It’s funny how quickly reality can hit you when you’re dreaming about adventure. One minute, you’re imagining yourself cruising through the wilderness, and the next, you’re staring at price tags that make your wallet weep. But hey, that’s life, right? Sometimes, you’ve got to work with what you’ve got and find clever ways to make your dreams happen on a budget, so let’s talk about the real costs of hitting the road for this overlanding trip. It’s not just about the thrill of exploring – you’ve got to know what you’re getting into money-wise. So, grab a coffee, and let’s break down the budget for this adventure.
- The vehicle. The vehicle is the heart of my journey. I didn’t have a vehicle, so I had to find one and buy it. If you are in the same situation, don’t forget about tweaking it for off-road action – things like off-road tires, winch, suspension, and a roof rack can easily add up. I ended up spending a little under 15,000 euro for the vehicle, and right after buying it, I sent it to the mechanics, where I spent an additional 2,000 euro on things like the brakes and bits and pieces.
- The garage. I got myself into a garage for about 85 euros a month for the next 3 months.
- Pop top for sleeping. I thought a lot about this: a tent is a cheap option, but I’m concerned about the safety and I don’t want to leave the car for sleeping. This is a place where I had to budget a lot. First, I was looking at the AluCap Icarus pop-top tent, which was almost as expensive as my Land Rover, so I had to find another solution to afford it. I went with a cheaper model from Oryxsolutions and spent 5500 euros – included bed frame and mattress.
- The gear. I already had a lot of camping stuff, but I still needed tools to get myself out of sticky situations in the future, maps, a fancy GPS, and ways to stay in touch, like the Garmin InReach. The price tag here depends on how fancy I want to go—or how fancy I can afford it to be. I’ll see about that later on in the process of getting ready to leave for my big adventure.
- Paint for the Land Rover. I’m excited to be painting the Defender with Bengalack, and I found it at an amazing 50% discount, so the cost was just 120 euros!
- Bits & Pieces. All the rest, screws, brushes for painting, tools etc. is so far around 2,000 euro
The total of getting ready for this adventure – so far – is 24.620 euro and the numbers are still raising!
