Overland

Product Information

While the world is changing at an incredibly fast pace, learning from those who came before us is still a great place to start when considering overland travels. Online content is great for keeping up to date with the latest happenings, but the in-depth stories for inspiration and practical knowledge are many times still found in longer-form books. The Last Overland is an epic overland journey, epitomising the spirit of the great modern adventure.

Excerpt from the book: “Camel Trophy was neither a race nor a rally, but a combination of adventure, expedition, competition and a unique display of personal courage, resilience and driving ability.” Read ‘Camel Trophy’ 12 Honorable Mentions: Overland Books In the book, Alex Bescoby recounts a journey of lifetime, a 13,000 mile recreation of the iconic 1955 First Overland Expedition. Combining his passion for adventure and love of history, Alex investigates how the world has changed since the First Overland, exploring themes of family ties, post-colonialism and the Land Rover religion, whilst also taking us behind the scenes of this truly epic adventure. All of the women behind this book have a deep wealth of knowledge on what overland travel is all about, from living for years on the road themselves to guiding overland 4×4 trips for others around the globe. Read ‘I Can. I Will. Women Overlanding the World’ ‘Overlanding in the Southeastern United States’ by Izzy SanchezWhether you’re looking for inspiration or a blueprint on how to make life on the road happen, you’ll find what you’re looking for in our list of best overland books. In awe of the unstoppable Tim, and haunted by his own grandfather's decline, Alex and his team soon finds themselves battling rough roads, breakdowns and Oxford's constant leaky roof to discover a world changed for the better - and worse - since the first expedition.

Alex Bescoby weaves travel, adventure, history and the contemporary together like no one else. His great gift is to take us on a journey through past and present. By its end we have learned more about the world and ourselves Jul 2013 – Aviation Round Table says only 44 domestic aircraft fully insured – Read more Alternative airlines Pablo Rey’s writing somehow manages to intimately connect the reader to these faraway and unfamiliar places with their diverse landscapes and cultures. If you love adventure, travel, and delving into the human spirit found in distant cultures, “The Book of Independence” is a must-read. There is no other way. Not flying, not floating. You have to stay on the ground and swallow the bugs as you go. Then the world is immense. The best you can do is to trace your long, infinitesimally thin line through the dust and extrapolate.”Excerpt from the book:“Time to stop beating around the bush and pretending that there’s anything other on your mind than a chunky fourbie. Sure, it’s a lifestyle phenomenon with an image of aspiring adventurousness and the desire to (literally) stand above the crowd, but you’re not aspiring, you’re actually taking your four-wheeler right to the places that feature so commonly in the ads.” Read ‘Overlanders’ Handbook’ ‘The Book of Independence: Around the World in 10 Years’ by Pablo Rey And, second, by selecting a route that was closer to the Equator (where the Earth bulges) than the routes taken by the handful of expeditions that had previously driven around the Earth, we sought to set a record, an unbeatable record, for the longest such journey ever made. In quest of those goals, we crossed five continents, traversed six of the world’s most inhospitable deserts, and drove from the lowest place on Earth, at the Dead Sea, to within sight of the world’s highest, in Nepal. There will no doubt be a Volume 3 from Grec, as he’s currently on a massive Australian overland adventure in a custom-built Jeep Gladiator. Read ‘The Road Chose Me Volume 2’ ‘Travel the Planet Overland’ by Graeme and Luisa Bell He references the Ewan MacGregor and Charlie Boorman miniseries "the long way around", and indeed this hits many of the same feelings. If you've seen that and thought "ok, a couple rich white guys drove a long way, shrug" then you won't like this book. But if that series interested you and you'd like a more grassroots version (no film crew here), then spend a dollar and a couple hours reading the second half of this book.

With George so bewitched by his own illusion, might it risk confusing everybody – not just the enemy? Elegant, wry, indomitable, self-deprecating – a splendid, sparkling addition to expeditions and to travel writing. One thing to always remember about overland travel is that it doesn’t require a big 4×4 or even a motorcycle. Bicycles are a great way to see the world, at a pace that truly lets you immerse yourself in the culture.Pryce’s first book to gain international acclaim was “ Lois on the Loose,” which chronicles her solo motorcycle adventure from Alaska to Argentina. She has many other impressive book titles to her name as well, all worth a read. Read ‘Revolutionary Ride’ ‘Distant Suns: Adventure in the Vastness of Africa & South America’ by Sam Manicom

The authors argue it is “the longest and last motor journey around the world.” It’s hard to argue with that, as the route, closest to the equator, around the globe that the duo took is fraught with all types of political turmoil in today’s world. One of the most legendary and epic overland stories of all time is the 1955 Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition. The trip took 7 months and traveled over 12,000 miles, from London to Singapore in two 1956 Land Rover Series 1 Station Wagons. A journey that I don't think could be made again today'. It was this comment by Sir David Attenborough on the fiftieth anniversary of the iconic First Overland expedition that became an irresistible challenge for filmmaker and adventurer Alex Bescoby. The book – named by Waterstones as one of the ‘Best Travel Books of 2022’, and shortlisted for the 2023 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards - ties in with the major four-part Last Overland TV series, which premiered in the UK on Channel 4’s on-demand service All 4 on 29 September 2022.In 1955, Attenborough, then a young TV producer, was approached by six recent university graduates determined to drive the entire length of ‘Eurasia’, from London to Singapore. It was the unclimbed Everest of motoring – many had tried, none had succeeded. Sensing this time might be different, Attenborough gave the expedition enough film reel to cover their attempt. The 19,000-mile journey completed by Tim Slessor and the team captivated a nation emerging from postwar austerity. Tim’s book, The First Overland, soon became the bible of the overlanding religion. Alex Bescoby weaves travel, adventure, history and the contemporary together like no one else. His great gift is to take us on a journey through past and present.' Dan Snow Now, fifty years on, their bestselling book, First Overland, is republished-with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough. After all, it was he who gave them that film. Not content to just pay homage to a legendary journey, Alex Bescoby must drive the very Land Rover, complete with GIN and TONIC Jerry cans, that made the trip in 1955. Spoiler alert: nothing goes to plan. The Last Overland is steered by an indomitable spirit through time, friendships, obsession, doubt and perpetual motion. A book not only for adventurous hearts who want to seize life, but for those who want to interrogate what it is to be human.