I am in my 60's and my husband Jim and I are both now retired from public sector jobs in Health and Housing in London. We decided to kick off our Overlanding Adventures by firstly following the travels of Marco Polo from Venice to China in our newly acquired, very old Landcruiser (Landy). However, we planned to end up in Australia where, thanks to my Australian mother, I have many relatives.
We had many adventures, saw some amazing places. Sampled great, and not so great food. One of the biggest challenges was sleeping comfortably in our vehicle in all weathers. Lots to get used to and more of that in due course. We hoped our lack of languages did not prevent us from connecting with people we met on the route and that good health and good spirits remained with us throughout. (Mostly).
I anticipate that our Landy maintenance skills will improve exponentially en route (they did not) and there will be more on that too as we progress. Jim has taken on the role of route planner in chief, map reader, not to mention organiser of visa's and I think I am being cast as support team, driver in chief, car maintenance and gear organiser and chief blogger!
My own Dad always wanted to get into a Land Rover and cross the Sahara and although he made it to Afghanistan and many other faraway places, he did not manage his big 4x4 trip in the desert - I am sure he will be with us in spirit and for sure he was just as crazy. In his memory our Landy is sporting a very fine United Nations car badge. You will need to ask me about that one.
I hope this blog inspires you to explore new places, whatever your age and ability. Feel free to leave a comment or follow us on social media!
In 2022, following on from the end of Covid lockdowns we have acquired a Mercedes Sprinter for our next adventure. The first trip will be a bit of a try out, mainly in Europe but also passing through Turkey and into Georgia, which we missed on our last Silk Road Trip.
