Useful links Helpful websites, apps and resources for overlanders Read more

Here are some websites I find worth sharing, applications we used during our travels or links to other inspirational travelers. This is a summary of resources we’ve gathered, that might be useful for other overlanders.

Websites

  • wikioverland.com – excellent resource for overlanders. You can check information about any country, be it safety, permitted length of stay or required documentation to enter with a vehicle. I recommend always checking the website before heading to new country.
  • Overlanding Association – great resource for planning. World map with basic overlander related info for every country – guide, carnet, visa requirements, left/right hand driving and so on.
  • Prepaid SIM Data wiki – information about SIM cards and data plans for every country. Some can be out of date, but it gives you the important data like speeds & coverage, so you know with carrier you should choose to stay online.
  • PanAmerican Travellers Association – the best Facebook group, now with over 20 000 members. It is an Overlander hivemind – search for any question and you’ll probably find that someone has already answered it. If not, people will help you with anything. More “Americas” related, but plenty of world travellers there, too.
  • Overland Sphere – Similar to PanAm Travellers, but for the whole world. 10k+ members, a lot of information.
  • International vehicle shipping service – overlander created agency for Container /  RoRo Shipping between continents.

Apps

On the road

  • iOverlander – the best and most useful app for overlanding, especially in the Americas. Find free camping spots, mechanics, propane, recent information about border crossings, everything in one app which can be used offline. And it’s free – I suggest you donate something after you end your trip as a thank you for the creators, as it actually costs a lot of money to keep it online 🙂
  • ParkAdvisor – similar to iOverlander, good for North America, as it lists many BLMs (public land), national forests, rest areas and other places where you can sleep for free, as well as RV parks and national parks, laundry etc.
  • Park4Night – another similar app, mostly with POIs in Europe. A lot camping spots can be found here, although many have description in French.
  • Google Maps – Obvious one, but since you can now download larger areas for offline use (and be offline for 30 days), much more useful. We’d usually compare the routes with the next app on this list, and pick a suitable one. Never trust the ETA of any navigation, especially when it involves going on dirt roads. Maybe in the US & Europe, where they have more data.
  • Maps.me – This is yet another favourite app of many overlanders. Simple, free, offline navigation for your device. They use OSM maps, which are basically user-created maps that are public, so you can find many apps with the same free maps. However, this one is just simple and easy to use. Combine with Google maps and you won’t need anything else 99% of the time.

Language

  • Google Translate – Handy app for translating to/from all the languages. Now with futuristic stuff like instant translation of texts with your camera, this can definitely be handy.
  • SpanishDict – the best Spanish translation app, period. Super handy in Latin America, as it’s not only a great dictionary that works completely offline, but it also has conjugation for all the verbs included, so you can brush up on your grammar.
  • Duolingo – good way to practice languages. It won’t make you an expert, but it is easy and fun way to expand your vocabulary and grammar.

Photography

  • PhotoPills – if you’re serious about photography, this is the app for you. It costs 10$, but it’s extremely good value for money. It allows you to see sun/moon/stars in augmented reality, so you can see in few seconds where the sunset will be in 5 hours, or when the sky is going to look the best. It is basically all the apps for photographers you could possibly need, combined in one. They also have great learning articles online.
  • Snapseed – great and free, it offers quite advanced post-processing tools for your mobile phone. Made (all right, bought) by Google.
  • VSCO – artsy, instagram-ish tool for photo editing. Really good looking presets.
  • Google Photos – Good for free backup of your photos.

Finance

  • AndroMoney – good app for tracking expenses for iOS, Android and web. Simple to use, good visualisation for making some statistics and keeping track.
  • SettleUp – If you have friends coming over, or want to calculate shared expenses between more than 2 people, this is the easiest way to do it. You just put who-paid-how-much-for-whom and it outputs the rest, showing who owes who and how much.
  • Mi Calculator – This is installed by default on Xiaomi devices, but it is a handy calculator, with built in scientific and currency conversions. It shows 3 currencies at the same time, and the conversion rate updates automatically when you’re connected to the internet. So when you want to know the rate, it is as simple as opening your calculator.

Miscellaneous

  • OBD Car Doctor – You need a bluetooth OBDII Scanner for this to work, but it only costs about 10$. You plug it into your car diagnostic socket (1996+ made) and with the app, you can read various data from your car, including error codes – so you can diagnose the car on your own, if needed.
  • Mi Drop – yet another Xiaomi native app. Great for sharing data between any devices over WiFi, very quickly. You can even download stuff from your phone on any computer, just by connecting the phone to the same WiFi and with a push of a button (and typing an address).
  • Spotify – The only subscription app we didn’t cancel and gladly paid for. Long drives can be boring and you can download new songs for offline use with the premium account. Top tip – look for podcasts or audiobooks for long journeys
  • Kindle – even if you don’t buy one, you can just use the app to read e-books. Good for rainy days.

Other travellers

From Slovakia

  • Bronco namiesto hotela* – Slovak overlanding couple, who built a custom Ford Bronco camper and went on a honeymoon… to Siberia and back.
  • Vista Travellers* – Adventure in a station wagon, driving from the northernmost point in Europe to Gibraltar? This Slovak couple proves you don’t need a huge 4×4 or a van to travel the overland way….
  • Lada svetom* – … and these (a bit mad) guys prove that you can drive a Lada to Mongolia, or Thailand, if you want to.

International & Inspirational

  • Landcruising Adventure – a couple overlanding in vintage BJ45 Landcruiser since 2003. Great photos, stories and information.
  • Tuck’s truck* – Overlanders in a gorgeous 4×4 Iveco Daily camper. Probably my dream camper. Good stories and great geeky technical information, especially about modern cars in high altitude.
  • Overland Way* – A great couple making travelling around the world in a 4×4 Mitsubishi Delica, making great Youtube series.
  • Overland the Americas – A couple travelling around the Americas in their Land Cruiser, often going off road & with amazing photography.
  • Wander with me – Another vintage BJ45 Landcruiser going down the Americas, also with a great photographer (see a pattern here?)
  • KombiLife – A guy, who did something like “Couchsurfing on wheels”, inviting people to join him in his VW Kombi that he drove from Chile to Alaska. In the end, it took him 6 years – and he made a (slightly hippie, but nevertheless good) YouTube series about it.
  • Monkeys on the road* – Overlanding family with a young 5+ year old girl? This great family is proving it’s possible (and an amazing thing to do)
  • Slow Car Fast House* – 
  • Adonde Vamois* –  Two Argentinians travelling back home from Canada in a pick-up and a big camper, documenting everything along the way.
  • and many, many more. We’ve met with dozens of overlanders, shared long conversations, laughs, beers, wine and food. It is impossible to list everyone, but I’ve listed the few that came in my mind and had an interesting webpage worth sharing.

 

 

* we’ve met

Buy & Sell

How to guides:
Worldwide:
Country specific:
  • (USA) Craigslist – largest classified advertisements website in the US. Buy and sell absolutely anything, many cars for sale too.
  • (USA) Autotrader – handy used car marketplace. When searching for a car, you can search for deals in the whole US.
  • (Latin America) Mercadolibre – “Latin American eBay
  • (Chile) Chileautos – Largest online car marketplace in Chile.
  • (Chile) Yapo.cl – classified advertisement web in Chile. Imagine “Chilean craiglist
  • (Colombia)TuCarro – Car marketplace in Colombia
  • (Colombia)OLX – Online marketplace, many cars in Colombia (though the website works in other countries too)