London to Darwin
15 April - 8 October 2008
Pre departure info & red tape
Please take the following into consideration before joining our expedition. If you have any questions please email us at info@odysseyoverland.co.uk and we will be happy to give you any help we can. Please read our terms and conditions and ensure that you understand them fully before booking.
Passport
This is the most important item you will carry on your expedition. Please ensure it is valid for at least 18 months from our departure date and that it has at least 20 clear pages. Without this number of clear pages you will not be able to complete the expedition without having to get another passport en route. This is not always easy, wastes valuable time and is expensive. Your passport will be required 8 weeks before the date of departure when we start arranging all the letters of invitation. These letters are required for some of the countries we plan to visit before we can apply for visas. Please ensure if you need to apply for another passport you do so in time and have it available 8 weeks before departure.
While on the road we advise you to either keep the passport locked in the truck safe or in the hotel safe and not to keep it on your person. We recommend however that you carry a copy of your passport (a laminated copy works really well) on your person. Please also bring along 10 further photocopies of your passport, if possible get them certified, and leave one copy with a relative or friend.
Visas
A fair number of the countries we will visit on our travels will require visas, some are best obtained before we leave and others we will pickup en-route. A full list with all the details will be provided 8 weeks prior to departure. Getting all the visas is ultimately your responsibility and prices vary depending on nationality. We will help out wherever possible, many countries will involve getting letters of invitation, which we will try to get for you before we leave. In addition, for some countries we will try to get group visas as this makes it cheaper and easier for everybody. As a rough figure budget aprox £450. We recommend Travcor as an agent to arrange visas (see Useful Links).
Passport Photographs
We need you to bring along 20 photos for visas and other permits required along the way. Please make sure these are of passport quality, of true likeness and not of you on the way to a fancy dress party.
Personal Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance is a vital part of your pre-trip preparation and prerequisite for you to join us. We recommend you choose your policy carefully and make sure it fits all your requirements. We will require a copy of this insurance before you can join the trip. Please take into consideration that this is an adventure tour and that we will be visiting off the beaten track places, some which lack western infrastructure. We will also be going to altitudes as high as 5300m so please ensure the insurance covers you for this style of activity and condition. We require you to have cover of at least the equivalent of £500 000 for medical and repatriation costs and be valid for the entire duration of the expedition and cover you for all the countries we visit. Many policies are great for a trip to the beach in Spain, but are totally unsuitable for a trip like this! Please pay attention to the small print.
Vaccinations and other health issues
Please speak to you doctor or the Nomad Travel Clinic about vaccinations well before the day of departure; some involve multiple injections, with a break between each. A certificate of vaccination will be needed to cross some borders please ensure you have this, the vaccination and certificate for yellow fever is the most commonly requested. Also consult your Doctor or the Nomad Travel Clinic on malaria prophylactics for our intended journey.
It is also worth consulting you doctor about the effects and counter effects of malaria prophylactics, contraceptive pills, other medication and the possible effects of altitude. Altitude is known to affect some of these treatments and prophylactics; we will be spending extended time over 4000m. Please also discuss altitude with your doctor if you have any heart, lung or other medical complications and make us aware of any medical conditions you may have! We also suggest you consider taking Diamox a altitude sickness preventing tablet. Posibly talk to you doctor about this, it is worth mentioning it is a sulphur based drug which does effect certain people.
Money
This is a major consideration and it is difficult to recommend what is best. There is no doubt that cash is king for ease of use, but you will have the usual security problem. Travellers cheques are the safest option, though these will often be difficult and in some of the countries we visit, impossible to cash. In addition heavy commissions and other charges may be levied. Debit and credit cards will work in most major centres, but often one type will work and another will not. We would suggest that if you are considering bringing funds in this form you bring both a Visa and a MasterCard, as these are the two, which are most commonly accepted. Remember to inform your bank of your intended travel plan, as they tend to stop cards when used in unusual countries. The most sensible suggestion would be a mix of all three, but make sure that at least a third is in either US$ or Euro cash. All can be locked up in the onboard safe. See the debit/credit card links under Useful Links.
Budget
This is entirely up to you, we recommend you budget approx £10 per day (not including visas, optional activities, souvenirs) and this should be enough to cover general daily costs, possibly you could get by on less if you are prepared to eat modestly and not spend money on expensive goodies. Some days you may spend a bit more and other days a lot less, but it all evens out over the duration of the trip.
This amount does not include optional excursions, adventure activities or souvenirs. Everybody has different interests and budgets, some may want to enter every historical site along the way, buy expensive souvenirs or possibly do a diving course. Our recommendation is to budget £10/day and then come up with maximum amount you are prepared to spend on optional activities and stick to the budget. Closer to the time, we will provide a list of many of the optional activities available to allow you to budget more accurately.
Sleeping equipment
As we will be camping about 50% of the time it is well worth investing a bit of time and money in a good sleeping bag and roll matt.
Your sleeping bag will need to be at least a 3 or 4 season bag as we will encounter some cold conditions. The option of combining a sleeping bag and a liner is well worth considering as it keeps you warmer and the liner is great for those hot nights when your sleeping bag may be too hot. There is always the option of buying a blanket or two as we go along but it is best to come prepared. Sleeping bags should come in an easy-to-stuff bag, some tend to pack down really nice and small but require Houdini to get them in the bag every morning. Consider buying a slightly bigger bag to make packing away easier.
Roll mats. We suggest the thicker Thermarest. A good night's sleep allows you to appreciate the coming day's activity so it is well worth spending a little more to ensure your comfort. Make sure it comes with a good strap to keep it rolled up and a patching kit, as they are known to get the odd puncture. A good pillow is also essential; the blow-up ones may seem to be the answer but the real thing is far better.
A mozi-net is also a good investment for sleeping out if you choose or for use in some of the mozi prone hotels. In addition we recommend that the keen trekker bring along a lightweight trekking tent if they wish to do any overnight treks. We supply heavy-duty expedition tents, which are not suitable for carrying long distance.
Luggage
We recommend that you use a backpack or duffle bag, do not bringing a conventional suitcase as it will not fit into the storge space. Due to space limitations everybody is only allowed one large bag, a daypack, sleeping bag, roll mat and a small trekking tent. You will easily be able to carry everything you need into this amount of luggage. Remember at times you will need to carry your bags to hotels and through some borders.
Clothes and footwear
This is personal choice; things to consider are comfort, ease of washing (dry quickly) and packability. Ladies also need to take into consideration that we will be visiting a large number of Muslim countries and out of respect and to be accepted it is advisable to cover up your arms and legs. We suggest your old well-worn favourites, which you dont mind getting a bit dirty and possibly swapping or giving away as we go along. As we go, you will be able to buy most things anyway. Possibly not quite the style that you would buy back home, but it does help you to blend in.
Suggested items:
- 4-5 T-Shirts/vests and singlets.
- 2-3 Trousers, hard wearing and comfortable
- 2-3 Pairs of shorts
- 2 Warm tops or fleeces
- Underwear as much as you think you need
- 3 Pairs of socks, and 2 sets of trekking socks.
- Waterproof jacket, it is worth spending a bit of money and getting a good one.
- Waterproof trousers not essential but can be useful.
- Cold weather hat and gloves
- Sunhat / sunglasses
- Bathers / Bikini
- There are nights that if you wish you can dress-up and go out on the razz so if this is your thing bring something along.
- Trekking boots or good walking shoes this is up to you and will depend on how much walking you plan to do. Suggest using you present well worn pair as new boots look cool but take a time to wear in and you will not be using your boots everyday.
- Sandals for daily use, a good quality pair is worth investing in, though make sure they are well worn in and comfy.
- Flip-flops / Jandels / Thongs, great for the beach and the shower.
- Laundry bag.
- Sarong/wraps are great for all sorts of things
- Head scarf for the ladies when entering mosques and holy sites.
- 1 Good towel, travel towels work but not as well.
Washing/Laundry can be done easily and cheaply as we go, bring a small washing line along if you plan to do some of your own. Washing powder is cheap and freely available.
Toiletries and First Aid Kit
You will be able to get most toiletries along the way so bring just enough to get you started. We ask everybody to bring their own personal first aid kit. The truck will have a comprehensive first aid medical kit on board but for day-to-day stuff we ask that you use your own.
Suggested items:
- First Aid Kit should contain. Gauze swabs, antiseptic cream
zinc oxide tape, plaster strip, wound dressing, crepe bandage, cotton buds, lancets, steri wipes, soluble aspirin, rehydration salts, antifungal ointment, calamine cream, iodine tincture, syringe 5ml, syringe 2ml, needles. - Prescription medicine, please also bring the doctors original prescription. These may not be easy to obtain while on the road so bring enough.
- Contact lenses and all required fluids.
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Soap or shower gel (we find this works best)
- Toothbrush and Toothpaste
- Hairbrush
- Suntan lotion
- Insect repellent
- Contraceptive pills/condoms
- Tampons, as many as possible, as they are difficult to find in a lot of the countries we will visit.
- Razors and shaving cream
- Wet wipes
- Moisturisers
- Cosmetics
Other essential stuff
Here again it is up to you to decide what best suits you but don’t blow the bank trying to get all the latest gadgets. If you bring the basic you can buy what you need as you go.
Suggested items:
- Torch, head torches are generally the best and it is worth spending the money on a quality one. A torch is essential for when we are camping and an additional mini torch that you can keep in you pocket is also a good idea.
- Pocket Knife- Very useful be it a Swiss Army Knife or our preferred choice, a Leatherman.
- Camera- A good small digital with about 1 GB of storage is a good starting point. Everybody has their own favourite, if you plan to use film please bring a supply along; you will be able to buy some along the way but its good to have a stash. With digital you can backup your photos to DVD as we go. We also suggest a spare battery for your camera so you can change on the run if need be.
- Ipod or MP3 are ideal ways to bring your music. We suggest a 12 volt car charger so you can keep it charged once on the road.
- Binoculars are always great to have along, the truck will have a couple of pairs but to have your own small pair is an advantage.
- Zip lock bags are great for keeping electrics and other stuff dry and dust free.
- Water bottle, we find it easier to reuse a drink bottle.
- Good Games are great. The truck will have a selection of games onboard; feel free to bring others along, but check to see if we do not have it onboard already.
- Books, the truck library will have a selection of books in but we ask everybody to bring a couple of additional books to add to our collection. A selection of guidebooks for most of the countries we will visit will be available on board. If you choose to bring your own along it can be convenient. Check out Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Footprint for some great guidebooks. If you are considering purchasing any check out www.bookdepository.co.uk for some great deals.
- Some great books to consider either to read before we leave or for as we travel! Silk Dreams, Troubled Road by Jonny Bealby; The Great Game, On Secret Service in High Asia by Peter Hopkirk; Trespassers on the Roof of the World by Peter Hopkirk; Extremes Along the Silk Road by Nick Middleton; A Dragon Apparent: Travels in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam by Norman Lewis; 1421 The Year that China Discovered the World by Gavin Menzies; Kim by Rudyard Kipling; Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang.
- Maps will be available for you to see where we are headed but it is a good idea to bring your own if you plan to keep a record of our route.
This list could carry on forever, remember that most stuff we can get as we go, so rather pack as lightly as possible or you will find you are carrying around items rarely of any use.