Plan to Plan

I've been working on this adventure, among other projects, for probably a few months already, but more slowly petering along in the background. In fact, it's been bubbling in my head for years but the timing is everything . . . and that's what I've got to figure out first! Ever since I saw a Land Cruiser Troopcarrier in Malaysia whilst on the original Antipodean Adventure with my friend Dwyer Rooney, I know I wanted this machine. You can read more about the vehicle here.

Why buy a vehicle in Australia?

Great question, and the answer is simply because I need a vehicle I can trust to complete the journey in the time needed. Unlike in the original trip from London to Sydney, I don't have all the time in the world - this time I have 4 to 5 months and can ill afford to break down. Why not buy a vehicle in America and drive it straight down? Because I won't know the vehicle and won't have time to install everything I need to ensure it is up to scratch (solar panels, bedding etc) and when I get to the end I either have to sell it, give it away, drive it into the sea, or ship it back to America. I don't have time for the latter. So buying it in Australia and shipping it across the Pacific and back again is what I've decided, only time will tell if I've made the right decision. And believe me, I've agonized over it. 

What have I been doing?

Mostly this:

• Scouring the web searching for appropriate vehicles and talking to various owners
• Identifying a Toyota 4wd Club
• Grabbing the Dog and Lemon Guide and the reading blogs on a Buyers Guide for a Troopcarrier
• Identifying what key sponsors I'll need to do the trip
• Identifying a rough route from top to bottom which is feasible and identifying the number of kms per day I'd need to cover. 200km isn't a great deal, but it soon adds up.
• The charities I wanted to raise awareness and monetary funds for always been know to me, so I've approached them in an official capacity and they've accepted. My chosen charities are WhiteRibbon and beyondblue
• Equipment takes a long time to identify, but you seen whittle things down to what you need versus what you want.
• Identify the websites that are packed with information such as previous useful blogs, websites such as Drive The Americas, and Facebook groups catering for Pan-American Overlanding such as Overland South & Central America.
• Determine problematic countries for Right Hand Drive (RHD) vehicles and navigating your way around or through them. Thankfully the above link gave a wealth of information. I still don't have an answer on Costa Rica yet, which could cause a huge problem!

Want versus Need

• 9/10 you won't need a winch or expensive recovery gear. Some D-shackles, a sturdy tow rope and a small shovel will probably get you out of most sticky situations. 
• Pack Light - We learnt a great deal on the trip from London to Sydney, and this trip will be slightly different in the fact I'm not moving countries at the same time. However,  in terms of personal possessions, I need to remember to pack the bare minimum. One backpack is enough, despite having an entire vehicle to myself. 
• You don't need 3 or 4 spare Jerry Cans - the Troopie has inbuilt two fuel tanks which is good, and a spare Jerry Can is useful too, but other than that we don't need much extra when it comes to fuel (we hope)
• Don't buy a 180 litre water tank for drinking or showering - it's a tonne of weight, for a strart! Again jerry cans will do hooked up to a solar shower if you need it, but generally water for drinking is best from bottles and stored in fridges. It's rare (hopefully) that we're going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere without water. A few litres of water can go along way, and most places in the known universe sell bottled water. 
• Don't buy LPG or anything that will amend the original intention of the engine. Keep is simple. The more electronics you pack, the more things can go wrong. Prime example - wind up windows vs electric windows. In our Land Rover we didn't even have air-conditioning (wished we did!) but it meant that we kept our problems down to one place, which unfortunately for us just happened to be the engine bay. Oh the hours we spent in there!