A life on the street, a life in a van—after more than four years in Africa, we thought that nothing and nobody could stop us. But then came coronavirus. Africa We spent 1,561 formative days on the African continent, and every country left its mark—a total of 36 countries, 49 border crossings, and countless roadblocks…
Video of the Week: Tiny Home Adventure Season 3 Stoke Reel
Andrew Muse spent two years of his life creating a DIY Earthroamer-style overlanding vehicle from scratch (check out his build thread in the ExPo forum). It was a humbling experience that tested his ingenuity and patience, but he and his girlfriend, Ashley, saw the vision through to completion and now they have a one-of-a-kind adventure…
Van-splaining: Take Your Life on the Road
By Rob Putnam As the sun rises over an Arizona skydive drop zone, Tamale Sepp flings open the doors of her nondescript, under-the-radar white van. She inhales the earthy air mingled with scents of grass crushed by jumpers as she begins her day in the cruiser that she recently made her home. In late December,…
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…
From The ExPo Vault: Dust and Snow in the American West
Five months. That’s how long it took me to crack. Just five months and the concrete jungle surrounding my Dallas apartment had driven me insane. A train rolled by every 15 minutes, passing cars echoed in a constant hum, and the view outside my window was nothing but a continuous reminder of the city in…
Pacific Crest Overland Route
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2017. My heart sank as the axe gave way with a resounding crack beneath my gloves. What had felt like hours of chopping had scarcely brought us two-thirds of the way through the downed tree, and now our only cutting tool was gone. It…
Rain, Snow, and Sprinters On The RoamBuilt Adventure
We were near the front of the pack now, the lead vehicle in a caravan of 11 dust-strewn vans. I looked to my left and found my gaze dropping straight down the immense weather-worn walls of the Grand Canyon. There was no escaping its magnitude this close. Even as we carefully navigated along its outer…
Overland Routes | Pacific Crest: California Segment
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2018. What do you envision when you think of California? Shimmering oceans, warm beaches, and a stunning coastline? Perhaps towering redwoods or sparse deserts filled with Joshua trees? You wouldn’t be wrong to think of any of these things, but what if I told…
Overland Routes | Pacific Crest: Oregon Segment
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Spring 2018. A cool wind whistled through the pines around us, and I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with crisp mountain air. We had only left the hustle and bustle of Portland’s streets that morning, but the city’s traffic jams and red lights…
Overland Routes | New Mexico and the Continental Divide
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Fall 2017. When most people envision New Mexico, they picture the outlines of rocky plateaus, desert sunsets, and Native American culture. It’s understandable, as you can certainly find these things in abundance throughout the state, but there is also something more: the Continental Divide. Drivers…
Overland Routes | Pacific Crest: Washington
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2017. Adventure doesn’t always look like what you would expect. It is not bound to the toughest trails or limited to foreign lands with unfamiliar cultures. Some journeys are about rediscovering the places we already know and seeing them in a new light. This…
¡Viva Baja! The Overlander’s Guide
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Fall 2011. Photography by Scott and Stephanie Brady, Cam Brensinger, Chris Collard, and Jeremy Edgar. The recoil forces me backward, the shaft releasing from the teak stock of the Riffe spear gun and driving home into the side of the triggerfish. I take a moment…
Trying the Van Life in Northwest Oregon
Oregon was calling, and I knew it was time for us to go back. The summer heat had been getting the better of us for a few months, and the cool, crisp air of the Pacific Northwest seemed dreamy. As we started to plan our next trip, we wanted to incorporate what we learned from…
Overland Routes | Big Bend National Park
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2016. They say that everything is bigger in Texas, and standing in the heart of Big Bend National Park you’d sure believe it. It’s a land of burning sunsets, soaring mesas, and enchanting vistas that sprawl toward the horizon until meeting softly with the deep blue…
On the Lizard’s Tail
I took a deep breath, letting the cool mountain air fill my lungs. The crisp smell of snow and pine was invigorating, and I inhaled again, letting the sensation wash over me. It was a perfect morning. A fresh layer of powder was coating the ground from the previous night’s storms, and it muffled the…
Christmas in Utah
I’d been wanting to do this trip for a while now because my girlfriend, Olivia, has never been to these areas and one of my oldest/best friends Charlie has been wanting to go on a trip with me for a while now. We loosely talked about doing it a couple of months ago, but nothing…
WestX1000: The Trials & Tribulations of a Millennial Nomad
It had been raining for days, maybe weeks. We were in Seattle where I grew up, where my father still resides. We were parked in front of his apartment on a narrow street, lined with cars on one side and apartments overlooking Lake Union on the other. Our van, a 2008 Ford Econoline E-150, was…
I Can. I Will. Women Overlanding the World
Before we left, we were repeatedly discouraged by others and by the media. Everyone said these were not safe countries for women to travel in, that a trip like this would be too physically demanding for women, one person even said we would come home in pine boxes. Despite these messages, we overcame our fears and…
A2A Expedition: To Drag or Drop a Trailer, that is the Question.
I was once almost in love with an Afrikaans girl. She lived in a posh house on top of a hill and bore a German surname. Her father, Loot, hated the thought of me but begrudgingly liked me and one day asked for my help to build an overland trailer which he planned to use…
The Road Chose Me: A 200 Night Review of the Ursa Minor J30 Pop-Top
Testing a mobile abode with a lap of Africa.