1st exped

Hi Guys

thinking about going on an exped in August 2010 (her in doors is a teacher) where do I start?

The vehicle can be sorted once its booked (although because I enjoy off roading, I'm sure im partially there)
The destination doesn't matter too much, I've never been off the beaten track abroad so it would be an adventure.
is a tour company any good? #
are there people that are already going and would mind my 90 tagging along?

as I said above where do I start? Thanks!

You could start by deciding where you want to go! I would however not recommend north Africa in August. It will be too hot to be enjoyable. Maybe a Northern country? how long do you have? Maybe Norway/Finland? 4-6weeks will make a good trip.

You dont need any specific equipment, depends if you want to camp or stay in a B&B etc. All the overland kit just makes things more comforatable for those who have not been in the forces and dont want to live off 1L of water a week and sleep in a bivibag for 2 months

Tour companies have thier place, If your worried about travelling alone, prefer to be in a group, prefer someone else to do the hard work etc. then its worth thinking about. Not my thing really, we stop where we want when we want and all the planning is carried out months before hand. Our Alps trip this year was already being planned on the ferry back from Morocco last year!

Just make sure your vehicle is up to standard, is loaded evenly and not overloaded. Just be prepared.

G

Wise words there in my opinion. A start would to know how long you want to go for and what sort of terrain/climate/scenery you like and what your idea of fun is.

Planned tours...hmmm...not for me!

thanks both! where and how did you both start?

Dont know really.

Decided that breaking defenders at pay and play sites was not for me and I much prefered getting away green laning and camping. Coupled with the fact I love travelling (never done it in a car though) decided that my n/a 90 was not the best base vehicle for dependable overland use. So I set about selling that whilst also telling the girlfriend that next year we would drive to Morocco in a Landy. Did a lot of reading, Found my 300 in May, modified up until we went and did that trip in October.

Chose Morocco because I had never driven abroad before, only had my license 3 years (at the time) and we were going as a solo vehicle. Morocco also had a lot of info surrounding it, easy to navigate, a good intro to Africa (not been before) and is cheaper less hassle than other countries (no Carnet). We also only had 4weeks for the trip which ruled out places further south.

This year required a shorter period holiday and also a cheaper excursion so we chose the Alps. Info is hard to find, but talk to the right people and you can find out a lot. Cheap ferry, campsites in most towns, will be wild camping a far bit to.

different stokes for different folks, plenty of variables, just be prepared.

G