4x4 Off Road Holiday, Overseas And UK Adventure Expeditions

Our Latest News/ February 14

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16th Feb

OneLife Adventure's OneSPOT system receives praise

With safety very much in front of our minds, new for 2010 we piloted our OneSPOT satellite tracking and messaging system. While you are away with us on your expedition, our satellite tracking system can send messages to your family and friends back home. This is a free service, part of our commitment to keep you safe and your family or friends informed while you are away with us. We can also send messages to our office and emergency services by this system. Messages to your contact contain a 'We are OK' message and our location in one of either two formats - SMS text messages to their phone or an email. The email contains a link to Google maps, your friends can easily see where you are by clicking on the link. If they use the satellite map option and they will get a birds eye view of your position.

Here's some comments from guests who piloted this in 2010

"Found the OneSPOT system worked really well. It was great to be able to zoom in to see exactly where you all were. I could send the Email to other members of the family so they could use it too."

"The OneSPOT system worked very well and it provided me with peace of mind. I enjoyed plotting the co-ordinates on Google Earth and watching your progress, I suppose the downside for you macho men is the nagging wife could keep an eye on you! Joking apart l feel that it was well worth the investment you made for our peace of mind in this turbulent world we live in."

"I thought the OneSPOT message system was both an exciting and a reassuring innovation for OneLife"

This system is available to all our guests on all expeditons - big brother is really watching you now !

In addition to the SPOT system, we carry a rugged Thuraya XT satellite phone, which comes with us on all trips and is available for guests to use for minimal cost..It gives us the ability to contact anyone, anytime where ever we go with great call clarity and stability. A great safety aid but also good for saying Happy Birthday to those at home.

By Paul Blackburn

3rd Feb


Can you drive a 4x4 and be green at the same time?

Sir Nicholas Stern has presented his report on the economic impact of climate change, so leaving aside Ken Livingstone and Richmond's Councils less than scientific attempts to remove 4x4's from our roads, we ask 'is it possible to enjoy travelling with your vehicle but do so in an environmentally responsible way?'

Key points from the Stern Report

  • All countries will be affected by climate change, but the poorest countries will suffer earliest and most.
  • Global warming of 30C or 40C will result in many millions more people being flooded. By the middle of the century, 200 million people may be permanently displaced due to rising sea levels, heavier floods and drought.
  • Global warming of 40C or more is likely to seriously affect global food production.
  • Global warming of 20C could leave 15-40% species facing extinction.
  • Deforestation is responsible for more emissions than the transport sector.
So without a doubt, the habits of consuming nations will impact strongly on those countries which are economically less able. A rising concern over sustainability and environmental impact in our consuming countries must be harnessed into positive and urgent action, by our Governments and ourselves.

The report goes on to recommend large global initiatives, such as -

  • Carbon pricing, via taxation, emission trading or regulation, will show people the full social costs of their actions.
  • Globally, support for energy research and development should at least double; support for the deployment of low-carbon technologies should be increased by up to five times.
  • International programme's exploring the best ways to curb deforestation should be started very quickly.
  • Climate change should be fully integrated into development policy, and rich countries should honour pledges to increase support through overseas development assistance.
Sounds great, all these big aims but what can you do, as an individual to reduce the impact you have when travelling with a 4x4?

Firstly consider what you leave behind you, no, not whether to ski or not ( SKI - spend kids inheritance ! ) but before you leave home on your expedition..

  • Run the freezer down to empty and switch it off (there's plenty of food in the supermarket for when you get back).
  • Don't leave things on stand-by - switch off the computer, CD/DVD player and television off at the wall.
  • If you leave lights and radios on as a deterrent to would-be thieves fit low energy light bulbs and a time switch.
  • Or switch everything off, join a Neighbourhood Watch scheme and let you neighbours know you are away.
  • When you get back, wash all those dusty clothes at 30 oC instead of 40oC.
A new approach is to join a carbon trading scheme where, for example, you fund environmentally responsible timber management projects with an replanting policy or the development of renewable clean bio-fuel projects in less developed industrial nations. Want to know more ? - then click onto www.targetneutral.com. There's a handy calculator on the site, and we discovered our Toyota will produce about 26 tonnes of CO2 in 2007 but by donating £126 to sustainable projects we can offset the environmental impact of J411 MHC.



But surely the best thing we can do is stay at home and not drive the car ?

Well, in theory it sounds good but it's a red herring, a bit like increasing fuel taxation to limit vehicle use - which has historically lined governments coffers, who don't have a strong track record of funding positive climate change projects. You have to consider the very first point raised by Stern - all countries will be affected by climate change, but the poorest countries will suffer earliest and most.

These countries simply do not have the resources to combat the impact of their fledgling economies, and the often dirty production methods they use, on the environment - its seen as important but a luxury they cannot afford and hence they look to the developed nations for a lead here. Funding projects is one way, but by travelling to these countries and spending your money within their economies you bring two things. Firstly, foreign money growth into their economy and secondly, your knowledge and suggestions of how they can help protect their environment. Don't bring T shirts as gifts, don't use plastic bags when shopping, how about bringing low energy light bulbs, use a woven palm frond bag when shopping (a Moroccan speciality) or a cash donations to local projects to irrigate crops or produce renewable bio crops for fuel.

So yes, most definitely, you can contribute to reducing the impact of climate change and enjoy travel with your vehicle, firstly by conserving energy while you are away, secondly by helping fund renewable resource projects across the world and thirdly by contributing cash and ideas into the cultures you visit with OneLife Adventure.

We will also be challenging our suppliers as to what they are doing to help protect our world in 2007 - we'll update you in further editions of Makin' Tracks but in the inter-rim join us, find out how much CO2 you will produce in 2007 and donate to a project to offset your emissions.

By Paul Blackburn
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