Hourless Life: Documenting Our Global Overland Adventure

Hourless Life

Well-known member
Hi Eric,
We haven't really posted any blogs in the last years. Just pictures on Facebook. Right now we travel a little in the neighborhood until more destinations open up. Central and South America is fairly easy and beautiful in normal times. There is a lot of information online. My only advice is to learn Spanish if you don't speak it already and to get a simple and reliable vehicle where you can live comfortably even in bad weather.
Africa north of Namibia and Botswana is a bit more challenging. But this is a a few years down the road and you will be very experienced by then and have lots of contacts to get up to date information. No need to worry about that right now.
Stefan
Stefan,

We'd love to follow you or connect with you on Facebook if you're keen. Please send me a private message here if you like with how to find you.

I actually speak fluent Spanish (It is my first language) My wife understands it well enough and can get by conversationally when needed but doesn't speak it fluently.

We have so much to learn from you, and I appreciate you conversing with us as a resource. I'll definitely look into that Central and South America group on Facebook.

Eric
 
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WFOORBUST

Active member
Thanks for the welcome. Have you started a build thread? Would love to see your build.

Sounds like you also plan to drive the world? Do you have a general route or timeline?

Eric


No real solid plans yet, I retire next year and then I'm off to through hike the PCT (Mexico to Canada). I will pick up the Gladiator next year and start a build thread, shouldn't take long as I have things pretty well planed out for it. Travel plans are to Head for Baja for the winter (shake down run) and then South after that at a some what slow pace.
 

Hourless Life

Well-known member
No real solid plans yet, I retire next year and then I'm off to through hike the PCT (Mexico to Canada). I will pick up the Gladiator next year and start a build thread, shouldn't take long as I have things pretty well planed out for it. Travel plans are to Head for Baja for the winter (shake down run) and then South after that at a some what slow pace.
Congrats on your retirement!

Sounds like you've got some nice plans ahead too!

~ Eric
 

Hourless Life

Well-known member
Screen Shot 2020-11-17 at 4.03.23 PM.png

This is a VERY rough map of our plan to drive around the world.
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1. Mexico, Central America, South America
2. Africa
3. Europe
4. Asia
5. Australia

Don't look too closely at our routes through the continents, as they haven't been determined yet, this is just a general route. When the time comes, those specifics will be based on weather patterns, political situations, and advice from other overlanders who were there recently.

Keep in mind, we probably won't reach Asia until 2028 at our earliest estimation. So too much advance planning is counter-productive.
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Having said all of that, which countries do you think are a MUST that we should include?

Eric
 

Korey H

Well-known member
View attachment 625722

This is a VERY rough map of our plan to drive around the world.
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1. Mexico, Central America, South America
2. Africa
3. Europe
4. Asia
5. Australia

Don't look too closely at our routes through the continents, as they haven't been determined yet, this is just a general route. When the time comes, those specifics will be based on weather patterns, political situations, and advice from other overlanders who were there recently.

Keep in mind, we probably won't reach Asia until 2028 at our earliest estimation. So too much advance planning is counter-productive.
" data-src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tf6/2/16/1f609.png" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-single-image="1"> <img src=" title="" width="" height="" loading="lazy" />


Having said all of that, which countries do you think are a MUST that we should include?

Eric

We spent three weeks in New Zealand and loved it so much we’d live there. Also we’re super fond of China having been there three times. A while back had a great tome in the Azores if you make it to Portugal. The Dolomites of Northern Italy are also near and dear. Croatia is on our short list.

Looking forward to following your travels!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Hourless Life

Well-known member
We spent three weeks in New Zealand and loved it so much we’d live there. Also we’re super fond of China having been there three times. A while back had a great tome in the Azores if you make it to Portugal. The Dolomites of Northern Italy are also near and dear. Croatia is on our short list.

Looking forward to following your travels!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We’ve heard a lot about New Zealand and we will probably find a way to add that to our list as well. We’re truly Hourless and not on a timeline.
We’d also love to visit China as well.
Italy and Croatia are definitely on the list. It would be really nice to visit Portugal as well. Honestly we want to see as much as we can. We’re taking all of the feedback from folks who have been before (like you) and will be adding it into a document arranged by continent and country. Thank you!

Eric
 

ITTOG

Well-known member
For Europe Norway, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy are to of the list. I haven't been but I hear Hungary is awesome.

Part 6 of your trip should be Alaska's down to Banff.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
 

Hourless Life

Well-known member
For Europe Norway, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy are to of the list. I haven't been but I hear Hungary is awesome.

Part 6 of your trip should be Alaska's down to Banff.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
Definitely plan to see the top 5 you listed.

As far ask Alaska to Banff, eventually we’d love to do that trip. Brittany has family in the Northwest Territories. Her uncle is actually one of the original “Ice Road Truckers” from the show. I’m sure he could teach us a thing or two about all that cold weather driving since we historically chase the sun.

Personally I am looking forward to Europe the most I think. Appreciate the comment.

Eric
 

Hourless Life

Well-known member
Thought Journal 001 - 11/20/20

As we prepare for this global overland adventure, so many thoughts are racing through my head. You'd think that after 7 years of full-time travel, I'd have it all together, but truth be told I don't. I've learned quite a bit about this lifestyle, but I've been comfortable in the relative familiarness of my country and surrounding nations.

I marvel at those who have gone before, those who have dared to dream big, and further, taken their dreams into action. I actively seek out those who have taken the leap to shed the comfort of their surroundings and set out for the great unknown. I want to know them, to share a campfire with them, to soak in their experience and knowledge, to siphon their wisdom.

Today, we are in Pensacola, Florida. Tomorrow we head for Semmes, Alabama to meet up with some like-minded adventurers and break bread with them. Right now I'm in "sponge mode" literally soaking every ounce of wisdom and insight I can from those who have been down the road a bit further than I. I take every opportunity presented to me to spend time with anyone who may be helpful to us as we prepare for this journey.

This journey weighs heavily and lightly on me at the same time. There is so much liberty in dispossessing yourself of material things. There is great anticipation of the vastness of the world and the beauty that lies within it. There are so many unknowns. I take comfort in the fact that no matter where I go, someone has already been; and that through the medium of online communication, I am able to at least reach out to them in the hopes that they'll reach back.

I honestly believe that if I were doing this alone, or even just with my better half, I wouldn't be as trepidatious; if I'm being transparent. To have my (currently 3 year old) son along for the journey multiplies a certain protectiveness that I feel is ingrained into all creatures. I want him to see the world, I want him to experience it for himself, and not let others (or the media) dictate what he should think of our global neighbors. If my personal travel experience bears out, he will find that most people around the globe are kind and hospitable, caring and beautiful people. I hope this is what he gains from this experience. Time will tell.

We have made some strides that are "no-take back" strides toward this journey. This actually feels amazing. It is like leaping off the edge of a rock into a lake below. You haven't quite hit the water yet, but there is no going back. It's an incredible feeling really. There is something about knowing you've not only made a decision but took an action.

Eric
 

Hourless Life

Well-known member
Here’s the Vehicle We Plan to Drive Around the World
Hourless Life Overlanding Vehicle Reveal


Choosing a vehicle, a home, to drive around the world is an overwhelming task. You wouldn’t believe how many times we’ve gone back and forth between completely different options over the past two years, or how many times we had our minds totally made up before changing them again.

When we first discussed this plan to drive around the world in 2018, We thought we wanted a box truck. Last year, we were convinced we were going to buy a Unimog and build out a box for the back where we could live.

Overlanding Box Truck


WHEN WE FIRST CONTEMPLATED A GLOBAL OVERLANDING TRIP IN 2018, WE ENVISIONED DOING IT IN A BOX TRUCK SORT OF LIKE THIS ONE WE SPOTTED IN JACKSON HOLE, WY.

But the more we talked about it and actually took multi-week overland trips into Mexico, the more we understood how we like to travel and what type of vehicle could fulfill those goals.

While we love the wilderness, we also love towns and cities.
We watched a huge Iveco box truck attempt to drive into the center of Mulege, Baja. The couple realized they weren’t going to get far, and had to turn-off in a tiny alley so they could backtrack.

Not the end of the world. Doable if you’re committed.

But that isn’t the style of travel we want. We want to be able to take our vehicle into populated areas without getting stuck or being unable to park, drawing unwanted attention in the process.

These were our big considerations as we were selecting our vehicle:
  1. Size: We want to be able to park on small streets in colonial-era towns and we need to be able to fit into a container for ocean shipping.
  2. Sustainability: While staying small, we want to expand our inside living space. In our current build, a Jeep Wrangler with an iKamper Skycamp roof top tent, we’ve been restricted on where we can hang out when it’s raining or the weather is cold. Being comfortable is vital if we’re going to be happy along this multi-year journey.
  3. Off-road capability: We aren’t planning on doing any recreational rock-crawling with our new rig. But we want to be able to get where we want to go.
  4. Budget: We don’t want to take debt around the world with us. Our budget rules out fancy vehicles pre-customized for “overlanding.”
  5. Payload capacity: We’ve learned to listen to our vehicle and respect its payload capacity. Payload rules out so many vehicles that can’t accept the weight requirements of a full-time overlanding family.
  6. Serviceability: When we break a part, we need to be able to find a replacement on the other side of the world.
  7. Gas vs. diesel: The world is not ready to support an ultra-low sulfur diesel vehicle. That infrastructure is coming, but not yet. When we “decided” on a Unimog, we knew we’d need to buy one that predated ultra-low sulfur diesel, so that we could find fuel all over the world. But gasoline is even more universal than diesel. There are motorcycles in the remote reaches of the globe, and motorcycles run on gasoline.
No vehicle can do it all.

The beauty of the big box truck is its fuel, water, and waste capacity. You can go off-grid for ages. With a smaller vehicle, you’re much more limited in range.

But these considerations have to be weighed. The right answer for one person won’t be the same for another. We’ve used the past two years of overlanding to get to know ourselves and what we need. Even so, we sometimes hold our breath and hope we’ve made the right choice.

Eventually, you just have to leap.

So here’s the vehicle that’s going to take us around the world
Jeep Gladiator With Alu-Cab Canopy Camper


WE’RE GOING TO DRIVE A JEEP GLADIATOR + ALU-CAB CANOPY CAMPER AROUND THE WORLD!

(NOTE: THIS ISN’T OUR RIG BECAUSE WE WON’T BE BUILDING OURS UNTIL MID-2021. THANK YOU TO OUR EXPEDITION PORTAL FRIEND, J. THOMAS, FOR LETTING US SHARE PHOTOS OF HIS VEHICLE.)

For our global overlanding rig, we’ve decided on the Jeep Gladiator Sport S with Max Tow Package, outfitted with the Alu-Cab Canopy Camper.

There! We’ve said it! No take-backs!
Alu-Cab Canopy Camper Deployed


ALU-CAB CANOPY CAMPER WITH THE TENT DEPLOYED (CREDIT: J. THOMAS. AGAIN NOT OUR VEHICLE. JUST USING J'S PHOTOS TO SHOW THE TYPE OF SETUP WE'RE BUILDING.)

Here is a quick review on how the Gladiator jives with our vehicle priorities:
  1. Size: While there are smaller vehicles than the Jeep Gladiator, there are few (no?) smaller options with better payload and off-road capability.
  2. Sustainability: The Alu-Cab Canopy Camper will give us a tad more indoor living space. While we still plan to cook outdoors, there will be space inside where we can hang out, learn, and work, without actually having to be in bed.
  3. Off-road capability: The Gladiator Sport S with Max Tow Package has significantly more payload capacity than the Rubicon, which is why it’s our choice for an overlanding build. We may miss some of the Rubicon capabilities we have with our Jeep Wrangler, but rarely. On the other hand, we need to carry our belongings all the time, so optimizing payload is the right choice for us.
  4. Budget: We think we’re in our sweet spot, as far as budget goes. We’ll be able to purchase a new Gladiator and Canopy Camper without going into debt, and then all we need to do is keep fabrication and gear costs down. We really want to have money in the bank at the end of this build. Emergencies can arise at any time and it’s good to have a contingency plan. It also makes sense to invest in actual travel experiences, and not just the vehicle that’s getting us there.
  5. Payload capacity: We’re taking payload more seriously than we ever have. A spreadsheet is tracking the weight of every part of our build, and we are serious about staying under payload capacity.
  6. Serviceability: There are other brands more universally known than Jeep, like Toyota and Mercedes. But there are also many that are less known. By limiting modifications and complicated systems, we’ll make it easier on the mechanics we meet.
  7. Gas vs. diesel: We feel good about going with a gas-powered model.
A big thank you to Scott Brady, Dan Grec, and Marc Terrien for going out of their way to research and answer our questions in pursuit of this decision.

There It Is
It’s a bit nerve-wracking to send this out into the world. Yes, we have been working out details over the past few months as we’ve kept this secret. But I think we’ve also been nervous to commit. Once you know (and once we place the vehicle order in a few weeks), it’s real. We’re doing this.

And while we’re sometimes treated as superhuman by folks who are just starting to get into the fulltime travel lifestyle because we've been doing it so long, we’re just normal people.

The bottomline is, we’re just us. We aren’t wilderness warriors, mechanics, navigational geniuses, linguistic experts, or financially wealthy.

Oh yeah, and we have a three-year-old who’s along for the ride.

So whoever you are, and whatever you’re trying to do, there’s no place for excuses. It’s okay to be afraid. It’s okay to not know.
But you only get one shot around–and this is it. We're taking ours. Will you take yours?
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"
~ MARY OLIVER

Eric, Brittany, and Caspian
 
Looking forward to watching the trip! That should be a very capable vehicle.

Unfortunately the COVID situation set us back on a similar trip. April 1 we were supposed to ship the Darien Gap, that didn't happen. Going to put ourselves in a better financial situation and build a new vehicle with what we learned from the first 7 months in Mexico/ Central America before we have another go.
 

Hourless Life

Well-known member
Looking forward to watching the trip! That should be a very capable vehicle.

Unfortunately the COVID situation set us back on a similar trip. April 1 we were supposed to ship the Darien Gap, that didn't happen. Going to put ourselves in a better financial situation and build a new vehicle with what we learned from the first 7 months in Mexico/ Central America before we have another go.
Wow. So sorry your trip got delayed due to COVID. But now you've got me really curious. Would love to know your thoughts about what you learned in your first 7 months in Mexico and Central America that have you thinking on a new build. Would you mind sharing some of your thoughts on what changes you would make to your build? Thanks so much! ~ Eric
 
Wow. So sorry your trip got delayed due to COVID. But now you've got me really curious. Would love to know your thoughts about what you learned in your first 7 months in Mexico and Central America that have you thinking on a new build. Would you mind sharing some of your thoughts on what changes you would make to your build? Thanks so much! ~ Eric

All good, everything happens for a reason. Our truck was comfortable and we would be in South America right now still enjoying it had this not happened, but now that we aren't, on the next truck we are

Adding more battery and solar power. We had a Dometic fridge/freezer which was great, but Central America is so hot that we could only power it for 1 day without driving or getting direct solar all day. I think for our next build, I would like to have at minimum of 400ah, with multiple solar panels.

Space. We bought a single cab/6ft bed truck because of the price, and the short length. We really travel light, but had nowhere to put tools, spare parts, and outdoor gear, even with remodeling and adding storage to the camper. A backseat or longer camper would have saved this. We ended up putting a hitch storage box on, while it did limit us somewhat offroad, we enjoyed being able to all of our outdoor gear and tools.

Some sort of toilet. You can get away without, but it would be nice to have. You don't think you and your girlfriend are going to get Montezuma's Revenge at night, in a place without toilets, where aggressive feral cats and clouds of mosquitos attack you while your down, until it happens.

The popup roof worked well, but we both are wanting a fixed roof and fixed bed for the next trip. Personal preference, we have had camping vehicles with both types. There's other things that worked well we would do again, like having a 5 gallon NATO water canister to bring into shops to fill, then adding to our house water tank, and a small printer that works off your phone. Makes border crossings a breeze. Sounds like you guys have some great experience to plan off of from your previous travels, hopefully we'll run into you on the road one of these days!
 

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Hourless Life

Well-known member
Adding more battery and solar power. We had a Dometic fridge/freezer which was great, but Central America is so hot that we could only power it for 1 day without driving or getting direct solar all day. I think for our next build, I would like to have at minimum of 400ah, with multiple solar panels.

Space. We bought a single cab/6ft bed truck because of the price, and the short length. We really travel light, but had nowhere to put tools, spare parts, and outdoor gear, even with remodeling and adding storage to the camper. A backseat or longer camper would have saved this. We ended up putting a hitch storage box on, while it did limit us somewhat offroad, we enjoyed being able to all of our outdoor gear and tools.

Some sort of toilet. You can get away without, but it would be nice to have. You don't think you and your girlfriend are going to get Montezuma's Revenge at night, in a place without toilets, where aggressive feral cats and clouds of mosquitos attack you while your down, until it happens.

The popup roof worked well, but we both are wanting a fixed roof and fixed bed for the next trip. Personal preference, we have had camping vehicles with both types. There's other things that worked well we would do again, like having a 5 gallon NATO water canister to bring into shops to fill, then adding to our house water tank, and a small printer that works off your phone. Makes border crossings a breeze. Sounds like you guys have some great experience to plan off of from your previous travels, hopefully we'll run into you on the road one of these days!
Thanks for the detailed response. We are in sponge mode right now, picking the brains of those that have gone before.

Here are some takeaways from your response that have me thinking. (Some of yours we've already addressed in our build)

Power: So we were thinking on 200ah with multiple solar panels. But sounds like even more would be worthwhile. Noted!
Printer: Very interesting. Hadn't even considered this. Would love for you to elaborate on this and what you have used it for, specifically on how it has made your border crossings easier?

Here 's a thought for you to possibly consider:

Toilet: Your description was hilarious by the way and oh so true. We have the Thunderbox USA toilet and it has been great for us. It folds down to one inch when not in use. Here's a link to the Thunderbox. Full disclosure they are a sponsor of ours, but we haven't found one better.

Thanks for the insight. I look forward to your response.

Eric
 
Thanks for the detailed response. We are in sponge mode right now, picking the brains of those that have gone before.

Here are some takeaways from your response that have me thinking. (Some of yours we've already addressed in our build)

Power: So we were thinking on 200ah with multiple solar panels. But sounds like even more would be worthwhile. Noted!
Printer: Very interesting. Hadn't even considered this. Would love for you to elaborate on this and what you have used it for, specifically on how it has made your border crossings easier?

Here 's a thought for you to possibly consider:

Toilet: Your description was hilarious by the way and oh so true. We have the Thunderbox USA toilet and it has been great for us. It folds down to one inch when not in use. Here's a link to the Thunderbox. Full disclosure they are a sponsor of ours, but we haven't found one better.

Thanks for the insight. I look forward to your response.

Eric

I haven't seen the Thunderbox before, that looks like a perfect emergency toilet. May have to buy one of those for the next build.

Every border crossing requires copies of all your vehicle info, passports, passport stamps, insurance, random documents, etc. You definitely could print off a ton of copies of your passports and title beforehand, but you would still need to get copies of stamps and insurance, and other documents depending on the country. Most borders we encountered had a store nearby with a printer, so you could get away without, it just adds time, money, and possible complications to the process. We found it easier the night before a border crossing to print off everything we needed, and if they needed more running out to the truck to print. We had a cheap bluetooth printer that we could print directly from our phone. With the number of border crossings you'll hit, it may be worthwhile if you have the space
 

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