Do you ever get the urge to escape, and be gone for a long time to explore places that haven’t been explored, just escape reality by yourself? Well most people feel like that, they believe that it can be good for them, or most people do so just to have some fun. Now most people’s definition of this is to book a flight to a European country and go hike a mountain or something. And there is nothing wrong with that, but the thing is that it you may not the experience you desired. For most people it could be like that, some people even go backpacking across a whole country, and this is good, but sometimes it can get too tiring. So what can you do? If you want to go on an excursion and be self reliant then the best thing for you to do is try overlanding. Now you may be wondering what is overlanding, well let’s get to that a bit later.
This is a great way for you to try being dependant on only yourself and experience what you wanted to do before. And it can be a lot easier because you don’t have to carry a huge backpack and walk tons and tons of miles. This journey will include a vehicle so no need to tire you feet out and get bunions. Many people haven’t heard what this is, but on the other hand there are so many people that do it almost all the time, and never get tired of it.
What is Overlanding?
For those of you who don’t know what this is, it is a way for someone to go on an adventure and be self-reliant. The whole point of this is to travel to remote destinations, it is not about the destination, but about the journey of it. Overlanding can go on for weeks and months. It is possible to survive if you have the basic necessities and equipment needed to endure the journey. Like I said before you don’t have to carry anything in a backpack anymore. Everything is packed inside of an all terrain vehicle, or a mechanized cable transport, this could be from bikes to trucks.
There are two types of overlanding, the modern overlanding, and commercial overlanding. As time passed by the popularity of it has increased, more people are trying it out now, and are running through some of the most difficult terrains there are. There are internet forums where people can discuss about this and join together to go on trips. There are even companies that are offering tours for these kinds of expeditions. Most of these occur in Europe, Australia, and in Africa. In commercial overlanding it usually takes starts somewhere in Europe and ends in Cape Town, Africa. So a very extensive journey, it can take months, people have to end up camping.
When it comes to this there are modes of overlanding, one way is through rail, there are tons of railways that extend out miles and miles and people find this as an alternative to air travel. There are also roads, it is one of the more popular ones, and there are tons of routes that cross different continents that people are still exploring.
How to get started
So now you’ve learned what is overlanding, and where it can take you, and say this increased your drive to try it then you got to listen up. Overlanding could be a once in a lifetime experience for you. But you can’t just pack bag of clothes and say you’re ready, it takes a lot of planning, and you have to take a number of things into consideration.
This is how you can start, first of all you want to pick a proper vehicle, you want it to be able to withstand and weather condition and geographical locations. Choose something like a larger SUV, or truck that is able to lock differentials, make sure that it has enough engine power to endure any situations. Make sure that it has suspension and undercarriage protection, and high ground clearance, having all of these will be a god send when you are on you adventure. Also you need to bring a lot of things with you, so make sure that it meets storage capacity.
You also need to pack the essentials, you’ll need to bring with you plenty of water and food, and a small camp stove would also be beneficial. Pack sleeping arrangements like a tent, or sleeping bag. You should also invest in a fire extinguisher, because you never know when you’re going to need it. A first aid kit is a must, either make one, or buy one.
Maintaining your vehicle needs to one of your first priorities, because without it you won’t be getting anywhere. You must have a gas can, a jack, a tool set, a recovery kit, a roof rack, and a winch. You must have these with you at all times.
After you are done packing you want to plan your trip with exact details, on where you are going to go, where you’ll camp, and so on. Once all of this is done then the trip can begin.
Why you should go overlanding
There are many reasons why you should try it out, at least once because it’s a great way to meet new people, or connect with your family and friends. You could also become more connected with nature and learn more about it, and learn to appreciate it as well. It is also much easier than backpacking, and you get to see more than you would with backpacking. Furthermore it is something you’ve never done before, so why not try something new right, you can tick it off your bucket list afterwards. It would also out your skills to the test, you can find out how well you can survive on your own. Overall it is just a great way to experience something new.