Camper Travel Plans for our Van Conversion [Update 3]
This month has been a little quiet on the DIY front for our van conversion. Instead we’ve been busy with weekend plans, next years’ holiday plans and diving into our sabbatical plans. So many camper travel plans. In fact, it’s all just been plans, plans, plans.
The 2019 Adventure Overland Show — Seeking Inspiration
Even our weekend away this past month was all down to camper planning. We spent it in Stratford-Upon-Avon for the Autumn incarnation of this year’s Adventure Overland Show. It’s a weekend boasting the largest gathering of expedition vehicles in the UK. The show is dedicated to alternative travel and really showcases the spirit of overlanding. We saw a whole host of amazing vehicles like:
- Converted landy’s,
- Beasts like Unimog’s and
- Ex-Army vehicles professionally converted into stunning, off-road mobile homes.
It was quite the collection!
But what is overlanding & what does it have to do with camper travel plans?
Overlanding describes self-reliant adventure travel to remote destinations where the journey is the primary goal. Typically, but not exclusively, accommodated by mechanized off-highway capable transport (from bicycles to trucks) where the principal form of lodging is camping; often lasting for extended lengths of time (months to years) and often spanning international boundaries. While expedition is defined as a journey with a purpose, overlanding sees the journey as the purpose.
Having not yet really done any actual overlanding we’re pretty keen to learn what we can from those who have. We both love to explore the outdoors, get our hands dirty and open our eyes to places untouched, so overlanding sounds like our perfect pursuit. But before we get out on the road we have so much to learn and so much to plan. We spent the weekend seeking inspiration, absorbing ideas and bits of advice wherever we could.
Over the course of two days we would also attend three seminars in the ‘Travel Author’s Zone’. This was our chance to get a glimpse at the overlanding life, make notes and buy a few books to pour over during my part of the research. We heard tales of:
- Travelling the Silk Road in a Landcruiser
- The extraordinary journey of a couple who ventured around the world on a motorcycle — one sighted, one blind
- The story on an ex-commando who rode his motorbike through the Americas
Whilst I coveted the new collections to my bookshelves Charles got excited over the tools and gizmo’s. He was learning about the technical implementation of this and that. You could see the light bulbs spark as his eyes lit up with ideas. This was such a frequent occurrence I’d often just turn around to find I’d lost him. A few moments later I’d spot him absorbed in conversation learning whatever he could about how to build our dream van conversion. He’s also bold as brass, perhaps a quality picked up from time in the Army Cadets. This attitude means he’s not afraid of asking probing questions that make it quite obvious we’re not planning to buy. Instead he’d ask enough to find out how to do it ourselves. There’s a time and a place were this is a useful skill. The Adventure Overland Show was definitely one of those times.
Despite the torrential rain overnight at the campsite, it was a weekend well spent. We had time to check out a tourist Park Run (a scenic and flat route), test out the van, do plenty of research and still have time to put our feet up.
A Feasibility Study of our Grand Camper Travel Plans
We’ve spent some time this month number crunching our sabbatical plans. As a result, we have an alternative route option for our grand trip in three years time. Our plans were always, and still may be, to cover the Americas (from Northern Canada to Southern Chile). But looking at the numbers is a jaw-dropping experience. The cost of shipping the van out and back, plus across the infamous Darien Gap adds many, many extra £££. At this point in our lives, we’re just not sure it’s worth it. Especially when there are so many other places we’d love to visit.
The alternative route is to take inspiration from the people we met at the Adventure Overland Show, and Marco Polo of course, and follow some of the Silk Road. This reduces the costs because we can drive right out of our front door here in the UK. But it also offers us an opportunity to learn and experience cultures and history both of us know little about.
The big question mark hangs around safety. It feels like a scary route to me as it means traversing countries hardly known for their stable or safe political situations. But the more the idea sits with me the more I want to know more. The more I want to read about the area, understand it and see for myself the beautiful landscapes, taste the food and meet the people in those regions. I’ve heard so much about the kindness of the locals from those travellers who have taken the plunge. One of those adventurers is Levison Wood who’s recent book about Arabia tries to shine a light on the area that isn’t one focussed on war, fighting, terror, death and destruction. I’m intrigued to see these countries in a different light myself, to make up my own mind and to be more informed of a world so often misunderstood.
It would also mean venturing into a couple of countries that have been on my bucket list for a long time — India being right at the top.
We’ll keep you posted as we muse over these ideas and ponder over the daunting financial aspects of our plans. But if you have any thoughts, suggestions, recommendations or advice for planning a trip like this please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Sharing is caring and the overlanding community is one big old friendly place.
Next Year’s Road Trip
With so many things to consider for our ultimate road trip we’ve also been talking about next Summer’s camper travel plans. This one is a little easier to plan and budget for, even if it does mean 3,500 miles of driving in 15 days and a visit to the site of a nuclear disaster.
We’re plotting a route that gives us a mix of history, culture and nature. The furthest we’ll travel is to Kiev where we’re then planning a day trip to Pripyat — home to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The site is famous for the 1986 disaster that saw radioactive material sent 2km into the Earth’s atmosphere. This was caused after the reactor overheated and exploded. But don’t worry, as visitors, we’ll be exposed to less radiation than on a long-haul flight! Makes me wonder if I should worry more about flying.
The route as it stands should be fascinating and take us to some new places we haven’t experienced before. I’m particularly looking forward to the Pripyatskiy National Park in Belarus. I think a few days in nature will be just what we need after experiencing something like Chernobyl.
Designing the Bed Inside our Camper
Alongside all our conversations and research, Charles has been busy designing the folding and sliding mechanism for our new bed. There’ll be plenty of space underneath for storage in nifty drawers whilst still giving us the option of a bench or bed.
What a month!
It might sound like we haven’t made too much progress with the van but we love talking about all the adventures we’re soon to have in our van conversion. If you’ve visited any of the places we’re planning to then get in touch, tell us what you thought and send us some advice. We’d always love to hear how to take our camper travel plans to the next level.
Originally posted on Sage Adventures travel & wellness lifestyle blog: www.sageadventres.co.uk.
