AK47s, Chicharones, Red Tape, and a Smile
COVID-19 is Leaving Overland Travelers Stranded Abroad
Overlanding During a Pandemic The novel coronavirus has swept across the world at exponential rates, infecting over half a million people already. In Denver, Colorado, and across the US, shelter-at-home orders are going into effect weekly, in a dramatic effort to slow the rate of infection. As someone who traveled extensively in my RV, I…
Thank You, Chris Cordes
A Special Thanks to Chris Cordes for his time as Editor of Expedition Portal. We wish him all the success in his new role with the OnX Mapping Team. I still remember the first day that Chris Cordes started working at Overland Journal, interning from the management program at Embry Riddle University. We knew he…
The End of the Journey to the End of the World
Lois Pryce earns every inch of the last 600 miles of her motorcycle trip down the length of the Americas.
Prologue: In May 2003, Lois Pryce left Anchorage, Alaska, en route to Ushuaia, Argentina—a journey of nearly 17,000 miles and eight months.
Retracing the Butterfield Route Across Oklahoma
If I could travel through time, I’d go back 160 years to Indian Territory in days antebellum. There, concrete and steel would dissolve into wagon ruts and stone, hewn logs and flowing springs, a landscape familiar in its essence but alien in its rawness. Though I lack a time machine in the H.G. Wells sense,…
International Women’s Day 2020
“Like most people, I have let my dreams lay dormant, finding every excuse not to take the first step, whether it be money, time, or inevitable responsibilities. In pursuing this trek, I want to prove that people have more agency than they think—that they have more power over their path than society may lead them…
The Road Chose Me Volume 2 Book on Kickstarter
After years of working a desk, I realized that life wasn’t making me happy and I needed to make a change. I began dreaming, saving, and planning, and finally quit my job and sold all my stuff. Back in 2009, I wound up driving 40,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina, and I’ve been hopelessly hooked…
Some of The Best Overland Routes In The USA
Each year, our staff members spend months exploring some of the best backroads our planet has to offer, from the red sands of the Simpson Desert to the frozen expanses of Greenland. Along the way we’ve discovered there’s no lack of breathtaking adventures to be had, but believe it or not, some of the best…
COLOSSAL 2019 – The Recipe for Adventure
In 2018, I wrote a short article after Colossal titled “It’s All About the People,” in which I reflected on one of my Dad’s many wise insights into life: people are the most important part of everything we ever do. Year after year, I relate more to that ideal as it seems to solidify for…
The Coolest Cause You’ll Read About All Week: Rally For Rangers
Imagine a motorcycle rally where riders tackle rugged, challenging terrain, delivering new motorcycles to park rangers across the globe, enabling them to protect endangered species and precious cultural resources by performing their duties more efficiently and effectively. This ride exists and is called Rally for Rangers; it’s making an impact across the globe “one motorcycle…
The Baikal Project—A Freezing Cold Attempt at A Guinness World Record
Breaking a world record takes creativity, ingenuity, and—in the case of the Baikal Project—at least one Irishman with unstoppable perseverance. In February 2019, Declan McEvoy arrived at the Russian border from Estonia with his motorcycle. He had with him the necessary documents for entry: temporary vehicle import papers, passport, and visa. Friendly border patrol officers…
How To Motivate Your Significant Other To Travel Overland
Often we meet people as we travel who would love to explore as we do but have one serious problem: their spouse hates camping. If this is your problem then we suggest that you try the following Travel Indoctrination Campaign (TIC) utilising Behaviour Modification Training (BMT). It would be a shame to go through all…
Deep Ozarks
White caps, like the peaks on my great-grandmother’s meringue, fill the road ahead. The waters are high and raging at a usually benign stream crossing deep in the Ozarks. It is late April and a wet and stormy spring in Arkansas. We had another downpour last night, the rain is still falling, and we’re in…
Where the Mountains Meet the Desert
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2019. It’s springtime in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains. The wildflowers are out, birds cheep, and there’s a soft warmth in the air. My flying visit here is capping off a satisfying bout of winter travel in North Africa. A few weeks prior, I’d joined…
The Sonora Rally’s Guided Trek Through Mexico’s Gran Desierto de Altar
A true Dakar-style adventure, the Yokohama Sonora Rally has emerged as the premier cross-country rally venue in North America. This multi-day event provides the ultimate challenge between competitor, machine, and terrain, testing navigation and off-road racing skills while being immersed into the unique Sonoran landscape and culture. It is also North America’s only “Road to…
From Scratch – How we came to terms with our everyday lives when the adventure ended
It might seem strange, but one of the things Dave and I missed most while traveling around the world on motorcycles were our pillows. Okay, strange. But the pillows were symbolic of more than just memory foam. If we had our pillows, it meant we would have a bed, which meant we’d have a place….
Driving the 660-Mile East Mojave Heritage Trail
Descending the steep switchback into the canyon below, we heard the sudden and distinct noise of metal clanging against metal. I prayed it was nothing serious, but instinctively knew it was. Taking stock of the rear shock mounts, we discovered one had cracked to a dangerous degree, the other snapped in half. We were 55…
You Just Got Back From an Epic Journey—Now What?
“The real work of an expedition begins when you return.” –Louise Arner Boyd Many of us put in the work to plan, save for, and finally embark on a long-term adventure without a single thought as to what we’ll do when we get home. At the time of departure, the last thing you want to…
London to Singapore in a 1954 Land Rover With a Family of 5
“What do you mean the boat is late? How late?” A combination of mechanical delays, bad weather, and agent apathy meant that our 1954 Land Rover (Series 1, 86-inch station wagon) was going to arrive a month late in the UK. This set the tone for two things that happened over and over on our…
A Touch Of Camel Trophy: Towing a Land Rover Through Canada’s Whipsaw Trail
What do experienced overlanders do when a disabled truck needs to be recovered on the trail? Some of North America’s best off-highway driving instructors and vehicle recovery experts showed us their skills when they recovered a disabled truck from the historic Whipsaw Trail in July 2019. My husband, Steve, and I have driven Whipsaw four…