The Journey

Anybody contemplating an overland journey like the ones described here, really should think long and hard why they want to do it before even considering how on Earth they will pay for it. However, once you've made up your mind, you won't be swayed from what will be one of the best experiences of your lifetime.

Its a little like waking up, peeling of the drab and humdrum adult workaday existence and entering a new and vibrant world where everything is somehow different and more complex, and yet...nothing is really new, its been there all of the time. Time, that's the difference, ten years - maybe twenty years worth of holidays and experiences all rolled into one, time to travel and appreciate new surroundings. Time to meet new people, to learn about their lives and their world and to see that for all our differences, we really are alike.

Time to really live, not just a few stolen days from the relentless drive to make someone else richer, or an attempt to amass a personal fortune, or to support a bloated but never satisfied state megalithic...stop!

Think of the hamster, running relentlessly around the wheel but getting no further; if only he could stop and look around...he would perhaps see that not only does he not have to carry on running but the cage door has been open all this time and there is a whole wide world (or living room) out there waiting to be explored.

 The Useful Information

This page (together with the links page) will be full of lists of spares, documents, tools, contacts, etc. But I haven't had time to write them up yet! If you need some hints there are plenty of lists on the web, read these for a start but develop your own list based on destinations, personal needs/wants, mode of transport and any other parameters that are important to you. In the mean time:

Life is short and it isn't a dress rehersal

Don't plan too far ahead because it will hinder flexibility

Hope for the Best but plan for the Worst

Overall Mileage and Fuel Economy

Trip Cost Summary

Vehicle Costs

Shipping Costs

General Costs

Flights and Excursions

Consider a round the world (RTW) ticket if you know your route before you go and you have a number of shipping sectors between islands or continents, it can often be considerably cheaper than individual tickets.

 The Not So Useful Information

You can do all the research in the World and you can listen to and read endless amounts of data and opinion but you won't know for sure until you've heard/seen/done it yourself. And then, that will be your experience of how it is or was; the day before or the day after it could well have been different, there are no absolutes. However, having said that, the best information that you'll get is often from the travellers you meet on the road coming the other way.

BTW, be careful when visiting "overland specialists" or exhibitions and shows; there will be lots of shiny stuff to buy and they will try to sell you lots of non-essential "must haves" that'll cost you a fortune, stay packed up in the vehicle and put you over your vehicle's GVW. An outdoor pot-bellied stove with water boiler springs to mind!

Its probably raining in the UK