Okay, so you have decided to go overlanding with your 4x4 through Africa. Then what?
That's the big question we've been trying to answer comprehensively for the past few weeks. It definitely takes a lot of preparation - and with a lot, we mean really A LOT. Not only checking the legal requirements for crossing multiple borders, but also digging into international insurances and planning possible travel routes. Getting our car ready to spend months on the road and also especially "off road" was another project - we want to make sure we are safe and able to recover the car in case of trouble. Jeroen is even taking a few lessons in the workshop of our car mechanic to learn the survival basics: changing tyres, replacing engine parts, checking brakes etc. To keep track of everything we still need to do, we have created a Trello board - nothing that some solid project management can't solve (at least I've learned some useful skills at work...).
Of course, it is also a lot of fun. It is great to daydream about the adventures ahead; getting excited about the places we will go, the communities we would like to meet and the stories we hope to collect. Recently, we went to Intu4x4 - a company in Nairobi that specializes in building overlanding cars fitted for long camping trips. In fact, the rooftop tent we already have was purchased from them. Walking around in the shop, it was hard not to get carried away by all the equipment and adjustments possible to our car. We have to also be cautious of our budget, since there are always costs you did not foresee when you started. Thankfully, we only require a few small upgrades to be done, mostly to the boot to be able to fit our stuff conveniently in the back and an awning on the side so that we always have some shade. See https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxJLJ0VsIJZ/ for a short video of this. We're super grateful to these guys for making our car overland-proof!
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