If you’re new here, then hi. I’m Brittany Highland, and I’ve been traveling full-time by vehicle with my husband Eric since February 2014. Yep, almost eight years with no house or property to our name–just a home on wheels to take us where we want to go.
In late 2016, we added a baby nomad to our traveling crew. And not too long after, we discovered overlanding. The rest is history. We’re now driving around the world in a Jeep Gladiator.
That’s the short story. But there’s a much longer story, one full of mistakes made and lessons learned.
During summer 2021, right before we left the United States to begin our global journey, we went on a public speaking circuit. We attended two Overland Expos and participated in several smaller events. Our most popular presentation was about what we wish we’d known before overlanding full-time. What you’re reading here is, more or less, the written version of our presentation.
When I started writing, I realized I could easily write 5,000 words based on our presentation. So instead of giving you the world’s longest blog post, I’m writing my first ebook instead.
Subscribe to get the complete ebook
I am blogging an in-progress ebook! To receive the complete ebook for free, sign up below. I will send you the PDF file to download as soon as the ebook is finished.
Rather than make you wait for the final ebook, I’m doing an experiment and blogging my ebook as I write it! This will be a 10-part series. Once all 10 parts are written, I will compile them into an ebook and email the PDF file to our subscribers FOR FREE. So make sure you click the orange button above to subscribe, so you can download the completed ebook and refer to it whenever you want to.
Even if you don’t overland full-time, you shouldn’t blow this information off too quickly. Most of the lessons I share still apply to you!
Now let’s get started with the first thing Eric and I wish we had known before we started overlanding full-time.

1/ Stuff is a sad substitute for experience
Overlanding can be an intimidating activity for newbies, as we go off-grid into the wilderness, out of cell service, with only ourselves to rely on. It’s easy to look at the influencers on Instagram and the gear they post about, then go straight to Amazon and buy ALL THE STUFF. The stuff becomes our security blanket.
But here’s the thing. We all overland differently. Our vehicles are different, and so are our timelines and the regions/countries we visit. Some of us like to spend time in towns, soaking in the local culture and food, while others want to get so far out there’s not a soul in sight. Or a mix of both!
The only way we can know what stuff we really need is to get out there and start experimenting. So start with what you have. Don’t buy expensive gear (or, God forbid, a new vehicle) until you know what you enjoy.
All you really need are the five basics of survival:
- Water
- Food
- Shelter
- Warmth or the ability to create warmth
- Sleep
If you have those five elements covered, then you can take your first overlanding trip. Don’t overthink it!
When Eric and I started overlanding (with the Jeep Wrangler we already owned), we made three lists during each of our first trips:
- What we took with us and used
- What we took and didn’t use
- What we didn’t take and wished we had
We used those lists to fine-tune our packing on subsequent trips. The lists also helped us know–with confidence–where we should invest our (limited) money.
Whatever you do, don’t spend so much money on stuff that you don’t have anything left for actual travel. The experiences are what you will remember. Stuff is a sad substitute for experience.
COMING UP: Stuff is a sad substitute for hands-on training
Stay tuned for the second lesson I share, as I blog my in-progress ebook. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up for a copy of my complete ebook, which I’ll email you for free as soon as it’s finished.
Subscribe to get the complete ebook
I am blogging an in-progress ebook! To receive the complete ebook for free, sign up below. I will send you the PDF file to download as soon as the ebook is finished.
Thanks for participating in my blogging experiment. We’ll see you soon for the next lesson we want to share with you!
-B
Excellent! When the guy who installed the 300Tdi Diesel engine in my Defender 90 and came to pick it up and take it north to his shop saw all the crap I carried in my drawers (every tool I’d ever needed in my long history of wrenching, redundant recovery gear, etc. etc.) he said “Um, you need an intervention.” Less really can be more -:)
“An intervention”–that makes me chuckle! I think basically everyone who is just starting to overland needs an intervention. Appreciate you reading. The second installment will publish at 8 a.m. tomorrow!
1- When I clicked on the link to subscribe to the ebook, I received an error message that said I was already subscribed.
2- Stuff is a sad substitute for experience.
What a GREAT quote! I can see it on a sticker! or tee shirt! Or as a Mantra, or all the above!!!
I’m all ears 🙂 Now I going to back and watch the Overland interview again. Am sure I’ll catch another nugget the 2nd time around 🙂
1/ That’s a good point! I knew that would happen to current subscribers and unfortunately I can’t do anything about it. But I’ll think of ways to educate current subscribers and let them know they will automagically receive the ebook, too!
2/ Hadn’t even thought about using it for merchandise! Eric always tells me I’m a bad marketer. Haha.
This is so true! Unfortunately, we bought way too much stuff when we transitioned to full time RV life (we’re currently in a small travel trailer, but plan to downsize soon and start taking baby steps into overlanding). I’ve also found that the way we travel and want to travel has changed in the past 1.5 years since we left suburbia.
Thanks for sharing such great content!
It is a process. During the 7 years we lived in an RV, we did “spring cleaning” every six months. It was a good time to evaluate what we weren’t using and pass it on. One thing I learned when we moved out of our Class A in December 2018 was that I had spent a lot of time evaluating what we carried in the basement, and not enough time looking at what we had in our inside cabinets. I guess I assumed we were using what we had in the cabinets, but we weren’t and it was so overwhelming to deal with it all in the short time we gave ourselves to pack.