We have complied many of the frequently asked questions and answers together in one place, which should help you. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us.  
   
   
 
How much preparation will my vehicle need ?
Don't worry if your vehicle is not fully equipped - the UK Explorer weekends are designed to help you determine what enhancements are actually needed. Standard vehicles will be able to undertake all of our UK expeditions, however it is advisable that your vehicle is fitted with underbody protection as a minimum.

For the Foreign Explorers then a slightly higher level of preparation will be needed. As a minimum your vehicle will need underbody protection, a CB radio for communication within the group, have been recently serviced and in good mechanical condition. Other items you may consider fitting are -

  • Snorkel - advisable for engine protection aginst dust and water
  • Recovery equipment - strops and recovery points to a winch for self recovery
  • Fridge - well, no one said travelling should be hard!
  • Storage system - a boxed system is normally adequate.
  • GPS - always useful for logging your track

Many options are available for you to customise and prepare your own vehicle for expeditions
For more information and options these links will point you in the right direction

British Expedition Vehicles - a resource site for vehicle preparation and travel

Frogs Island 4x4 - the leading specialist in the preparation of expedition vehicles in the UK

ARB - a great range of quality accessories for many types of 4x4

A useful book is Sahara Overland by Chris Scott, whilst biased towards desert travel, it extensively covers all aspects of vehicle choice and preparation for any destination. Another extremely comprehensive book is the Vehicle Dependant Expedition Guide by Tom Sheppard ISBN 0-9532324-0-9.

 
Travel Insurance - I haven't bothered with travel insurance for ages but I'm conscious that we need to make sure we are covered for off-roading and the medical cover you suggest?
Travel insurance is very important due to the remote places we travel in and the increased risk compared to a normal holiday.We use WorldWide Travel Insurance and have provided you with a link here -
 
Will general companies/policies give the cover for the driving/activities we are doing or am I looking for a more specialised policy?
Generally travel policies do cover driving/carriage in off road vehicles. However we always state in writing to the insurer the nature of the expedition when we take our policy out.
 
Are there any companies that you can recommend that give the right sort of cover for the driving and type of expedition we are doing?
Take a look at WorlWide Travel Insurance in our LINKS page, they offer cover for holidays involving driving off road, but always get written confirmation that they understand the nature of your holiday
 
Will the travel insurance also get the vehicle home as well as us if we are injured and can't drive it or do I have to look at some kind of breakdown cover for the car for that?
Car recovery is not covered in travel insurance policies. You would need separate recovery policies, ie, AA or RAC Eurocover, but this will not be of use outside Europe. In the event of a breakdown or accident we will endeavour to arrange to get your vehicle recovered to your home by a support driver or to a local garage to effect repairs but you are responsible for any recovery costs.
 
Are we doing any activities other than the driving that I need to make sure are covered on the policy?
No
 
Car Insurance - Is it just a case of speaking to our insurer to check whether we are covered to drive in our destination?
Yes, your own vehicle insurer will be able to advise on extensions of cover and green card arrangements. If they do not offer Green Cards for the destination then you will be able to purchase country insurance when crossing the border.
 
What do we do about covering the vehicle for a major breakdown that needs to be fixed at garage or can't be fixed and needs vehicle to be transported home (hoping this won't happen!! but best to be prepared). What about getting vehicle home if it is ok but we aren't and neither of us can drive it - what if anything to I put in place for this? (hoping this won't happen either!).
If the vehicle is drivable/towable then we will arrange recover the car to a local garage for repairs. We have never found breakdown insurance that was effective for off road use either in the UK or abroad. In the event of you being unfit to drive then we may be able to use a support driver to return the car to the UK departure port.
 
We have a CB radio for communication. Do we need a licence or similar for it ?
No licence is required for CB radio, provided the unit has not been modified to transmit more than 4 watts power . For some countries some import restrictions apply
 
What will there be in the way of laundry facilities if any? Will there be washing machine/drying facilities anywhere e.g. at campsites or will it just be handwashing?
Some campsites offer limited washing facilities but generally we do not stay long enough to use them. I tend to handwash and dry in the vehicle during the day
 
We are planning to take credit cards and local currency. If we take travellers cheques will we be going through anywhere to change them?
We would not take travellers cheques, as they can be hard to change and we would not have access to banking facilities, we use credit/debit cards and take either sterling or Euros to change.
 
We have the car and all the modifications insured on the car insurance policy but we are not sure what to do about the roof tent we have just bought and all the kit that will be inside the car - clothes/tools/camping equipment etc. I think both our car and house insurance policies give about £200 worth of cover for belongings in the car but this will obviously be no-where near enough. Any suggestions of best way of getting it insured? What do you do for your kit?
This is the hardest part to insure, specialist cover is ridiculously expensive so we rely on house contents insurance to about 1500 GBP + some limited cover on the travel insurance. It does leave an awful lot of gear uncovered but we have not found a cost effective answer to this problem. Vehicle insurers do not consider roof tents as fixed to the vehicle and hence not covered unless stated at time of taking the policy out.
 
 
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