WHAT IS OVERLANDING?
Overlanding involves traveling to remote places where travel as such is the main goal, but not the only one. Generally, although not exclusively, transport mechanisms with off-road capabilities are used, where the main form of accommodation is camping. It is often lasting, with extended periods of time, including even beyond our borders.
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Overlanding has increased in the last two decades, becoming increasingly popular, influenced in large part by the realization of the Camel Trophy event that was held from 1980 to 2000 by routes crossing extremely difficult terrain. Later, in 2007, the Overland Journal began publishing. Nowadays it is common to organize meetings through groups that practice it.
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Thanks to the Internet that facilitated access to information, long trips in foreign lands can be better planned. There are also many forums where travelers exchange information and advice, as well as the planning of the coordinates through which they will cross.
Overlanding is about explore, instead of conquering obstacles. While the roads and trails we travel can be difficult or technically difficult, they are the means to an end, not the goal itself. The goal is to see and learn about our world, whether it's a weekend trip 200 miles from your home or a 10,000+ miles expedition through another country or continent. The vehicle and the equipment can be simple or extravagant; they are also a means to an end. History, wildlife, culture, landscapes, self-sufficiency: these are the rewards of overlanders.
TERMINOLOGY
CAR CAMPING
Traveling in a vehicle to an established campground. If there is a picnic table there, it is probably car camping.
BACK COUNTRY ADVENTURE
A one-day or multi-day off-highway trip on an adventure motorcycle or in a 4WD vehicle.
OVERLAND(ING)
Vehicle-supported, self-reliant adventure travel, typically exploring remote locations and interacting with other cultures.
VEHICLE-DEPENDENT EXPEDITION
An organized, vehicle-dependent journey with a defined purpose, often geographic or scientific in nature.
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EXPEDITION VEHICLE
A 4WD vehicle or adventure motorcycle prepared for self-reliant travel over long distances, through unpredictable weather and over variable terrain.
DIFFERENCES
Technical terrain can be encountered throughout the journey, and the travelers may even seek out the most challenging route to a destination as part of their experience, but overland travel is not the same as recreational "fourwheeling", where the primary objective is overcoming challenging obstacles. The critical point to the term overland travel is that the purpose is to include at least two or more of the following:
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Remote locations.
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Cultures other than your own.
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Under-explored or under-documented regions.
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Self-reliance in unfamiliar territories for multiple days, weeks or months. That is to say, an overnight trip to the local mountains on a well-documented route, staying in an established campground with full-hookups, is not an overland adventure, it is a backcountry trip or at the very least, car camping.
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Primary purpose: Exploration and adventure travel
Duration: Typically a week to many years. Can be only a few days if the route is particularly remote, challenging, or infrequently traveled.
Logistics: Detailed planning is required for environmental, geographic, and geopolitical contingencies.
Route Finding: Navigation is easy, typically on known routes that are well documented
Camping: Remote or established campgrounds
International Borders: Rarely includes crossing of international borders
Risk: Low risk to personnel, moderate risk to equipment on more challenging tracks.
Terrain: Backcountry travel often includes challenging trails as part of the adventure, with trails like the Dusy Ershim and longer routes in Moab, Utah being an example.
