Overland travel is all about the journey and what you see and experience along the way. Routes can vary from two weeks exploring Egypt’s ancient monuments along the Nile to an epic 40 week expedition from one end of Africa to another. If you’re really adventurous, organised and have the time and resources, you can venture on your own overland trip. For most, especially the first-timer, joining a trip with an Overland company is the way to go.

Your form of transport is usually a truck that’s been converted for passengers with coach seats, storage and large windows to see all those big, wide, open spaces, although some shorter trips might use local transport. Longer expeditions to remote areas are self-sufficient with stored food supplies supplemented by visits to local markets en route. Accommodation is generally under canvas or in basic hotels/youth hostels and meals range from cooking in a group over the camp fire (spag bol’s a favourite!) to trying out a local delicacy (guinea pig and chips, anyone?)

There’s usually plenty of stuff to do along the way from adrenaline-fuelled activities to hanging out at the local bar. White water rafting the Zambezi River, trekking in the Amazon rainforest, the biggest bungee jump in the world in South Africa, game viewing in the Serengeti, walking on the Great Wall of China, canyoning in Ecuador, scuba diving in the Red Sea and trekking the Inca Trail to limsaMachu Picchu are just a handful of the awesome experiences on offer along the way. Usually these are optional so you decide what you want to do and pay for them as you go along.

A really essential component of your overland adventure is your crew. Most companies employ a driver and a tour leader on each trip. Their roles range from driving and maintaining the truck, to organising visas, border crossings, accommodation and activities, helping with shopping and cooking as well as finding the best deals, socializing and making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.

A frequent concern for first time overlanders is, will I get on with everyone? Well, you’ve all got one thing in common to start off with – the travel bug! Of course, living in such close quarters, everyone does have to make the effort to be considerate to each other and not everyone is going to be your best friend. But most people make life-long friends and some of your best memories will be about your travelling pals. Overlanding is one of the best ways to travel if you’re on your own, especially if you’re heading off for the first time. Being thousands of miles away from home can be a bit scary and lonely at first but here you’ll have 20 odd mates to share fantastic experiences with. You’ll probably find many in your group are secretly a little nervous about the same thing or camping for the first time. If you’ve never put a tent up in your life then don’t worry, most crew will give you a demo on the first night. Top tip: until you get used to erecting your tent, do it before you head to the bar or it could all go horribly wrong.

Different overland trips can vary greatly in how demanding they are and what facilities you’ll get along the way. A Trans Africa expedition, such as the one run by Oasis Overland, means you will be travelling for at least 4 months with a lot of long driving days, many nights bush camping with no toilets or showers and when there are campsites the beer may be warm and the showers cold! It can be hot and dusty, you’ll get rained on and muddy – but you’ll have the adventure of a lifetime!! At the other end of the scale, there are shorter trips that use a mixture of campsites and basic hotels, hot showers are more frequent, the roads between the amazing sites you stop at are tarred and less bumpy and you visit towns more often to stock up on little luxuries and to phone home. So if you’re a bit worried about roughing it, perhaps try one of these trips first.

Or you could just jump in at the deep end and go for the big one!