Three Things to Avoid When Planning an Overland Route and Three Things to Do Instead
After several years of constant planning of Overland routes, and sharing our adventures through YouTube, we like to believe that we have developed a solid planning system. Below you will find our tips on what to avoid when planning a route, and what to do instead.
Don’t go to locations you found on Instagram without reading up about the place. Social media can be deceiving, and many people go to extraordinary lengths in order to get the perfect photo where they, or their vehicle, are alone in a stunning landscape.
Instagram vs. reality.
Instead, think about what is it that you’re looking for on your adventure. Are you only interested in obtaining the exact same photo you saw on Instagram? Or would you rather spend some time exploring a place you really like, and take some pictures of the great memories you made? That Instagram spot might be really amazing, but it also might not… and the perfect way to avoid wasting time driving only to stand in lines for the same shot is to Google the place, at the very least. Take into consideration that certain spots might be deserted on weekdays or out of season, and crowded on popular dates. Do your research: if you’d like to see a specific phenomenon (for example, the lavender fields in Brihuega, or the cherry blossoms in Valle del Jerte), are there other, less known but equally beautiful places to witness it? It happened to us many times that, looking for one place, we found out about many others that ended up being more interesting than what we planned originally.
2. Don’t ask people for their route tracks if they haven’t already shared them. If a person with a large following shares exact spots or Wikiloc tracks, they will inevitably bring a lot of traffic to the highlighted places. This often turns amazing spots into overcrowded places covered in trash, which, in turn, has lead to certain roads being closed by the authorities. Instagrammers and YouTubers usually don’t have any special skills or knowledge about the “secret spots” - they also invest their time into looking for them.
Instead, take your time to do some research. If we found the spot so can you! Our main tool for looking for spots and planning our routes is satellite view on Google Maps. We also like to get creative: we look for interesting spots in tour guides and articles. Our favorites are old 4x4 printed magazines with waypoints for routes all around Spain. Our planning doesn’t end at home: once we’re in the area we chose to travel to, we make sure we go to the visitors center, as well as ask the locals for tips.
3. Don’t go on any adventures without planning them thoroughly. It is great to improvise, but you might miss some amazing places if you go without a basic understanding of the area you're in. We have made this mistake in the past. Spending hours shooting, cooking, or trying to sleep in a less than ideal place and then discovering an amazing corner just minutes away, plainly put, sucks. Even on the most improvised of adventures, we make sure to have a general idea of the spots we would like to see and shoot.
Instead, find a route on Wikiloc you would like to follow (checking it out in detail first), or draw your own. Or hire a guide! Sometimes people tend to think that guided tours are for tourists or inexperienced travelers. We see it as an amazing way to connect with the local community and the landscape on a deeper level, especially when you’re in places where you don’t speak the language. Tour guides can take you to places you wouldn’t be able to find on your own, or would need a special permit to access. Guided tours can also be a great starting point for further solo adventuring, as your guides can surely provide you with tips on where to go and what to do in the area. However, you don’t have to go to a different continent in order to enjoy and learn from organized tours. This summer we spent several days exploring Asturias with Katy and David from Incansables Offroad, who, apart from being skilled off-roaders, are licensed tour guides with a special touch of local knowledge. This experience made our entire stay in Asturias richer.
And, of course, always be mindful of your surroundings, be respectful to the flora and fauna, and leave the spots you visit better than you found them.
