Inspirational Overlanders

Cameron Wood describes his three main overland inspirations, and why even today they are a source of knowledge and guidance.

Over the years, I have come across some amazing inspirational tales from overlanders, and some in particular have been a source of never-ending awe. In this, admittedly unusual, blog post I hope to offer fellow travellers, past and present, some useful sources for their future travels.

Andrew St. Pierre White

I first encountered Andrew’s films nearly ten years ago, when, like many, I watched his video comparison between the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series and the Land Rover Defender 110 on his YouTube channel 4xOverland (then the channel was called 4xForum). At the time I was madly in love with Land Rovers and had an absolutely maddening, unwavering bias towards the brand, but this video exposed me to a four-wheel drive which we don’t get here in the UK, and made me realise that actually there are other vehicles that are just as good.

Having enjoyed this comparison so much I started watching other videos on his channel. The next video I came across was his upload of the first episode of the second series of “4WD: Take a Deep Breath”. Needless to say I was hooked, especially when the videos showing his crossing of the Baboon’s Pass in Lesotho, and his solo crossings of the Kalahari were uploaded.

For me though, it’s his story telling that inspires me most. His stories from finding the source of the Okavango River, exploring Zambia in a bog-standard Isuzu D-Max pick-up truck, to finding amazing wildlife encounters in Southern Africa and crossing Australia at its widest point must rank for me as some of the most inspirational tales in four-wheel drive folklore. If you ever get the chance, watch his YouTube channel and website 4xOverland, read his book “The Complete Guide to Four-Wheel Drive” and just be prepared to be amazed.

Alec and Jan Forman

Alec and Jan Forman drove from the UK to Central Africa to Asia and back in the mid-1970’s in their Land-Rover camper. Their book, “Strangers Like Angels” explores their journey and discovering their faith on their travels. Their book monologues their crossing of the Sahara desert, twice, their dealings with kleptocracic officials, and their narrow escape from a Christian cult, the Children of God.

I had the pleasure of meeting Alec and Jan recently, and they are some of the most humble, yet gracious people you could ever wish to meet. They were very happy to share so many details about their trip and offer so much invaluable advice that will not go unused. They say you should never meet your heroes, but in this case I am so very glad I did.

John Horne

This is somebody who isn’t a well-known presenter, nor is he somebody who has written a book on overlanding. Instead, he is somebody who has been overlanding now for over fifty years and still going. John has been one of those people who, if I want no-nonsense, been there, done that, didn’t work advice, he’s given it to me, quite freely with no strings attached. Quite simply, without him I would have spent far too much money on things I didn’t need.

John has worked for all of the big names in the overland tour industry, be it Minitrek Expeditions, Encounter Overland, Guerba Overland – you name it. That experience, driving everything from worn-out, heavily overloaded Land Rovers to Bedford trucks loaded with tourists, is invaluable. Quite simply, without his advice over the last few years, we, as Shoulder 2 Shoulder Overland, would not have got to where we are now.