What is overlanding? How do you get started? Do you actually need all the gear on Instagram or that fancy 4×4 vehicle? And what about using the bathroom? How does that work?
As the overland community in the United States mushrooms and many people are asking about this “overland thing” for the first time, we decided to launch a video series to share the most important lessons and tips we’ve learned during nearly eight years of full-time vehicle travel.
Our complete Overlanding 101 video series is now on YouTube and we think it will benefit overlanders at all experience levels. For beginners, we set out to simplify overlanding concepts and get you on the road as soon as possible. But even advanced overlanders can pick up different, better ways of doing things (we certainly do all the time).
These eight videos are not a regurgitation of everything you’ve heard before. We lean into our personal experience, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s actually like to overland full-time (with a four-year-old). We try to have fun and not take ourselves too seriously.
Save Our Overlanding 101 Playlist on YouTube
1/ What Is Overlanding?
Our goal is not to exclude anyone from overlanding. But if we don’t define words, then they lose their meaning. And that would be a shame in this case because overlanding has a rich history and a legacy that continues through travel heroes around the world today.
In the first video of our Overlanding 101 series, we offer our definition of overlanding, as well as insight and practical tips for those just getting started.
Let us know in a comment whether you agree with our definition!
2/ What Do You Really Need to Start Overlanding?
This topic is so important to us. We hate to see people wasting money and time gathering up stuff, when they could be directing their resources to actually traveling. So in this video, we encourage you to ignore the hype and focus on the basic essentials you need to start overlanding.
3/ Trip Planning
Maybe you’re eager to take your first overlanding trip, but you’re overwhelmed by the planning process. We’ve been traveling full-time since 2014, which means we’re in a constant state of travel planning! In this video, we share trip planning processes and resources to make your life easier.
4/ Overlanding Camp Kitchen and Cooking
Not gonna lie, it’s way harder to prepare meals when you don’t have running water, hot water, an oven, or whatever fancy kitchen gear you’re used to having. It takes time to learn a new cooking flow.
In this video, we share our favorite camp kitchen gear and setup, as well as the most important tips we’ve learned about overland cooking. I even explain exactly how I wash dishes, which is something that was really hard for me at first.
5/ Overland Hygiene
This video covers questions we are asked all the time! We talk about all things hygiene, including how we toilet and shower. We also talk about the clean side/dirty side concept we use for our home on wheels.
6/ A Day in the Life of Full-time Overlanding
This is the most popular video in our series! For “Day in the Life,” we filmed from the time we woke up in the morning until the time we went to bed. The result is an authentic, transparent look at our life as full-time overlanders.
7/ Top 20 Everyday Overlanding Gear
Overlanding is not about stuff, but there are items we use every single day that definitely make overlanding more sustainable for our family. In this video, we play Show & Tell with our favorite 20 pieces of gear that get used daily.
8/ Overlanding With Kids
We couldn’t complete our series without talking about overlanding with kids. We want to empower other families to travel with their children, and this video contains what I’ve learned through being pregnant, giving birth, and raising a little person as a full-time traveler.
Children are not a reason or excuse to avoid overlanding. In fact, having them along makes the experiences much richer and more memorable.
We hope you enjoy our Overlanding 101 series, and leave comments with your questions or feedback. We are available to you as a resource.
Next up on YouTube, we will be sharing our travels in interior Mexico!
-B
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