can it be done without the backing of a major company? i.e major sponsorship. looking at 2007 for a serious expedition. and ideas or tips would be good. thanks

depends how much money you have dunnit!! i'd be thinking about putting kevlar on it and fitting nitrous as once you get past europe your into injun country and may well need sometrhing that can out run the local bad guys. speak to anybody that was on the gumball rally in 2000 find out about ex soviet countries. look at yer telly for info on the south asian countries and the middle east.
not every where is as peaceful as the home counties

slob said:

not every where is as peaceful as the home counties

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Canvey Island makes the Middle east look tame.

plenty of info here, should get you started on the right track, (pun intended)
www.difflock.com/offroad/expeditions/personal.shtml

clockwise or anti clockwise?

better make it clockwise, dont want the sump nut coming undone.

slob said:

depends how much money you have dunnit!! i'd be thinking about putting kevlar on it and fitting nitrous as once you get past europe your into injun country and may well need sometrhing that can out run the local bad guys. speak to anybody that was on the gumball rally in 2000 find out about ex soviet countries. look at yer telly for info on the south asian countries and the middle east.
not every where is as peaceful as the home counties

Click to expand...

have to agree with a fair bit of that, It depends on how much money you have! if you are rich, then no, you don't need anyone else to fund it, otherwise, you should be able to go out there, with a capable vehicle, (has been done in complete heaps) http://www.carpages.co.uk/kia/kia-sorento-18-08-05.asp?switched=on&echo=814157793
make sure you know what route you want to take, as you will need to obtain visas (or bullet proof armour depending on the country) and ensure you have somewhere to sleep, a tent is cheap, but not secure or comfy, a hotel is secure and comfy, but expensive, and the back of the car is secure, cheap, but probably decidedly uncomfy.

what about food, are there going to be extended periods where you will not see civilisation, if so, you can't rely on popping into tescos to get a sandwich for the road! some sort of cooking equipment and food storage might be needed.

you should also consider what happens if your car breaks, do you need spares, other people, specialist recovery equipment?

do you need to hold on to a job? I can't imagine that many employers who would keep you on if you take a 7 month leave of absence to go travel around the world.

fuel? its cheaper everywhere else in the world, but 30,000 miles does use a fair amount of juice, this will obviously contribute to costs.

I don't mean to sound negative in the slightest. on the contrary, I would recommend trying. I am currently involved in planning a similar trip, though, we've managed to obtain a large amount of corporate sponsorship. look at our site for any ideas. http://www.lonewolftransglobal.com

Nick

Yes it can be done! Optimism and drive is what you need. Design some portfolios, offer advertising on your truck and give a fair % to charity. Done by a friend of mine right across Africa for his honeymoon. 18 months, and the company sponsors paid for the lot!