Preparation

The most important aspect

Vehicle Prep - Aside from being a reliable and economical means of transport for us and our equipment, the landy also needs to be a reasonably comfortable home for two people (and with any luck a few visiting friends/family along the way) for hopefully a year.

For these reasons we have tried to put together the best vehicle and accessories we can afford. We realised very early that there is a tempting mountain of add-ons and replacement kit out there, and apart from the huge expense of all this stuff, we had to make sure that each accessory or vehicle add-on was absolutely necessary for the trip. Weight has to always be a consideration.

Equipment - It has been such fun finding out about all the various bits and pieces that are available as "expedition equipment". Some of it is very advanced stuff (with a price to match), while other things are really basic, but just make good common sense. Hopefully we have been making the right choices so far, as tempting as some of the wrong choices make themselves sometimes. Thank goodness for budget constraints.

Personal - We started this dream as complete novices, floundering in new terminology and overwhelming mountains of facts, figures and fantasy to get to grips with. Thank goodness for the internet. We still have so much to learn, but at least can make educated choices now and hold semi-overlandy type conversations with those who have gone before us. We also now understand all about that little second gear lever and the mind-blowing stuff it allows us to do with Duzi2.

Financial - This is perhaps the most daunting aspect of the trip. Where on earth are we going to get the money from, to live this dream of ours. Getting the vehicle and the basic equipment is a HUGE expense, which we have nearly got on top of, but to be able to complete the prospective trip, we are going to need some serious budgeting and financial planning, and maybe a lottery win or sponsorship, etc.

Medical - You don't need it until you need it !! We have been very lucky in having been able to get hold of a lot of medicinal stuff while in South Africa on pre-trip visits, which has made this a lot more affordable. Trying to make sense of all the new medical terminology is just as difficult as the technical jargon in a Land Rover Workshop Manual. Which anti-malaria tablets do you take? How many of the vaccines are absolutely necessary?

Paperwork - These days it seems you need documentation for absolutely everything. You'd never guess we live in an age when we are supposed to be striving for a paperless environment. From "Carnet" to "Visa", it's all necessary and must be accurate and complete, and sometimes multiple copies of it too.

A lot to get through, but it helps us to drive through Africa safe and secure !!

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