To start with I thought I would just explain myself a little…
Why do i want to do such a “crazy” thing.
Well its damn well not actually – think about this for one second…
We live in a world where the amount of money that exists doesn’t really exist,
- Where everyday you go into work to make money yet seem to spend half of it just getting to work,
- Where adventures must be completed by Sunday evening at the latest so you can be back at work on Monday morning bright and early to give your all for the company
- Where most of your efforts at work do wonders for the company, but somehow not for you.
- Where you are so tired in an evening after your long day and long commute that family activities are limited to eating tea together.
- Where your ‘life‘ revolves around making sure this routine is carried out
Now i don’t want to sound like some sort of hippie (which I’m really not, I listen to German Hardcore music for christs sake!)
So I decided that this wasn’t worthwhile, nor something I really wanted to do.
Why have i got to where I am now?
Fair question, why have I not already made this decision already. Why did I not up sticks and leave straight after school?
Well really I believe there are two factors to blame here: Me and the education system.
Let’s start with me shall we?
I take 90% of the blame here for not shifting things on. I have always wanted to do things like this but have never really been able to plan anything in advance, nor have I ever managed to save enough money for a big old overlanding adventure.
So I went down the normal path without really saying anything. Off to Uni (Because the schools in the UK are all basically jusdged on how many people go to university this was the route that was “right for me”, hated that, left…
Off to work, started off Okay.. it was an ‘adventure’ in it’s own right as all of life is of course, but now I have come to the realisation that I could flit around ‘normal’ jobs treating each one as it’s own adventure or I could actually go out there and do what I really want to do and what I have always wanted to do.
Me and Trucks
Ask anyone who knows me. I love driving.
I also love any large vehicle. I grew up with my father in the army. He was in the REME (auto technicians in camoflauge). This meant that there were always lots of big vehicles around, from Landrovers up to Tanks and everything in-between.
Since then I just seem to have some sort of admiration for large vehicles, and a want for driving them! (please feel free to use the comments box to remind me how sad I am and the fact that I am compensating for something hehe!)
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Above: at the annual Campervan mecca (the Camping & Caravan salon @ Dusseldorf, Germany
Me and Travel
Whilst my sister and I were gorwing up our parents had a variety of caravans and campervans. Our holidays consisted mostly of travelling hundreds of miles, stoppping, travelling more miles, stopping and so on.
I have never really grown out of this “windscreen tourism” – traveling through Europe whenever possible in my own van, stopping off here and there whenever an opportunity presents itself and stopping over in campsites in a tent for a few days when somewhere that is ripe to explore presents itself, A bit of a European ‘softcore’ overland experience really.
Me and Overlanding
I have always wanted to travel, but i have always dreamed of actually being able to make a living out of it, passing on stories to others and generally providing a service.
This is where overlanding comes in. It provides all the things I could want. Endless scenery explore, a reasonable dollop of “windscreen tourism”, a group of eager travelers as companions and lashings of driving in a large truck.
Well thats how the ideal situation would go anyway…
The reality is probably more like this – ridiculously long drives, crap weather meaning hours are spent crossing just a few miles of terrain, eager companions turn into whining and rebellious and tired hordes and the scenery keeps on trying to kill you, especially the wildlife.
Wake up tomorrow morning, the rains gone and everyone is exhausted. But you’ve made it… Smile!
