Regulars at Expedition Portal will no doubt be familiar with the adventures of Akela World, aka Leander, Maria, and their son, Lennox. If you’re not, check out my feature vehicle article on their epic overland build, a 1977 Mercedes Benz LA 911 B named “Akela.”
This adventurous family started their round-the-world trip traveling from their home in Austria to Vladivostok, Russia, via the Silk Road, then continuing to Korea, Japan, Borneo, Indonesia, Australia, and finally, the USA before Covid abruptly ended their plans. Once back in Austria, the family made much-needed improvements to their faithful rig, and when travel restrictions lifted, they shipped their truck to Canada. This is where we find them, picking up right where they left off. If you’d like to know more about their journey and future plans, check out akela.world.
I’m obsessed with their 1977 Mercedes LA 911 B, so I was excited when the Florb YouTube channel recently released an interview with the family, which included a full tour of their rig. Akela World begins the video by explaining that their overland adventure was born out of a desire to visit New Zealand, but the cost of flying there and renting a vehicle for a couple of months was extortionately expensive. Instead, they decided to build a vehicle and travel to New Zealand overland. They knew from the outset that they wanted to avoid the highways and busy routes, and this meant choosing a dependable vehicle with 4WD. The Mercedes was already outfitted as a camper when they bought it, and they hoped they could utilize the existing amenities. However, the truck had already explored Africa, and subsequently, both the mechanicals and camper were tired and in need of updating.
In the end, the family worked tirelessly on the truck full-time for a whopping two years before it was finally ready to hit the road. Leander states it was crucial to keep the truck as simple as possible to reduce points of failure, which is why the mechanicals are largely stock, and they utilized manual or non-electrical accessories wherever possible. That said, the camper is exceptionally well equipped and is designed to be completely self-sufficient off-grid.
The highlight of the video is undoubtedly the camper tour by Lennox, which is thorough and informative but also a fascinating insight into what it’s like to grow up on the road. The family also shares some of the sacrifices they’ve made to make this life possible and debunks the illusion that their adventure is some kind of “unlimited vacation.” They finish up by discussing how driving such an underpowered classic vehicle has taught them to slow down and break away from the urgency of the rat race.
Florb did a fantastic job on this interview and tour, which is hardly surprising, seeing as the channel is the brainchild of successful filmmaker and fellow world traveler Dylan Magaster. The Akela World threesome represents some of the most inspiring overlanders I’ve ever had the pleasure of interviewing, and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of their beautiful rolling home. If you’d like to see more videos from the family, then subscribe to their Youtube Channel.
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