Overland Journal Podcast Episode 219 Join Overland Journal Podcast host Scott Brady as he welcomes Johan de Villiers, an experienced traveler and CEO who has adventured across over 50 countries, climbed four of the seven summits, and explored most of Southern Africa by overland vehicle. Johan shares invaluable insights linking his overlanding experiences to business perspectives. In…
Billy Creech on Overlanding Conservation and Remapping the Old Traction Road
Overland Journal Podcast Episode 218 Explorers Club fellow and former President of the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association, Billy Creech, is a conservationist, adventurer, expedition leader, author, poet, and father. In this Overland Journal Podcast episode, Billy and host Ashley Giordano discuss the Old Traction Road Expedition and how overlanders can use their wide…
The Old Telegraph Track
Photography by Dan Grec and Katie Harris While technically in the driver’s seat, what I’m doing can’t reasonably be called sitting. With the Jeep nearly vertical, the steering wheel is directly below me, and I’m pushing back hard to keep my body off the dashboard and my back against the seat. I can barely see…
36 Hours of Adventure: Exploring the Nevada Desert with EagleRider
This 36-Hours of Adventure Exploring the Nevada Desert is Presented by: EagleRider Rentals and Tours Last year, Las Vegas hosted 40 million visitors to its restaurants, hotels, shows, and casinos. Most never leave the strip, but there are untold adventures within a day’s ride of the city. During my recent trip to the annual SEMA…
The Alabama Rubicon
Photography by Marco Garcia When you hear someone mention the state of Alabama, what comes to mind? According to the internet, Alabama has great college football and not much else. But what if there’s another side to Alabama? Natural, untouched, and scenic. A side with beautiful mountain roads and trails, hiking paths, and lakes, all…
The Taste of the Smoky Mountains
For episode Six of Exploring the Smoky Mountains, we embark on a culinary adventure, hosted by Sinuhe Xavier. The route continues with another visit to custom knife maker Tom Mohr and Ford’s Signs before music and BBQ at Doc’s 321 Café. Editor’s Note: Shortly after this series was produced, the Asheville area was devastated by historic…
Chasing Hot Springs and Trout: An Overland Route Through Idaho
“You got your suit, right?” I asked my wife, Louise. “Yep. What about the fly rods?” she responded. We pack many necessities and equipment for an overlanding adventure, and a fly rod and swimsuit are required for any adventure in the “Potato State.” Idaho is an overlanding paradise, offering countless miles of forest roads, remote…
There’s No Place Like Home
Feature image by Kurt Windisch I am gazing upward at morning sunlight filtering through a canopy of moss-covered Douglas Fir and western red cedar trees, towering over a soft bed of needles and fuzzy pine cones they’ve strewn about, inviting me to abandon my sandals and walk from cooler to camp kitchen to tent, barefoot….
Southeastern Kazakhstan | Overland Routes
Photography by Coen Wubbels Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world as well as the largest Stan country of Central Asia, sharing borders with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Vast and empty, it’s possible to traverse more than 1,200 miles of continuous steppes, home to the traditional nomads who, until the Soviet…
What These Rebelles Want You to Know About Rallying Older Vehicles
Lead photo by Richard Giordano There are so many parallels between competing in the Rebelle Rally with an older vehicle and overlanding in one. Usually, the vehicle is already parked in our driveway, budget prohibits the purchase of something newer and comfortable, and the vehicle isn’t just a mechanical object transporting us from one place…
Onions and Sage :: Into Oregon’s Owyhee Country
Full Disclosure: Firestone Tires invited Expedition Portal and several other content creators to explore Oregon’s Owyhee Valley for a week and to try out their new M/T2 mud-terrain tires. Firestone covered our travel expenses and food. Nyssa, Oregon, is a tidy farming community of just 3,000 souls hard up against the Idaho border on the…
The Rover Boys: Bristol Foster and Robert Bateman Reflect on Their Round-the-World Expedition
Photography by Bristol Foster, Robert Bateman, and Erik Thorn It all began with birds. Birds near Toronto’s Forest Hill, to be exact. Back then, the nearby ravine and creek were thick with vegetation and towering willow trees, offering endless opportunities to identify warblers and flycatchers, blue jays, and thrushes. At least, that’s how it was…
Amongst Predators: Camp Safely in Unfenced Campsites Around Africa
Camping and self-driving in Africa’s national parks is one of the best ways to get to know the rhythm of the ecosystem. Each park on the safari circuit from South Africa to Kenya is different and unique in some way. What they mostly do have in common are the predators. Africa’s big cats stand at…
Exploring the Smoky Mountains: Trail Scout
For episode Four of Exploring the Smoky Mountains, we embark on a Trail Scout Episode, hosted by Sinuhe Xavier. The route begins in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and continues to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and ultimately the stunning overland route along the Old Buzzards Roost Road. Editor’s Note: Shortly after this series was produced,…
Cool Vehicles of the 2024 Rebelle Rally
Photography by Richard Giordano, Regine Trias, Tim Sutton, Paolo Baraldi, and Ernesto Araiza After traversing over 2,600 kilometers of desert terrain, 128 women left California’s Johnson Valley in mid-October, bound for home. Hailing from 114 cities, 27 states and provinces, and six countries, they drove Jeeps and Fords, Toyotas, and Land Rovers. Some chose Subarus,…
The Georgia Traverse :: A Four-day Overlanding Adventure
In March, after months of meticulous planning and preparation, the Georgia Jeep Alliance Jeep Club took on the challenge of the legendary Georgia Traverse—a 390-mile route that passes through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and ultimately, Alabama, across some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the southern US. Charted by the overlanding pioneers at Georgia Overland,…
Van Conversion Companies :: Buyers Guide
Let’s be honest. Building your own camper interior is a real pain in the neck unless you are a qualified carpenter or a next-level ninja DIY’er with a full workshop of tools. An interior build is never as easy as it looks online, the costs are always double your budget, and the build is never,…
Lexus Announces Upgrades to the LH 700h, LX 600, and the Overtrail Grades
Since the redesigned Lexus GX launch in 2023, the premium off-roader has been making waves and turning heads. For 2025, Lexus is elevating its flagship SUV lineup by introducing the LX 700h and the new Overtrail grade, along with updates to the LX 600. This expansion showcases Lexus’ commitment to diverse customer preferences, especially with…
Living Legends: Patricia Upton
Photography courtesy of Patricia Upton and the Estate of Loren Upton I recently had the pleasure of sharing a glass of wine and a lively conversation with legendary lady overlander Patricia Upton, world traveler and matriarch of the overlanding world, at a campsite outside of Idaho Falls, Idaho. Patricia and I initially met at an…
How I Fell In Love With Winter Overland Travel
Standing on the frozen Arctic Ocean, clad from head to toe in winter gear, my beard froze as my convoy mate informed me that it was -50°F in Tuktoyaktuk, where my overland vehicle was parked. A grin spread across my face, and I felt a wave of satisfaction and tempered elation course through my warm…