia, Argentina as a 22-year-old on April 7, 2023, Mr Magee travelled 20,000 kilometres through five countries issue free, until disaster struck while he was travelling with a friend from Brisbane through Japeri, Brazil.

“We very luckily survived being rear ended and then flipped by a truck on the highway while leaving Rio de Janeiro,” Mr Magee said.

“While we surprisingly survived with minor scrapes and bruises, unfortunately Tuk Tuk Torii didn’t. It put a little bit of a spanner in the works, but I’m still very determined to make this happen.”

Ryan Magee after his Tuk Tuk crashed near Japeri, Brazil. Photo: Ryan Magee

Following the crash Mr Magee was forced to leave his damaged Tuk Tuk in a holding yard and has since relocated to Sao Paulo to recoup.

In a bid to continue his journey, Mr Magee has since launched a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to purchase a new Tuk Tuk that he will modify with improved safety features.

Ryan Magee's Tuk Tuk on a trailer after it was hit by a truck in Japeri, Brazil. Photo: Ryan Magee

“If this adventure has any chance of continuing, we’re going to need some help getting back on our feet,” he said.

“This fund is to cover all costs for us to travel to the Tuk Tuk capital of Latin America in Lima, Peru where I will buy and completely modify a Tuk Tuk to be the safest to ever exist.

“It is quite a sketchy vehicle, without airbags, without seatbelt, without doors, so my plan’s to change that.”

Ryan Magee, his rescued Doberman Patt, and his Tuk Tuk. Photo: Ryan Magee

Mr Magee said it had been an incredible adventure up until that point.

“It’s pretty hectic and chaotic, there’s always like something going on in the travel,” he said.

“We drove 20,000 kilometres issue free, we’ve had no robberies, no major scams, which is unfortunately what we hear typically regarding Latin America.

“My goal for the journey is really just to show an unfiltered Australian’s perspective of travelling through the Americas. And I just so happen to be doing it with a Tuk Tuk and a dog, so it’s quite special.

“I have received so much kindness from locals from constantly getting invited into people’s homes to just stay for the night and being fed a meal.”

Ryan Magee is travelling on a Tuk Tuk from the tip of South America to the top of Alaska. Photo: Ryan Magee

Mr Magee said the highlight of his journey so far had been meeting ordinary people.

“It’s not so much the journey as well, it’s the people that make the journey,” he said.

“Very spontaneous encounters can make your whole day.

“It’s a very freeing lifestyle where you kind of don’t know what’s going to happen each day, and while that’s a bit stressful at times, it’s very spontaneous and keeps you on your toes.”