Hi all, budget overland advice needed :)

Evening all.
I'm a teenager (for now) living in the south west of England, long interest in overlanding from European trips with my father in his very well traveled defender (it's cracking on for 1/2 million miles...)
In 2014 we did a very "nomadic nation" inspired trip around the USA in an Oldsmobile we bought for $300 as a non runner, gave it some fuel and a new battery and the old girl drove us from Baltimore to western Canada via a few deserts camping the whole way
I have two Land Rovers of myself, a 1989 Discovery and a 1968 Series IIA swb station wagon, I really want to set off to another continent in the series once I have finished uni as the truck has immense sentimental value, but will obviously be on a minimal budget, cause you know, student.

I'm not worried about the age of the vehicle, the running gear is 100% 1990's (I'll explain if you want!), the discomfort also isn't an issue as I've daily driven it for a while. My main concern is cost on the road and what do I do if something goes massively wrong with the car, like I bin it or the clutch dies etc.

Basically if any-body could give some pointers as to
A; where would be best to head to in Africa, without going into the Sahara (down the west coast?)
B; what do I do regarding visas / boarder documents?
C; what happens if my landy becomes permanently immobile?
D; cost on the move? I'm frugal on food and that landy does about 30mpg, I have no idea what I should be budgeting!?!

Many thanks, good to see an Over-landing forum that's not all about spending on aftermarket gear then attending shows!
Tahh

Dorydisco

Well first, welcome to the forum! Sounds you got the overlanding bug early. Although I recall some cross Canada trips in a 1969 Mustang in my youth. But this is a good place to get some info.

As far as Africa goes...the cheapest option is the west coast as you can take a ferry over to France, drive down thru Spain and ferry into Morocco. From there Africa lies before you. As far as costs go, it depends on a lot of things. How fast you plan to travel, what countries you want to hit and what your plan for getting home is. Most people work out a daily expense rate, something like:

Average distance travelled per day:  100 miles  (£15-£20 at 30 mpg depending on local fuel price and terrain)
Food per day:  £5 (buy local fresh)
Camping: £10 (if you camp in pay camp sites...sometimes much cheaper depending on country)
Vehicle Misc:  £2 per day  (oils, bulbs, bits and bobs)

So, based on the above you would have to budget £32/day. Now some days you might not travel, or free camp somewhere so your expense are down...but other days you may cover a couple hundred miles and have to have something fixed on the truck. So a rough budget is £950 per month and a reserve of maybe £1000 in case of emergency.  You would also have to do some research and see what the costs for visas are at the countries you want to cross.

There is an American in a Jeep doing the route you are considering now. He has a blog where he discusses all the issues he is facing. The link is:

http://theroadchoseme.com/

My biggest advice if you are hitting the shows is to ignore all the traders selling flashy bits who tell you that 'you absolutely HAVE to have this expensive bit of kit to overland!.' Find the people who have actually done the trips and you will find out what you actually need. But keeping the weight down is important for reducing strain on your vehicle's suspension and drive train as well as on your fuel mileage.

Look forward to hearing more about your vehicles!

Hi and welcome
Tembo knows is stuff, not a lot I can offer, some more people will be along to offer some more advice.

Hi guys, thanks for the welcome!

I'm unsure how long I want to be gone, I guess it'll come down to how much I have saved and how much time I can find. I've been reading 'Left beyond the horizon', a book I'm sure you must know of. Young German lad set off around the world for 8 years in a series 3 landy with minimal preparation, genuinely inspirational.

Thanks Tembo, I'll work it to a grand a month plus an emergency fund. I did ask my middle sister about budgeting as she's currently hitchhiking somewhere in south west Africa (last I heard she was heading for Kenya), but her reply was along the lines of "I don't know, I don't spend money" so not exactly helpful...

I've been largely ignoring what most people say I need to take for gear, as you see photos from the 60s/70s of totally standard 4x4's camped out in some mad places with a couple of tents and some jerry cans. Why do I need a big expensive winch, 1/2 a dozen spot-lamps and a roof tent?! My father used to drive around the Carpathian mountains allot in a totally standard 110, with a tent and tea set. I've also only got a short wheel base landy that doesn't enjoy having too much weight in the back!

I'll start a thread about the series as there are a couple of vehicle specific questions I'd like to ask.

Many thanks