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A year of living dangerously: Man to drive around world
Associated Press Writer
Photo by AP
Nicolas Rapp pulls down what will be his sleeping quarters during his drive around the world Oct. 17.
NEW YORK - This month, I'll be quitting my job and heading out on one of the last true adventures left on earth: Driving around the world.
I'll spend about a year on the road, starting and finishing in New York. When I can't drive, I'll ship the car by boat, then fly to the next stop to pick it up.
The route is sinuous. Cross Central America, then head down South America to Buenos Aires. From there, I'll ship the car to South Africa, then drive north through Africa to Europe. I'm a native of France, so I'll stop in Paris to get some paperwork done, then go east through Eastern Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India. I'll ship the car to Thailand, drive to Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia, and put the car on a final sailing home to the U.S.
My blog about the trip, where I'll post updates from the road, is called "Trans World Expedition: The year of living dangerously." I hope it will be a good tool for people who want to do a similar trip.
I believe a trip like this is something many people dream of. When you're young and a student, you don't have money to travel, but when you're working and can afford it, you don't have time. When you think about it, is there a better investment than traveling around the world? Wouldn't you be smarter after doing that? Wouldn't you have incredible stories to tell your kids and grandkids?
The route Driving around the world may be more difficult now than it was in the 1960s, even though cars are more reliable and roads are better. Wars and civil unrest have eased in Latin America, but crossing the Middle East is now a challenge. Here are some problems I'll face along the way: b Africa: Visas for Chad and Sudan are difficult to obtain, making west-to-east travel impossible. I'll need to get through Angola, but again, visas are hard to get. In Nigeria, I'll have to worry about kidnapping, carjacking, roadblock robberies and other violent crimes. Solution: Get a visa for Angola in South Africa, my first stop on the continent, and get across trouble spots like Nigeria as quickly as possible.
b Iran: Once inside the country, no problem. Great place, nice people, few incidents reported by travelers. But I worry about arguments between countries that could lead to border closings. Solution: Get my visa in order and hope my government doesn't get too excited about political events before I get there.
b Pakistan: Suicide bombings. Taliban insurgents. Imagine how much fun it will be to cross this country with New York license plates. Solution: Go as fast as possible, perhaps with the military escort some foreigners use when driving overland. I'm told the soldiers drive like New York cabbies.
The car There are not many choices when it comes to choosing a car for such journeys. In my opinion, only two vehicles can make it: Toyota Land Cruisers and British-made Land Rover Defenders. Both are tough, and you can find spare parts on all continents. Thanks to the economic crisis and the abundance of used cars available, I got a clean 1996 LC with 92,000 miles for less than $7,000.
Budget My estimated total for the trip is $46,000, including car and tent; shipping the car five times while flying myself; gas and repairs; insurance and vaccinations. Other costs include $550 for visas; $300 for maps and guidebooks; $10 a day for food and $4,000 for campgrounds and occasional nights in hotels. I plan on spending less, bur prefer to take unforeseen events into account.
Heading out I've read about other people driving around the world, and their blogs and reports helped me prepare, especially with paperwork and vehicle modifications. Some of them got sponsors for their trips. But I didn't want to have to find a reason to be on the road, like fighting a disease, when at the end, I am just curious about the world I live in.
And that's it. I leave Nov. 15. Time to start a new episode of my life.
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