Offroad Adventure Travel has been around a long time. Some call it Expeditions, 4x4, or overland travel. It will bring you to the most remote areas, where you will see amazing landscapes, and may end up sleeping at the locals in distant villages in the countryside. To go offroad, however, you need to have the right equipment, technical knowhow about that equipment, and be prepared for whatever you will find underway.
Ron Douglas is an offroad specialist, gaining experience for a world journey with his family in a 4x4 vehicle. Especially for Adventure Travel Tales and Tips, he wrote this introduction article for offroad adventure travel.
An Introduction to Overlanding
by Ron Douglas
Overlanding, or traveling offroad with a motorized vehicle, dates back to the beginning of car history. The first big overland adventure was the
1908 World Race that was won by American car builder Erwin R. Thomas. His car was named the Thomas Flyer. People have been fascinating with offroad adventure travels ever since.
Getting Started
There are several ways to get started. I would recommend that you buy a 4x4 or motorcycle. Don’t waste your time trying to get a 2wd for these types of adventures; you will end up selling it later and wasting a lot of money in modifications that you can’t get back. If you’re uncertain what kind of vehicle you want to start with, read “
Choosing the Right 4x4”. You will have a good understanding of what is right for you after reading that. Also look online and find a local club of offroaders that can help you with some local offroading. This can really give you a good jumpstart into the Offroad Adventure Travel world.
Modifications
I wouldn’t recommend you start doing all sorts of modifications to your vehicle right off. I have seen several people do this. In the long run they either redo a lot of their early mods or end up with a lot of mods they don’t need. Take your stock vehicle out and see what it does. As your experience offroad increases, you will then find the needs that will make you vehicle go further. You can then start adding
BASIC trip equipment. The more you take trips, the faster you will discover what you need.
Your own Offroad Adventure
There are more and more people going on their own Offroad Adventure Travels. Traveling anywhere from Africa to the Arctic Circle. Travel over
glaciers in Iceland, or mud holes deep in the jungle of South America. Find
Ghost towns in Colorado or explore quiet beaches in Baja. It’s all out there! Getting there can be some of the most amazing memories of the trip. You can learn to push a vehicle beyond its normal capabilities and go further and stay longer! The 4wd community, in general, is amazing and members seem to be always willing to help. One of the best Expedition Forums,
Expedition Portal, is growing and the members there are great! No matter where in the world you are, there will always be a group of Overlanders that are willing to share their experience with you.I hope this small introduction into Offroad Adventure Travel has sparked an interest and helps you become more acquainted with our amazing world of Overlanding!