Mon 19 Nov 2007
World Trip Vehicle Choice: VW Camper Van vs Off Road 4×4
Posted by Paul Freeman under Planning , Travel , VehicleWhen anyone dreams of traveling by road I’m certain the only thing people think driving is a VW Camper Van, they are after all iconic and capture that carefree spirit you tend to want from your dreams.
However, when it comes to seriously planning a round the world trip and making it a reality, a Volkswagen from the 70’s isn’t quiet as attractive when you actually have to deal with unmaintained roads, mountain passes and extreme weather conditions.
If I was just planning on driving around Europe, then one of the classic VW campers would be perfect, they have everything you need to make a homely living space, but as I start looking at viable routes, and reading up on other peoples experiences, it becomes clear that while not impossible in a camper van, they are massive advantages to driving a 4×4.
At first the concept of abandoning a camper van in favor of a four wheel drive jeep type setup was a bit disheartening, I never really pictured myself as a 4×4 driver, and I tend to frown upon people who use a 4×4 as their day to day vehicle. But since I’m not just driving to the shops, any conditioned guilt about large cars is soon replaced with certainty that it’s the most viable mode of transport.
I’ve started to have a bit of a look at the type of 4×4s there are out there, and have even seen a few camper van type models, but there is a lot of choice out there so I will have to carefully research the options.
Now I’ve settled on the 4×4 in order to better prepare for the trip I’ve also started looking up various off road driving courses around the country, which actually look very reasonably priced at around £150 per day, so something that would defiantly been worth while.
