Overlanding shortly defined involves travelling in small groups and by a specific route to remote territories – places that are off the beaten track. This is what makes these trips al that exciting, as not many people have the opportunity to visit such areas. These trips are definitely not ordinary. They are for the fun loving, excited and adventurous at heart.

Tours can last anything between 4 days to 6 months and usually includes visiting more than one country. Group sizes are small varying from 10 to 25.

Overlanding is a very budget style of travel and accommodation, transport, National Park entry fees and most meals are included in prices. The idea behind an overlanding trip is to escape the busy City life and just become part of nature.

These trips are nothing boring; as it includes all levels of adventurous activities and is suitable for all persons with average to good fitness and good health. Tours are carefully planned so that each tour has its own optional activities. These activities can range anything from extreme adventure – like bungee jumping – to more fun adventure activities like elephant back safaris, scuba diving, white water rafting, fishing, horse riding ?and the list just continues.

The great thing about optional activities is that you do not have to pay for anything you cannot afford or wouldn’t like to do.

You will however be expected to participate in limited amount of general duties on tour like washing your dishes, keeping the vehicle clean, setting up your camp and getting all muddy should the truck get stuck. This ensures that everything on tour runs as smoothly as possible and mostly so that there’s not a dull moment. All the more excitement!

Overlanding vehicles are generally specially designed trucks suited for the roads travelled on and can range anything from “rough-it overlanding” trucks to more luxury spacious trucks with comfortable seats.

The accommodation on tour can range anything from plain camping to budget National Park style bungalows or safari tents.

Local payments may be levied from tour participants in certain African countries. This is a very common on overlanding tours. Local Payments are essential in order to transfer the foreign currencies of the countries visited in order to operate the tours.

Your tour itinerary should state if a local payment will be necessary for the countries you will visit.

A good tip is to always carry US$ cash on you when on tour as US dollars are widely accepted throughout Africa.

Air fares to Africa are usually excluded in the tour price, but overlanding companies or booking agents are mostly able to arrange it on your behalf.

Travel insurance is very important and compulsory on overlanding trips. You must ensure that you take out adequate travel insurance to cover the type of activities you may be interested in. Certain overlanding booking agents or companies will even be able to arrange travel insurance for you.

What makes an overlanding tour so unique is that you meet great people, you experience so much about other cultures, and because you travel in a group, you have experienced guides by your side who will be able to explain all the inns and outs on tour – wherever you are off to.

So, my advice to you, if you are looking for an experience of a lifetime, pack your bag of enthusiasm, excitement and sense of humour and you are ready to head off to an African overlanding adventure of a lifetime.

For many people, buying a boat is the ultimate lifestyle accessory – lazy Sunday afternoons cruising around the bay with family and friends, fishing with mates or simply enjoying a sunset with a loved one while docked at the marina. But before all of this can happen, what are the key points to consider when purchasing a boat?

1. What will you use the boat for?

Just like many other modes of transport, boats too are built for specific uses. Therefore, it’s important to decide what the main use of the boat will be. If you want the boat for fishing, do you want to shallow or deep sea fishing? What about day trips with the family or even using the boat for accommodation purposes? Once you’ve pinpointed what the uses for the boat will be, that will ultimately determine the vessel’s size, features, build and engine power and capacity.

2. What is the right sized boat for your needs?

The size of the boat is very important – it will determine how many passengers you can have onboard, how much luggage you and your guests can bring, what kind of waters you can venture into and how much it will cost to run.

3. What kind of conditions will the boat be taken into?

Boats are specifically built for weather and water conditions from particular materials to ensure they can last the distance -this will impact where you can go and what you can do with your boat.

4. Where will you store the boat?

When deciding where to store the boat, you need to consider if you have the space available at home, or if it’s a larger boat – do you have the extra money to keep it at a marina? Also, it’s important to figure out how accessible the boat will be – moving piles of other things in your garage to get to your boat, or having to book in the use of your boat far in advance at the marina just isn’t practical.

5. Do you have a vehicle appropriate to tow the boat?

If you decide to store the boat at home, you’ll need a car to tow it when you do decide to take it out on the water. If you currently own a vehicle that doesn’t have the ability to do so, you will need to consider hiring or borrowing a car that does. If you intend to take the boat out quite frequently, it might even be beneficial purchasing a vehicle that can tow the boat.

These are all important questions to ask yourself, especially if this is your first time buying a boat. In fact, most first time boat buyers sell their vessel within the first two years – either because they need to upgrade or they give up boating altogether! Don’t let this happen to you – do the research, know what you want and buy the boat that suits what you’re looking for.

Amy Vale provides regular insurance related articles focusing on home insurance, car insurance and boat insurance.

Rochester, MN August 18, 2004 — ???Outdoorseeker.com has tailored its search engine to meet the needs of the outdoor sportsman by having everything available in one location for the fisherman, hunter, and camper and hiker alike.??

Recently, four of my good friends returned from a cycling holiday around the southern French coast. They went for two weeks, camping and staying in tiny little B&Bs on consecutive nights, drinking far too much French wine and getting rather horrific saddle rash. Now, let me be quite clear here, cycling holidays are not my idea of fun. Horribly tight clothes and tiny tiny shorts, sat in an awkwardly painful saddle all day and having to spend eight or so painful hours scooting around country lanes only to pass out at the campsite, wake up and do it all again.

However, this lot seemed to have quite a good time. They went over a for a fortnight and spent the day cycling in four hour blocks; from nine in the morning to roughly one where they would stop at whatever little restaurant looked like it would actually serve a group of sweaty Englishmen, and then from whenever they got back on until about eight in the evening.

To me it just sounds like unnecessary drudgery but to them it was rather a liberating experience; traveling to their own schedule, stopping when and where they wanted, using the roads they had mapped out for themselves and just generally making a right go of it. What is more, by the end of the fortnight they were probably in the best shape they had been for their whole lives. According to their version of events after the first day you feel fine but the next day you are in so much pain that you can’t actually imagine going on.

But go on they did, covering obscene amounts of distance through pretty little French villages and the picturesque countryside. It also turned out to be a very cheap holiday. They drove, taking the channel tunnel to France, parked up in a long stay car park and then cycled a massive circuit about the countryside before returning to their vehicle.

Taking only what they needed they managed to keep their costs well down (tents are much cheaper than hotels). They actually said the best bit of money they spent was on their travel insurance after some sneaky-fingered French thief decided to make off with one of the group’s iPod and (luckily enough, defective) torch. They got their travel insurance with the AA and because they had got the right policy by the time my friend got back to the UK a nice new iPod was already waiting for him.

David Davies is a travel advisor and recommends that you take out travel insurance or multi trip travel insurance depending on the nature of your travels.

Car rental insurance has to be one of the most widely misunderstood phenomena of the 21st century. In the 3+ years I have worked in this industry, close to 25% of all the issues that arise have to do with deductibles, authorizations, refunds and the geocentric validity of insurance. These situations tend to come about once a client has dropped off their vehicle and are presented with a bill that makes their eyes pop out of their head. Today we will discuss methods of avoiding this type of ocular discharge.
Let us first go over the types of insurance you will most likely be presented with when deciding what to rent for a car. There are five major types and a million different minor types, and new ones are being invented everyday. The ones you will have to keep an eye out for are:
1. Collision Insurance – Also known as CDW or LDW, collision insurance covers the body of the vehicle in the event of an accident. Please keep in mind that the last sentence is an exact measure of what it covers and when. In no case does CDW cover damage to windows / windshields, tires, roof, mirrors, interior, headlights, blinkers or undercarraige. On top of that, it only covers for an accident, not vandalism, and sometimes not for single party accidents (i.e.- running into something that isn’t another vehicle). Make sure you ask about these things when booking you reservation.
2. Theft Insurance – Simply put, it covers the car in the event that it is stolen. In order for this insurance to be valid you have to fill out a police report and alert the rental company (and credit card company if you are under their policy) within 24 hours or you will be liable for the price of an entire car.
3. Liability Insurance – Also known as Third Party or TPL, liability is almost always included in a European rental. This will cover any damages incurred to things outside of the vehicle, such as people, buildings, property, etc. So when you happen to crash it through the front window of a crowded shopping mall, you can at least be thankful you don’t have to pay for it (unless your liability insurance has a ridiculously low limit, most have unlimited coverage).
4. Personal Accident Insurance – Or PAI, this covers medical expenses for people in your vehicle in the event of an accident. Typically this type of insurance can be circumvented with a good health plan here stateside and will almost always only cover you up to a few thousand dollars, up to 20 or 50 thousand dollars in the case of death or dismemberment, but we’re all hoping that doesn’t happen anyway.
5. Personal Effects Coverage – Covers your belongings up to a predetermined amount. Usually is not valid unless you can prove the items were in the car (so take pictures of your stuff while you are there if you want this insurance).
Keep in mind that if you are cited for negligence or drunk driving, most of these insurances will be null and void. So if you are going out for a night or several of partying, it’s best to leave the rental at the hotel and take alternate transportation.
Rental companies will always try to convince you that you need to take their insurance, but this isn’t always true. In fact, if you have a US or Canadian issued credit card, it very may well have collision and theft insurance already covered for you. Most gold and platinum cards have decent coverage policies, with little to no deductible. The cards that may cover abroad are American Express & Visa (up to 30 days continuous), Mastercard (15 days continuous) and Diners Club (usually 30 days but varies). Under no circumstances should you try to use a Discover card overseas. Though you may be told by your representative that they cover the insurance, you can bet that it will not be accepted at the rental counter.
Also, don’t expect to use your stateside car insurance policy in Europe. It won’t work. Even policies that you purchase stateside with the sole intention of covering you for car rental overseas will generally not be accepted at the counter. Sometimes you can get a policy that will reimburse you for expenses related to car rental accidents, but these are treated separately since they do not directly involve the rental company.
There are exceptions to this rule, particularly in Ireland, where currently the only coverage accepted is Mastercard Platinum. It can be assumed that in the future there may be more than one country that accepts only a certain type of card so make sure you mention to your credit card company where you are picking up the car before taking their policy at face value. Get a copy of the policy in writing. Not only is this a good safety measure but it will speed up the process at the counter if the agent argues the validity of your coverage. Also, make sure to inquire into the claims procedures that your credit card company uses to enact coverage and recoup deductibles in the event of an accident. Usually there is a lot of red tape involved, but in the end if you decide to use your credit card coverage you can save anywhere from 50 to 500 dollars for a single week’s rental!
As there is an upside (saving money) and a downside (filing extensive paperwork) to using your credit card coverage, the same is true of taking the insurance from the rental company. The downsides are that you have to pay the premium to begin with, and then if you get into an accident, there is usually a deductible between $200 to $2000 or more depending on the type of car that you will be liable for. In theory you are only supposed to pay for the amount of damage done but somehow the rental companies can make a dented bumper work out to cost $2000. The unforunate thing is that you can’t really stay to contest it. Normally you have to jump on a plane to your next destination! The upside of this is that you can walk away without having to do anything else. That block on your credit card will become a charge and that’s the end of it, until the bill gets to your house of course.
Understanding the insurance limitations and capabilities can be a mind-numbing practice. However it is one of the most important parts of the car rental experience, so it is better to be safe than sorry. Considering that the rental companies make a good portion of their profits on unused insurance, you can see why they would intentionally make it time-consuming and confusing to approach it any other way. God forbid you ever have to really apply this information to your car rental. The more prepared you are, the less you have a chance to lose during your experience. In the next chapter we will talk about how to prepare for the fun part: the actual driving.
Murdoch Morris has worked in the European car rental industry for 3+ years, learning about the intricacies of insurance so others don’t have to. Feel free to contact him with any questions you may have specific to your next trip to Europe.
http://www.autoeurope.com

Many people believe that the first thing you should do to plan a trip is to figure out where you want to go. In a way this is correct, but only in a general sense. For example, say on your next trip to Europe you want to visit France, Spain and Italy. This is fine and you should have an idea of this to begin with. The reason that I wrote the previous three articles in the order I did: Car Size & Type, Price and Insurance, is that I feel you should have a good idea of what it is you need before you decide on what it is you want. The same is true of airfare and hotel accommodations as well but here we are only talking about planning the car rental part of the trip.
Once you know your requirements in relation to your budget. It’s time to decide how much time you’ll have and how far you can drive, and the routes you want to take. There are several excellent programs on the internet for determining driving times and distances between two locations. For Europe, I recommend Mappy, since it is very detailed and will give you some idea of landmarks to look for while driving, along with toll information for longer stretches. If you have the processing power, Google Earth is also a really neat program to work with, although it is much more complicated. Make sure you have the address (including postal code) of the place you are leaving from and arriving to. Most of the time this will be from one hotel to the next, or between the hotel and the car rental company. Try to find a rental location that is both near to your hotel and a highway on-ramp. This is increasingly important depending on the size and population of the city you are driving into. Surprisingly enough I have yet to find a program that easily maps from one European airport to another, although MapoRama hits it sometimes. Route 66 software will get you the distances between airports but not the written out directions or toll information.
Now that you know how to get where you are going, it’s time to figure how how much and how long it will take to get there. If you are doing pretty straightforward highway driving you can take the distance given to you in the mapping program and divide it by 60 (or 96 if it was given to you in kilometers) and this will give you a rough approximation of travel time. Remember that if you are planning on doing some sightseeing, allow yourself at least twice this number. Although you did rent a car to get from one place to the other in the most efficient way, it doesn’t do you any good to miss all the sights. That’s what you came to Europe for, right?
The other factor in this case is how much gas is going to cost you. The first thing you have to know in this case is how many miles (or kilometers) per gallon the vehicle you are renting is going to get. A good number to work with is about 30 mpg for 1.6 litre engine vehicles (typically intermediate or standard sedans) and 40 mpg for 1.4 litre engines (economy and compact). These numbers are actually a little low but it’s better to err on the side of caution. Considering these are highway numbers and not city, in-town driving will bring this figure down a bit. This is also based on a manual transmission. Also it is not uncommon to receive either an upgrade at the counter to a larger car class due to a lack of the size you reserved, nor is it rare to receive a compact car with a 1.6 litre engine. These things do happen and it’s better not to be caught unawares. Once you know this, just apply this simple equation:
Cost = (Distance / Mpg) * Price per Gallon
Also be aware that as most things in Europe are in Euros, kilometers, and litres, you may need to do some additional conversions. There are 1.6094 kilometers to every mile, and there are 3.8 litres to every gallon. To find out what the current exchange rate is from the dollar to Euro, consult your favorite on-line currency converter. A quick example of this to go by, let’s say you have to drive from Vienna, Austria to Paris, France (about 775 miles) in a 1.6 litre engine Renault Laguna. The resulting cost would be about $120 dollars since the current price per litre in Austria is about 1.01 euros or $4.67 USD per gallon, which is then multiplied by 25.83 (775 miles divided by 30 mpg). So you can tell now that this is a major expense, not to mention adding the toll fees on top of that! This might seem exorbitant at first but try checking out railpasses for 4 people and then you’ll see not only is this pretty modest but you won’t have to change trains, miss scenic opportunities or travel on someone else’s schedule.
So are you ready to enjoy your new-found freedom? Well before you go, let’s talk about big city driving. Most travelers fly into a major airport, get their vehicle and head straight into the city. It’s probably a better idea to take the train or a taxi into town first, establish yourself at your hotel, get your bearings and then make your way to the rental agency to pick up your car. If you have ever driven in NYC, Los Angeles or even Boston, then you have an idea of what it can be like, but you still need to stay alert at all times. Each city has its own quirks, such as London (left hand driving, congestion zone charges), Barcelona (one way streets), Paris (traffic, no parking), Rome and Florence (also remember in Venice you have to drop the car outside of town). Believe the hype about the Italian driving style if you haven’t been privy to it. Extremely aggressive, with a case-by-case attitude towards obeying traffic signs, stoplights, etc. It isn’t bad driving per se (some would call it exciting) but hard to adapt to. Make sure you know where your arrival airport is in relation to the place you are staying. Consult the tourist boards for public transportation.
All in all, taking a rental car through Europe is a unique experience. As tourists from another continent, we must respect all rules and regulations concurrent to the country we are driving in. I urge you to learn all the signs and at least some of the road language. Remember that most of the time they are not in English! Ignorance of the law does not make you exempt from it, so if you get pulled over, politely explain that you were unaware but don’t expect special treatment for it (if anything expect a bigger fine) since you are an American. After that you can speed back onto the Autobahn and join the everyday race. Just remember to pass on the left!
Murdoch Morris has spent 3+ years mostly listening to other people’s stories about driving in Europe, although he has a couple under his belt as well. Feel free to contact him with any questions you may have specific to your next trip to Europe.
http://www.autoeurope.com