Smartphone Apps for Overlanding

Just about every overlander planning a trip has the use of a smartphone, a tablet or a multimedia device like an iPod Touch.  The usefulness of the device does often depend on an internet connection and with data plans available in every country, it is worth taking a phone along that is unlocked and open to any GSM network.

Having a useful app on the phone makes it even more worthwhile...  here are a few that I use and have found useful - Road Trip, TapaTalk, Offline Maps and the generic GPS app:

The 1st 'Live' internet Overland blog... In Search of Lovedu*

Kevin Muggleton

1995: The internet was young (ave users 16million) and connectivity was limited. Live overland travel blogging was limited to posting floppy disk's home to a local webmaster who would upload the blog and photos to a very basic website.

1995 was also the year Ann Jones and Kevin Muggleton left the UK in search of the South African tribe 'Lovedu'.  The unique aspect was the live blogging Ann Jones did as she traveled overland in a Land Rover Series III.  This was the first website I had found whilst attempting to navigate around a very limited internet. In correspondence with Ann Jones, she described how she used to type up her blog and find a post office to send the updates back to the USA.  Her webmaster would then upload the monthly report of her trip.  She wrote a book detailing her trip (details below).

To Rove or Not to Rove

Land Rover vs Toyota: Which overland vehicle do you choose... Hennie Kotze writes an interesting poem on the topic... enjoy:


To Rove, or not to Rove!
There was a man from the darkest Continent,
who wished to explore it from end to end!
Before long he put deeds to his thought
and went to town where he diligently sought
for a means to rove the yonder land!

And thus the marketplace he carefully scoured,
mindful of the pitfall that he could be devoured
by a horse trader of such dubious disposition
that even his most vigilant premonition
would serve him to no end!