The Outback 2014 - planning phase

Nine days to go before I depart for the Australian outback.  In this blog post, I summarise ten activities I do prior to a trip starting.  Preparing for a trans-continental overland travel only involves more preparation than a weekend or work-holiday trip based on the fact that you have to rent out your home and store your furniture.

Planning a route

The same intense preparation is required for the shorter trips.

My trip to the outback has involved hours of planning, route mapping, vehicle checks and equipment lists.
The unique aspect of all preparation is the way different individuals approach the planning phase...

Here's my top10 list on planning:

He owned 8 Land Rovers and then bought a Toyota...

How many times have you heard that a Land Rover owner has changed his or her vehicle and purchased a Toyota? In short, I have now purchased a Toyota after owning eight Land Rovers over the last two decades!

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 120 Series

Vehicle of choice this time is a 2007 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado D-4D (1KD-FTV).
And it was not based on the fact that Toyota owners are quick to explain the lack of tools needed, the reliability of the vehicle or the fact that they a perception to last forever.

Here's my thoughts on why I moved from Land Rover...

Book Review: "In Search of Greener Grass" by Graham Field

"In Search of Greener Grass"

Independent overland travel can be as engaging or remote as the traveler wants it to be. Graham Field, the author of 'In Search of Greener Grass', will engage you in more detail than you thought possible and will takes you on a journey from the UK to Mongolia and finally onto Russia. 

Motorbikes are a lifestyle; it’s not just transport, it’s easy to let them become a way of life.

Graham Field's book can certainly be described as the overland life in full. His style of writing - in first person - flows at such a pace that you are left entwined in his thoughts, his conversations and his travels. My mind was buzzing with an overload of information which left me pondering how the author manages to gather and retain all the information! His mind must be buzzing, if mine was buzzing whilst reading the book.

‘Buy time, not equipment’ was one of the single best lines of advice I read during those months.