how long would it take and what route should i take to drive from austin texas to panama city, panama?

Not possible with pets. Each country which you go through has quarantine limitations for domestic pets. These countries have jungles with wonderful native fauna. They cannot risk a disease being introduced into their country that might affect this resource. It is a very dangerous trip to take. In Mexico, you can expect to be stopped from time to time at checkpoints. Some of these are in remote areas, and men with guns ask you to get out of your vehicle and they look all through it. If you have drugs or guns in the vehicle, they will confiscate them. This happened to me in 2001 about eight times from Nuevo Laredo to Mexico and to Tampico then up to Matamoros. When in Guatemala, I was on a bus that was stopped by men with guns who ordered us off the bus and searched it and our backpacks and let us get back on the bus. Very scary. As far as Honduras goes, I've read on a government site that it is dangerous throughout most of that country. Also, if a tropical storm blows through while you are there, there will probably be huge mudslides, many of which can wipe out a road you intended to use. Costa Rica is a nice place to traverse. I'd go to the site that the US government puts up giving CURRENT traveller's advisories for EACH country you are traversing. One time I calculated how long it would take. I think you are looking at four weeks if all went well, no vehicular problems, no legal problems, all your visas and papers in order, etc. Probably six weeks would be more realistic. Beyond Mexico City, you don't see anything resembling an Interstate Highway. You travel on steep mountains with narrow two-lane roads that wind around the sides of the mountains. Once when returning from Acapulco to Mexico City, we were delayed for four hours due to one lane of the road caving off due to a heavy truck and too much wet subsoil beneath the roadbed. Then it was a bit of a fright to drive on the one remaining lane. I wondered if it would cave at any moment. The scenery is beautiful, but the people can be quite dangerous. Many of them are wonderful. Helps if you can speak Spanish, as I am fluent, but still have had to pay off cops to the tune of over $100 in bribes. That is just the way it is south of the border,

tough wager, 12 hours. that's what it took me to get from Leesburg, GA, to Houston. Going by making use of bus, however, approximately 4 situations that long. Took me 4 hours to get to Houston from Bay city, and hour'scontinual by making use of vehicle. Buses are sloooow.