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Find a Really Crap Car and Head East!

Driving to Mongolia in a £150 car. #GrandAdventures
 

I first met Matt Prior when he was flying fighter jets (damn, that’s cool!) and I gave a talk to the RAF and was invited to take a flight in a jet (video here). Right, enough showing off – let’s get on with today’s Grand Adventures story…

Matt said to me,

“I’mve been following your plans with Adventure1000 and think it is a great concept. I’mve been faced with the same questions throughout and it’s hard trying to convince people this sort of thing is available to anyone – you just need to get the ball rolling.”

This is music to my ears, so I asked him to share some of his low-budget adventures on my blog.

Flying High

“I have driven a London Taxi to Everest Base Camp for charity and a Rickshaw from the bottom of India to the Himalayas. I’mve also driven from London to Mongolia in a £150 car for charity. My plan next year is to ride a Ural through Siberia to the Arctic Circle in Winter. 

The most life-changing of these experience was the drive to Mongolia in a crap car. (We actually returned to England in another £100 bright yellow Fiat with no roof…)  This was the first big trip, and I suppose that’s why it had such an impact. We managed to do this for a total of £2000 (and we raised over £2500 for charity). I  know this is over the £1000 you are proposing, but for 3 months driving, 2 vehicles, repairs, visas, accommodation, food, 18 countries and 2 continents it’s actually very cheap!

View of Everest

The people we met were the main highlight of the experience; in general they were exceptionally friendly, keen to help and always smiling – especially in the developing countries.  In Iran, we were offered a helping hand that turned out to be three weeks in a mansion, everything paid for and little tours around the country with a very nice bloke called Mohammed Ali to top it all off [NOTE FROM AL: if you’ve been reading all these interviews you will notice that everyone loves ‘evil, dangerous’ Iran…]. My favourite countries on this trip were Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia.

Number One

I love the unpredictability of trips like this; I deliberately very rarely research anything and just take what comes around the corner. I guess a few other highlights would include partying with the Russian Mafia, the Turkmenistan border guards and the landscape of Siberia.  The realisation that a lot of what you hear in the media is utter rubbish means that I think it’s really important that you go and see the world with your own eyes and form your own opinions.

My initial plan was to go backpacking across the United States but after a conversation with a friend over a few beers, I realised I needed a proper adventure, something different, something challenging.  So that was that: find a really crap car and head East!

Everest Base Camp

At the time I was in my final year of University with plans to join the Royal Air Force. I wanted to do something big before signing my life away for 18 years (which, as it happened, didn’t last that long as the UK ran out of money and I lost my job six years later!) I guess that just shows that nothing is set in stone or as expected in life anyway.

The main worry I had before the trip was that I was going to end up in an orange jump suit with my head being cut off on TV. I watched scores of videos online of assassinations to try and help me come to terms with what I thought was the worst that could happen. To be honest this just messed my head up quite a bit and was way off the reality! [NOTE FROM AL: I can strongly recommend you DON’T employ this planning-strategy!] Family-wise my dad didn’t talk to me for a while. He thought I was being an idiot taking this risk when I had a good career laid out in front of me. I put this down to a generational thing: he’s used to it now and I always come back in one piece so it can’t be that bad!

I think the biggest real problem we actually had was finding our way out of London – that was a nightmare! After that, the car breaking down everywhere was a constant headache. But this is how you have such a great experience though, as you never quite know what is going to happen next, who you’re going to bump into and how it will all evolve.

The beginning

I’mve travelled solo and with mates and to be honest I loved them either way. It all depends on what you’re doing, If you’re doing a road trip in the same vehicle, it’s definitely worth doing with a friend. Saying that, this can make or break your trip, so choose carefully. There are people all over the place who are keen for randomness so don’t think if you can’t find someone straightaway that you’re going to be lonely! Going alone allows you to do exactly what you want to, you can only get annoyed at yourself and life is pretty easy as there’s no need to compromise. Being alone in some of these places can be truly amazing. Two people can be useful though for problem solving, company, sharing certain experiences etc so it really is a toss up, but either will be fine. There’s no right or wrong.

The Three

Honestly, this first adventure completely turned my life upside down. It changed the way I view the world, the people, the endless possibilities as well as realising that something that initially sounds almost impossible is actually quite doable even for the ‘average Joe’.  This trip then was the spark that has led me on the path I am on today: happy, flying, still adventuring and living in Hong Kong!

Landslide

I hope a few suggestions from my own experience might help other people turn their own dreams into reality. Whilst not scientific in any way I do like this plan:

Commit to something. Put your balls on the line. Then figure it out.

Believe it or not, this will take you most of the way.  A key thing is to tell other people as this will almost force you to make it happen.  On this particular trip, there were two of us and so we looked at our respective strengths and split the tasks up from there. It seemed to work well; you also help each other out and learn from each other in the process.

I hope also these nuggets of hindsight might be helpful too:

General

  • Don’t spend too long planning, remain flexible at all times and go with the flow.
  • A simple smile goes a long way.
  • Cross check information you find online with locals as they’re normally more up to date.

Practical

  • Zip ties, duct tape and $USD are all invaluable.
  • Sort your finances before you go: we had a mix of cards and were able to transfer money between them all.
  • Man United memorabilia is good for getting out of sticky situations.

Lastly, if you can find a way to get an Irish passport it would save you quite a bit on visa costs and hassle if at all possible… 😉

How do you decide on where to go?

Honestly, I just look at the world with curiosity and think –  “I wonder what it’s like there” and then plan to do something there. I like going with my own transport if possible as it gives you freedom to do what you like when you like. This allows you to see what the country and its people are really like, not just what tourists see.

Do you ever worry about safety when on these road trips?

Not really. A lot is down to you, your safe judgment and sensible decisions. But India for example is nuts, especially in a tiny rickshaw! We were told they follow the law of the jungle, if it’s bigger than you then it has priority regardless of what the situation is. I think over 300+ people die there per day on the road! It was a good experience though! I like to see the extremes of the world.

What’s the minimum amount of time that you would suggest for one of these trips?

I’md say at least a couple of weeks. I think it would be a real push to get what you’re planning to get out of it with anything less.

Any tips on saving for the trip or living cheap during the trip?

Saving is all down to being disciplined. Every time you’re thinking about spending money on non-essentials, think how far that could go on something else, sometimes one night out back home can equate to weeks of living out on the road. I still try to live like this today – as a 29 year old pilot, I have just bought my first ever TV, which is a massive luxury!

Sponsorship

When we had a little more of a look into the trip we realised this could be quite expensive and so seeking out sponsors became a priority. I looked at everything; the ferry, clothes, camping, electronics, expedition kit, food, spares, tools, right down to memory cards. Anything we could possibly get for free or test for someone, I would try. This was an awful lot of work, we’re talking hundreds of emails, letters and phone calls. We had time but no money and so on this occasion it was definitely worth it and it saved us a lot. Asking for cash is a very long shot and you will do much better asking for ‘˜stuff’. Having something original will also help. You can only really do this though if you have time, something to offer and willing to keep up a good relationship with your sponsors throughout the trip. This would therefore be very much dependent on your situation and what you were planning. I’mve done other trips since, with more money and less time, therefore sponsorship wasn’t so relevant.  As Tom Allen said in a previous interview, it can really interfere with your actual trip depending on what you have agreed on with your sponsor. Keep this in mind, especially if it’s a once in a lifetime thing. The aim is to enjoy it on your terms.

Living

Eat and drink what the locals do – we survived for weeks on water melons and eggs at the side of the road. Whilst not the most exciting, this was just fuel to keep us going. Saying that, whenever we came across something interesting of course we had to try it! In terms of anything else, for the whole trip we only did things that you couldn’t do in any other country or something we both agreed was worth it. This did include beer as it’s a good way to chill out and get to know the people.  In terms of accommodation, if you’re unable to camp then a good site to use is www.couchsurfing.org.  The only issue with this is it requires a few days planning but it’s free and you get to meet people who live in that country.  Definitely worth considering if it will fit in with what you’re planning.

My new book, Grand Adventures, is out now.
It’s designed to help you dream big, plan quick, then go explore.
The book contains interviews and expertise from around 100 adventurers, plus masses of great photos to get you excited.

I would be extremely grateful if you bought a copy here today!

I would also be really thankful if you could share this link on social media with all your friends – http://goo.gl/rIyPHA. It honestly would help me far more than you realise.

Thank you so much!

Grand Adventures Cover

 

Read Comments

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Comments

  1. John Posted

    I believe you meant http://www.couchsurfing.org but otherwise excellent article. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Alastair Posted

      woops – fixed it. Thanks.

      Reply
      • John Posted

        I am certainly not trying to be a pest but I think you still have “coachsurfing” instead of “couchsurfing”. 🙂 I only noticed because my wife and I are fairly active surfers with our two boys. We actually just came back from a trip to Denmark/Sweden where we were hosted by several families. It is a great way to meet people from the area and really see what it is like to live there.

        Reply
        • Alastair Posted

          haha! More haste, less speed, Humphreys…
          Thank you.
          Couchsurfing is a brilliant way for meeting people, absolutely.

          Reply
  2. Bob Posted

    London to Ulan-Baator in a crappy car?
    In a rickshaw around India?

    Sounds utterly familiar to me. Oh right, it is the events organized by “the adventurists” (just google it).

    Don’t get me wrong, those companies offer great options for people who are hesitant to do their own adventures or have a hard time coming up with their own ideas.

    But despite the adventurous character of those events they lack the spirit of a real adventure…

    Reply
    • Alastair Posted

      Hi Bob
      I definitely agree that it is more exciting to do it on your own. But the Adventurists do a great job for -as you say- people who are hesitant, and also for people who want to be part of a large, fun project.
      Al

      Reply
    • Hi Bob,

      I guess you have to start somewhere. You’re correct in saying the Adventurists are my inspiration for some of these trips and yes I did the Mongolia trip officially with them. They’re a great organisation and do good work for charity. We actually did it alone, took several months to do the trip instead of a few weeks, paid only £150 for the car, saw no-one else after Prague and this was almost a decade ago and so at that time quite original. We also came back again too, which is no short distance and in an even worse vehicle (600cc Fiat) bought for £100.

      As for the Rickshaw, this was all off our own back. We knew from the Adventurists that it was possible, granted, but with a weeks notice we flew to the bottom of India, found, bought and legalised our own Rickshaw (which isn’t easy in the timescale we had) and took it 4500km up India to the Himalayas with zero support. So when you say they “lack the spirit of a real adventure” I’d have to disagree I’m afraid.. these are also not the only trips I’ve done.

      Matt

      Reply
      • Paul Posted

        Hi Matt,

        I’m just intrigued to know, as an Irishman myself, what advantages that you alluded to my passport does confer? Great news for future me either way 😀

        Regards,

        Paul.

        Reply
        • Matt Posted

          Hi Paul,

          In general the visas are cheaper as there’s less politics involved and so less hassle if you’re Irish. You’ll see as you travel more, the advantages it has over others. Not always but mostly!

          Reply
  3. Hi Alastair,

    These guest blog posts are fantastic. My girlfriend and I have been travelling without money (and occasionally with a very small amount) for ten months in Latin America, and have been lucky enough to be conveyed by people’s generosity from the north of Colombia to the south of Chile and back again, through hitchhiking and a lot of walking. Anyway, we’re completely shattered now, and are resting for a week or two in Bogota before heading out again, and reading these stories has injected us with some much needed inspiration and a sort of peer-fuelled encouragement. You know what it’s like when you’re destroyed and exhausted. Sadly, at my family’s home in Bogota they’re not really adventurous folk and so there is a fair bit of judgement about our travels, so it really has been lovely to read of so many other folks slumming it for adventure out there. So thank you for being the brilliant curator! And nice work on the Adventure1000 idea…another brilliant one. I think it’s really important for people to know that they can travel, whatever their budget, and that’s been one of the loveliest things about our trip: so many people have said to us that they can’t afford to do it, but after helping us and realizing how we’ve travelled, some of them have just set off to travel too. And I’m certain that your idea will get a whole load of people out of their front doors and out into the wild world.

    Cheers!

    Anthony

    Reply
  4. Some marvellous shots and impressions! And it is quite surprising indeed to see that many people list countries among their favorites that actually don’t make it to the common bucket list. Seems like these experiences are more unspoiled or the travellers mindset is a different, not sure…

    Reply
  5. Andrew Carroll Posted

    I also took part in the mongol rally in 2014 with he adventurist (their parties are good) & mentioned to my mate afterwards that it would of been cheaper just doing it alone probably.

    I came back £4500 in debt somehow, was sure my card had been cloned!

    Adventures can definitely had alone the way, just because more people are doing it doesn’t mean it isn’t an adventure. It is the unpredictability of the journey that will be an adventure.

    My next planned adventure is a lot closer to home, I want to walk Offas Dyke.
    Hopefully do the full circumference of Wales at some point.

    Reply

 
 

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