about overlanding and vanlife, for travelling extended abroad

 

We was able to get some help - and was able to update too our content about overlanding and vanlife, for travelling extended abroad:

https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/

Vanlife / Overlanding - meet other travelers

Regardless of whether you are traveling alone or as a couple, whoever is free or is camping in the wild is looking forward to a sociable evening after a few days of seclusion.

The more one is in the distance, on the Silk Road or a Trans-Africa, the current security situation, simple border crossings or a general exchange would be quite helpful.

Barbecue together, a cozy get-together around the campire, a hiss of a beer, badminton or a card game - there are a lot of things that are fun in a larger group. Or only becomes possible in a larger group.

A campsite would of course also do this, but depending on the travel area there is no appealing place nearby - or the crowds of people overwhelm you after a few days of seclusion.

How can you meet other travelers? Here is a list of ways to get in touch with other travelers:

The 10 most important apps for Overlanders

There are many good reasons to take a tablet or smartphone with you when you are on an overlanding trip.

Some of these reasons i try to show you in this article. I hope that there are several apps in this list, who is not currently not on your device. I`m pretty shure about, that there are some new Apps you will like soon.

Some Apps help to do a proper travel statistic, help you to get a good exchange rate, compress the internet traffic or are just there to entertain you.

This tips are for Apple iOS Devices, but you will find most of these Apps too on Android or Windows based devices.


Oanda Currency Converter


It doesn't matter where you plan to travel - you will often have to fight for a good exchange rate. 

With this oanda currency converter you can enter the amount you want to change, and you get the proper amount in the foreign currency.

If you have internet access (Wifi or 3G) the app update the rate. If you tip on the "rate detail" button, you can see the date and time of the last update.
When you can show the exchange rate and the date of the last rate update - then you could mostly can negotiate an better deal. This way we was very successful to do ague about the rate, from africa to asia.

Oanda Currency Converter at the Appstore

Ferry between Iskenderun - Port Said / eastroute 2014

After an pretty inconsistent informations about the unroro ferry between Iskenderun and Damietta I`m glad to tell here, that there is an alternative arround.

An option who was available at the past is running since a while, the ferry "Cenk Y" who runs between turkey (Iskenderun) and Egypt (Port Said):




The ferry CENK Y, Source: marinetraffic.com

The ferry operates regularly and directly between Iskenderun and Port Said. You can see the current location, Speed and Target Harbor under this livetracking link:

http://www.marinetraffic.com/de/ais/details/ships/271042575

The Ship is built at 1970 and is under turkey flag. It is tagged as Roro/Passenger Ship, so that we Overlanders can travel with the ship and don`t have to use a airplane. If you look at the Pictures who are provided by Marinetraffic it can also handle big trucks, what is nice for these readers who use a an bigger expedition truck

The Informations about the Ferry who are currently available are pretty poor. Also the Website of the operator dont show much informations:

http://www.cenkgroup.net/en

Planning and visualize an RTW Trip

As surely many others, I have previously have planned my trips with Google Maps, which can be a bit notchy, specially if you plan longer trips. Also, it is not possible to share the route comfortable or to discuss individual points of your trip.

Some days ago I read a blog where the travellers had used tripline to visualize their trip through China - and I start to love this project! It is definitively a big time safer, to everyone who plan a big or also shorter trip.

You can not only plan your trip, setting your trip to private or public - you can also add public and private notices to each waypoint, you can discuss your route zu the public or also just friends.

Here is a short summary about the advantages and unique features of this tool, togehter with also a sample route.

The Webinterface is quite clean and allows to work pretty quick. At first you have to create an account, or to signin with your facebook account. After that you can start your new map:

the buildup of the verhicle: Winch, Frontbar, Sparetyreholder

Many of us overlanders are trying to make their verhicles more capable, to add a winch, frontbar, rear tyre holder, additional fuel tank, rear bar some armor, bigger tyres and so on.

I suggests to watch the weight of the vehicle during this buildup process.

For an capable travelling and offroad vehicle, you should try to keep your vehicle light, to keep the center of gravity as low as possible, to keep the weight between the axles balanced. What we should always keep in mind is the maximum legal payload.

If we look at the 3.5ton class, from Land Rover, Land Cruiser and Mercedes G you can mostly add 500-1000kg on weight to your vehicle. On modern cars they often use the basic edition inside of the papers - on the weigh station you see some kilos more than described. At first you should weight your verhicle, add the weight of the travellers to the bill.

Now let us look to the stuff what would be nice to add. From making the vehicle to an more capable offroader, to the stuff we need on an extended trip. 

Far bad tracks and terrain one of the best mods are bigger tires to add more ground clearance under the differential. Now the spare tyre don`t fit below the car, we need a spare tyre holder in the rear (on top of the vehicle.  So one mod often cause the next mod.

The following list is not complete, it shows also just the basic stuff, with an estimated weight. Often i use very lightweight equipment here, to find camping chears & table for just 15 kilo - is not easy at sample.

You get back some kilos from this bill, because you can remove the 2nd and on some cars too the 3rd row of seats. This bill is as it is in the 3.5 ton class. It dosnt matter if you sleep inside of the car, on a roof tent, a popup roof or on a ground tent.

You can just have a fully modded offroader for weekend trips, if you try to stay legal. If you add the stuff of the column to the right "internal building" - then you exceed what is legally possible.

If you attach great importance to a legal vehicle in the long-term travel trim, it is therefore advisable to stay close to the original vehicle configuration. To select the desired extensions wisely.

I`m pretty shure that you think now: what the hell - how all these others was able to travel extended with their beautiful modded cars? The answer is simple: they drive overloaded.

Also if in the papers the weight you can carry is limmited, many cars can take a much higher payload. How much they can carry, you can see on the armored versions of your car, who drive with the same axles and frame. I dont want to say: hey easy, overload your car. I just want to point to the reality. Try to travel light!

Look how is the weight between the  axxle, look during the buildup that your car is well balanced. Try to use the ratio between the axxles, if it is documented. Look too that the center of gravity is low as possible.

In general, you should always save on weight where it is possible. Overloaded to be on the road is one thing, but nevertheless it is important to save every kilo of what is possible. In the terrain you are happy with every kilo saved.

At the end of each stop and rebuild (and only then) you should weight the vehicle again, fully loaded with all travelers. Now comes the most important: The suspension must be designed for this travel weight.

Of courset this are peak loads, where the diesel and water tanks are finally not always full to the brim (empty tanks are a good method for a quite legally drive in your homecountry. Nevertheless, you will always try in an environment with poor infrastructure to be as well supplied as possible, exactly where the bad roads are.

China crossings 2014/2015: traveller searching travellers to share costs

Do you plan to cross china as selfdriver with your own vehicle? Or do you want to travel China and connect you to a group in order to reduce costs? Then you are right here - I'm trying to keep a list of those who are planning such a trip for the years 2014 / 2015.Herewith I try to help you travelers to come easily into contact with each other to find the similar plan. Probably this links helps you too, if you just have start to plan that trip, as often mentioned costs , routes and travel agencies and guides and are listed in detail.

You can send in your call via "add comment" feature . For this purpose, you should a link to your blog or to a forum thread, so that others can reach you easily. But i cannot prove this travellers

But  I cannot prove that travellers, the seriousness of inquiries and travelers, tour groups or organizers, so please use normal caution.