Instructions and Learnings

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

For many it means “back to school” to learn the necessary skills needed for safe and fun overlanding. It was amazing how little we really knew before we set off on our first overland expedition. We had a seriously steep learning curve but it was fun

4X4 INSTRUCTION

• Essential if you have never done any serious off roading. It is best to do it in the vehicle you plan to travel in and make sure it is fully loaded when practising. We took our 4X4 driving and vehicle recovery course with Pieter Du Plessis in South Africa. We highly recommend him as an instructor he wasn’t our first instructor but he was the best.

South Africa 4X4 Instruction

To contact Pieter or for further details click on Off ROAD TRAINING IN SOUTH AFRICA

North America 4X4 Instruction

There are several off road and vehicle training facilities in North America and to find the one closest to you contact the International 4 Wheel Driver Trainer’s Association I4WDTA

VEHICLE RECOVERY

• No use buying all the equipment if you don’t learn how to use it safely. Learning to use the equipment safely and correctly such as the high lift jack, winch and other recovery accessories is essential. It is also important to learn how to care for the equipment, don’t want to find your high lift jack all bunged up with dirt when you need it. Don’t know what you need? talk to the experts who actual use the equipment not just sell it.

WILDERNESS MEDICAL AND FIRST AID

• On our first trip we dutifully went on a Red Cross First Aid Course, sure we learnt a lot, we also learnt to dial 911 and wait for the paramedics to arrive. Not much help when you are out in the wilderness days from any help. We needed to learn what to do when we couldn’t call 911.
• Again you need to assess just how remote you may get and how close you will be to medical assistance and facilities. Once you have determined your learning needs you can find the right course for you.
• We did our training with Dave Watt at the Rocky Mountain Adventure Medicine, who provided us with an excellent information on surviving in the wilderness when there is no immediate assistance. For more information go to Rocky Mountain Adventure Medicine
• When traveling to remote areas where there is no access to medical facilities or physicians it is recommended you are knowledgeable about the medications you may be carrying such as when to use which antibiotic etc

LANGUAGES

• Knowing the languages just makes you travel experience that much richer and more fun. We struggled to learn French it is a difficult language but it certainly helped to speak a little when traveling in West Africa.  The ability to speak with the locals adds significantly to the enjoyment of your experience as a traveler.  We are now committed to learning Spanish for Central and South America. There are certainly lots of organizations in North America that offer Latin American Spanish and it is a wonderful language to learn, much easier for me than French.

NAVIGATION

• The moment you decide on an overland trip get out your GPS and start using it for every where you drive, especially if you are planning to travel across Africa. It is essential if you know how to fully use your GPS.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO

• Photographic or video courses will help ensure you know how to use your equipment and take the best photos/videos.