. . . LAND ROVER OVERLAND EXPEDITION

. . . PLANNING AN EXPEDITION
     
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Africa 1999
Around-the-World 2001/02
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Planning an Expedition
 

THE ROUTE
Africa
Rest of the World

THE CREW
Expedition Contract
Travel Resources

THE VEHICLE
Land Rover Specs
Vehicle Documents

THE GEAR
Packing List
Vendors and Links

THE FINANCES
Around-the-World Actuals
Panamerican Actuals

PROFESSIONAL HELP
Mikael Strandberg

 

 

VALUED SPONSOR
Kensington Tours can help you plan your own expedition anywhere in the world.
www.KensingtonTours.com

 

Recommended Vendors
Jeff Willner
Last Updated: 30 March 2005

A collection of vehicle, equipment, and repair garages that I have used over the years and can personally recommend.

There are many more, but lost journals and just plain sloppy record keeping has left them lost in the mists of time.

To suggest additions or changes, please email me at: jeffwillner@yahoo.com

 

 

Vendors

Customized Land Rover Defender


Located near London, England
www.foleyspecialistvehicles.co.uk

I ran across Foley in Zambia on my 1999 expedition and they treated me very fairly for several repairs. So when preparing for my RTW expedition, I contacted their shop in the UK and asked them to track down a clean vehicle with a 1985 chassis that would be suitable for import to Canada at the end of the trip. I purchased the vehicle through them, and they did a pretty good job of doing the vehicle modifications (though their shop seems to be perpetually busy and they were delayed).

Foley really shines in customer service. They were able to troubleshoot the vehicle via satellite phone several times on our trip. After our catastrophic accident in Patagonia we shipped the carcass to Foley in Africa and they completely rebuilt the truck in three weeks! Now that my vehicle is in Canada, they are my primary source for spare parts - and will be the supplier for my next expedition vehicles. Highly recommended.

Contact: Paul or Stuart Foley
"The Roses"
Epping Road,
Roydon, Nr Harlow,
Essex, UK CM19 5DD
Tel: (+44) 01279 793500

Satellite and International Cellular


Canada and US locations
www.roadpost.com

Providers of satellite and cellular equipment, I purchased my Iridium phone from them for two expeditions. They have flexible airtime plans and good purchase prices - they also have rental options.

Originally I had hoped to be able to submit web updates via satellite, but it became quite impractical. First, the bandwidth available from a sat phone is pretty narrow. And internet cafes have pretty much taken over the third world. We found it much easier to simply log in at the next internet cafe, check email, and post journals. The phone did come in handy for emergency calls, text messages, and the occasional "I miss you" to significant others. Most importantly, when we were stranded it was a vital lifeline to the outside world.

Cost of a renting an Iridium handset is about $200 for the first week and $7/day after that. Airtime is $3/minute - though it is important to note that people calling you from a different satellite network can be charged up to $19/minute.

Expedition Insurance


Based in the UK
www.aon.com

AON, in conjunction with the Royal Geographic Society, has put together a special expedition insurance policy. Though a bit more expensive than a backpacker policy, it has extra features that are uniquely suited for a vehicle-based expedition. Contact AON for policy details.

Contact: Dominic Jervis 
Richmond House, College St., Southampton,
SO14 3P5  UK
Phone: 023 8060 7500
Email: dominic.jervis@ars.aon.co.uk 

Vehicle Insurance

The Insurance Exchange Online
Based in the US
www.insuranceexchangeonline.com

Finding vehicle insurance for a foreign country vehicle-based expedition can be a challenge. We used the Insurance Exchange to get a policy underwritten by AIG. To insure the Land Rover at a value of $20,000US for one year cost about $2700. AIG has offices all over the world and gave us great service when we made our vehicle claim in Argentina. 

Contact: Kim Michaels
Phone: 1-800-385-8550
Email: kim@insuranceexchangeonline.com

 

Land Rover Repair Garages

Ethiopia

Ultimate Motors Pvt. Lt.d Co.
P.O.Box : 3900, Addis Ababa
Tel : 01-655350/654247
Fax : 01-653897

Brazil Heinrich Webber Motors
Av Brasil
       
       

 

 

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