FAQ

When we started looking at this as a trip we had many questions, when you step back and ask yourself the simple question of ‘can I drive across the world’ the enormity of the answer is a little to hard to comprehend in the early stages of planning. As we have plowed through the internet and forums we want to correlate the basic questions that we are now getting asked to better explain the building process and preparation for such an adventure

How are you going to get from Australia to ASIA, can your car swim?

(First of all we are aware that Australia is an island, we may have a snorkel fitting to the Landcruiser but I don't thing it would make it to South Asia in that)
We will be putting the Landcruiser into a container ship which will travel from Darwin to Dili, East Timor. Shipping routes, we are told, are only planned 3 months in advance.
We will then Island hop on the Indonesia ferries before shipping from Indonesia to mainland Asia.

How much is this trip going to cost?

For the full budget select budget, this outlines all major costs .
A conservative estimate of how much this trip will cost is somewhere between $90,000 - $100,000 Australia Dollars around £50,000 GBP, $70,000 USD - This is taking into account the cost of the truck which will be an asset once completed, then outlays that have to be accounted for such as insurances, medical costs (travel vaccinations), China (tour guides per day are expensive!), Visas, containers ships, flights (yeah, I know!), fuel, food, accommodation, beer and many other things that just add up.

Why is the Truck called 'Ohno'?

The truck is called 'Oh no!' because when we bought her both Robyn and Tristan said 'oh no!', not because we bought a car at a stage where we had just returned from 3 months travelling across The States and we're a little low on funds with no jobs in the pipeline but more because having a truck that is capable of basically anything you throw at it opens up the questions of, we have the tools, now its up to you to use them . . . "Oh no"

Why did you choose this route?

The world is a big place and so many countries we could visit on this trip with Political unrest and places we wanted visit and miss created our chosen route. The original plan was to have Kathmandu on the road map with us spending a month in Nepal and using this time to trek to Everest base camp, getting to Nepal would have been a challenge but getting from central Asia into Europe through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey politically we decided against it. There was the option of Nepal into Tibet and China however this route with all the visa's and government permits we needed for Myanmar, Tibet and china just seemed a bit hectic and expensive. In the future we would love to visit these countries over-landing but for this trip we will be staying away from them and going to Mongolia and Russia places we have both been keen on visiting for years.

Where do you get your Visas from?

East Timor - on arrival
Indonesia - in Australia, within 3 months of entering Indonesia.
Thailand - in Penang for a 30 day visa Australia only need this. UK can get 30 day visa on arrival
Cambodia - 30 or 60 days visa on arrival
Laos - 30 days on arrival
China - 30 day in Laos
Mongolia - 30 days in Laos
Russia - 30 days multi entry visa Cambodia
Europe - We have EU Passports

Is it Safe?

Is anywhere safe these days? When choosing our route it has very much been around safe travelling and with help from smart traveller and other government sites we have tried to choose a route that we felt was the safest. We considered going through India, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey however with all the recent events decided it was best to avoid the Middle East. There is always going to be concerns with any trip and as with any travels we plan to be in contact via this site to update everyone of our journey. We will also register our trip with http://dfat.gov.au of our rough itinerary.

Choosing the Vehicle - Landcruiser - 100 vs 105

Speaking with a couple of my 4X4 buddies they explained to me about the key differences between the two, the LC100 has a independent front suspension (IFS) which results in lower ground clearance and is more suited for on road driving, the LC105 has a full “live” axle or Rigid Front suspension (RFS) as Toyota referrers to it, this give you higher ground clearance and it better for off road activities. The LC100 is a perfectly capable vehicle and would most likely complete a journey of this scale with ease. The LC105 with it’ unstoppable off road capability and legendary credentials was the obvious choice.

Choosing the Vehicle - Landcruiser 80 vs 105

The 105 series chassis is essentially a carry over from the previous 80 series, the LC105 has a more comfortable and modern cab over the 80.

Choosing the Vehicle - Why not just a ute or cab?

Although at the time of purchase we had the ‘world’ trip seed planted in our heads we were still not mentally prepared to commit to the program. A ute (Hilux/LC 79 series Troop Carrier) would have been much better for 2 people, you could incorporate sleeping into the cab reducing the need for a tent and the extra space for spares and accessorises on a huge trip would have been an advantage. The main reason we choose 5 seater is China, to drive into China you are required to have a government official to guide you. More on this in China. We also use the Landcruiser for trips and it’s good to have friends join.