Romy from GloboOverland
“One day you will wake up and there won’t be any time to do the things you’ve always wanted.”
Growing up in Brazil I spent a lot of time in nature. I went on lots of camping trips with my parents and the scouts. I lost track of how much I enjoyed being in nature until my partner and I moved to New Zealand. We bought our landcruiser and started going on road trips every weekend and longer whenever we could get the time off work.
We started with just a mattress in the back and our jetboil and we were happy. We didn’t feel like we needed much more. We loved going on 4wd convoy adventures with our friends, making a fire and just being in the middle of nowhere in a valley somewhere in the South Island of New Zealand.
We soon realised we love this feeling so much than when we decided to move back to the UK to be closer to our families, driving our landcruiser overland was a nobrainer. We weren’t willing to part with it and we look forward to being able to enjoy more overlanding trips in Europe in our little home on wheels.
Our trip started in New Zealand where we explored both the south and north island before shipping the truck to Malaysia. During this period we backpacked in Australia and Indonesia. Our overland trip continued through Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, India and Pakistan where we are at the moment. We will then go to Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Italy, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, France and end in England.
Who or what inspired you to choose independent vehicle travel as your mode of transportation?
My friend Phil (@07_phil) has been our inspiration for this trip. We met him in New Zealand. He is from Germany and had driven his land cruiser 60 series from Australia to Germany. He just bought a cheap land cruiser and drove it home. His simplicity really proved to us we didn’t need all the gear and that we too could just drive home.
Everyone always asks a traveller what their favorite country is. Do you have a favorite country? If not, what is a place that is special to you?
I don’t have a favourite country as such. In my opinion countries are so different and varied that saying one is better than the other is almost unfair. Plus, my feelings about the places I have visited are dynamic and always changing so you might not get the same answer to this question.
My favourite place would be the very first night of our overlanding trip. Camping on lake Pukaki with a clear view of Mount Cook – the highest mountain in New Zealand. Blue skies and refreshing turquoise water for swimming, feeling the warm sun on your skin and chatting into night fall as the moon and stars came out.
Travelling has taught me…
That overlanding is not all amazing camp spots and stunning views like we had romanticised about before setting off on our journey. Before leaving New Zealand I thought we would be alone, in the middle of nowhere for days on end from time to time as we passed through the world. I have since learnt that the world is way more populated than I had ever been able to imagine and there are people everywhere.
Another lesson is that patience is key to this style of travelling.
Overlanding sucks sometimes because…
… everyday on the road can range from the most heavenly to extremely frustrating.
I am a badass woman because…
I am able to stay happy and positive through challenging situations and I don’t complain very much.
One of the most common questions we get is about finances. Do you have any tips, tricks or advice on this topic?
Start saving, set up a direct debit for the day after pay day and book a start date for your trip to look forward to. Set yourself an average daily budget for the trip, live accordingly and keep reviewing your finances to ensure you are on track. Make sure you have some emergency money in case your vehicle needs a big job or you need flights home for any reason. That has given us enough security so we can just relax and enjoy the journey. Use the money exchange rate app which is really helpful and can be used offline.
Reward yourself. If you’re in budget treat yourself to a nice meal or activity. It’s good to keep track of your finances but you also have to enjoy yourself.
How has this experience changed you?
Living in the land cruiser and travelling overland has made me realise how much I appreciate the simple luxuries of life. A cold outdoor shower with beautiful views at the end of a long hot day driving is complete bliss.
What are your favorite overland resources (blogs, books, FB pages, etc.)?
Other overlanders have been the most helpful for us. Though everyone has a different experience people tend to be much more real about their advice than the usual travel guide books which seem to be overwhelmingly positive. The app ioverlander has been incredibly useful as well as Facebook groups and Horizons Unlimited.
What is a simple life hack you’ve discovered while on the road?
I wash my underwear everyday and dry it on the dashboard. This way I always have clean underwear and I’ve just got into a habit of doing it. It’s become so normal for us that sometimes I forget they’re there when we are doing border crossings and the guards are poking heir heads in 🤣
What advice would you give to someone with a dream to travel overland?
Don’t let anyone stop you from following your dreams. You don’t need as much as you think to do a trip like this. The positives outweigh the negatives and you will have a life changing experience with memories no one can take away from you. That is the biggest gift of all!
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