Photography by Richard Giordano On the busy streets of Xanthi, I spot a tiny lobster. She’s swinging an air lasso to “Gangnam Style” as bass pumps through a gargantuan roadside speaker. Located in northern Greece, the city of Xanthi hosts some of the most popular Apokries events in the country, which celebrate the festive season…
Dean Poulopoulos of Overland N’Explore on Overlanding Greece
Join Overland Journal Podcast host Ashley Giordano as she sits down with Overland N’Explore owner and founder Dean Poulopoulos. In this episode, they discuss differences between the European and American overland markets, give tips on overlanding Greece, and discuss how Dean went from working in the maritime industry to starting his own overland outfitter business…
Vancouver Island: A Rover and a Reset in the Best Place on Earth
It was the end of summer, and the sun hung over the far end of Muchalat Lake a bit later than it would in a month from now, but not as late as it had the month before. I was sitting on a log on the beach overlooking the water about 15 kilometers from Gold…
Principles of Overlanding: Traveling the Pan-American Highway on a Budget
Join hosts Scott Brady and Matt Scott on the Overland Journal Podcast as they discuss budget travel and how you can explore the Pan-American Highway for under $25,000, including the cost of a vehicle. Hear practical tips on gear, vehicle selection, and budget as we share inspiring stories of fellow travelers who have completed their…
BDR to Release Southeast Route – SEBDR
Backcountry Discovery Routes’ newest adventure tour is the Southeast BDR, or SEBDR. Riders can explore the route beginning March 1, 2025 at the World Premier of the 1,300-mile route. It begins at the Gulf of Mexico, takes riders through the Appalachian Mountains, and terminates in Damascus, Virginia. However, there’s no need to stop riding there—the…
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…
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…
Chris Scott’s Trans Morocco Trail Self-Guided Route Has Launched
A new adventure travel route, the Trans Morocco Trail, has launched, offering explorers the chance to experience Morocco’s diverse landscapes through a 3,000-kilometer self-guided route. The trail runs from the Mediterranean port of Nador to Cap Draa on the Atlantic coast and is free to download. The route is designed for independent cyclists, motorcyclists, and…
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…
The Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion
It’s a Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion Thing! Each year, thousands of Jeep enthusiasts descend on the LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge to meet vendors, stroll the show & shine, and connect with other brand enthusiasts. The event is also fairly priced at only $20 for an adult and $10 for children. Presented by Hankook Dynapro Tire…
The Perseids Are Here with a Message from Outer Space
Comet Swift-Tuttle rockets around the solar system at a mind-bending speed of 134,000 mph (slightly faster than my Land Rover, but not by much). It needs just 133 years to make a round trip of the sun, and it is a truly big boy, by far the largest near-Earth object in our neighborhood—nearly 16 miles…
Oregon’s Alvord Desert | Overland Routes
The silence of the Alvord Desert is all-consuming. The column of quiet that descends on the dry lakebed in the evenings reaches through you. Sounds that would be swallowed by the regular cacophony of a workaday wilderness are amplified, like they’ve been plugged into a Marshall stack—the rumble of a pickup truck on the county…
Jeep Beach 2024
Each year, tens of thousands of Jeep enthusiasts descend on Daytona Beach, Florida for the annual (2024) Jeep Beach event. This is considered one of the largest Jeep gatherings in the world, an evolution over the past 21 years to its current form. The event includes trail rides, beach drives, training, obstacle courses, mud bogs,…
Texas-Based Merus Adventure Park, the First of Many
For years, I have dreamed of building an overland camp where people could come to relax and reconnect, a break from the road in the middle of an adventure across continents. My dreams are small compared to that of the Merus team. The Merus Adventure Park, nestled in the heart of Palo Duro Canyon in…
South Africa’s Namakwa 4×4 EcoTrail | Overland Routes
Photography by Expedition Overland and Expedition Rove Spanning over 600 kilometers through South Africa’s Northern Cape, the Namakwa EcoTrail is the country’s longest official 4×4 route. The title comes with a certain prestige, attracting those who seek bragging rights associated with completing the route in South Africa. To be fair, though, most trek to this…
Expedition Portal Staff’s Favorite Trips of 2023
With international tourism reaching over 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year, 2023 marked an enthusiastic and eager return to the travel scene for many of us, both domestically and internationally. Overland Journal publisher and co-founder Scott Brady began his much-anticipated long-axis Trans-Africa continental crossing in the capable Ineos Grenadier, while…
Crossing the Simpson Desert in the Footsteps of a Legend
I wake with a splitting headache, my body hurts all over, and I feel disconnected from reality. It takes a full 20 minutes to overcome heavy lethargy before I can crawl out of the swag and confirm Katie feels no better. With nets over our heads to block the unrelenting blowflies, we only feel worse…
Spomeniks :: An Overland Quest Through the Balkans
Photography by Enrique Pacheco Western Europe is not exactly a paradise for overlanders due to restrictive laws regarding off-roading and free camping. In turn, countries on the continent’s Eastern side, especially those in the Balkans, abound in what their occidental counterparts lack: looser regulations and fewer off-pavement prohibitions, with vast areas of stunning nature still…