Family of five driving the world... but in what?

[andri]

Hey guys. Long time follower but first time posting.

Me and my wife and soon to be three kids have set the goal for a few year round the world traveling. We aim for a 2 year trip that might be extended.

I´ve had a headache for few years trying to find the right gear and I hope you can help.

So what do we need and want.

We have three kids and two will be homeschooled while we travel, so a nice dining area where they can do there work is important. We are no city hoppers, we hike, bike, climb and paddle every time we can, so we are looking for a rig that allows us to go little bit of the beaten track although we are not looking to go overboard. But since we aim to travel in rural Africa, south America and in Asia and like to camp on scenic places we would like to take that in to account.

First I was looking at the Iveco 4x4 motorhome or similar.



Bigger expedition vehicle looks like to expensive option when the traveling is not longer then this…

Now I´m leaning toward camping trailer and Airstream being a rig that excites me a lot. And then use Defender, Toyota or Ford to tow it.



I think accommodation wise Airstream would be a ten more space for the family! But will I be limited when driving in the rural parts of the world?

I hope you can shine a light on what to do!

Thanks
All the way from Iceland
Andri

 

[john61ct]

Very hard to get anywhere without well-maintained roads pulling a big trailer.

Plus shipping costs double.

A self-contained truck is IMO the way to go, **if** you really are doing what you're talking about.

Buying it all fitted out off the shelf costs more than most houses.

I would spend 80% of the budget on a sound vehicle platform, easy to get repaired in primitive conditions.

And DIY the living space, as simply as the less-roughing-it partner can abide. Kids just told to suck it up, they'll be the most comfortably coddled humans around for hundreds of miles.

 

[andri]

Thanks John! Yes thats a big IF
But just so I don't get lost in translation, what do you mean by "sound vehicle platform"
Talking about like MAN truck or similar?

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Buy a school bus and convert it to an RV. They are cheap, simple to work on, and very over built.

 

[andri]

Thank you for your input so far!

I would love the concept of building my own car, but I don´t see it as an option.
Both time and resources here in Iceland are limited and most super expensive. So I´m more leaning towords more ready to go options.

Another thought, of having a roofthent on the car plus the trailer/camper. Then I could drop the trailer of and go "camping" for shorter period of time when entering areas that are rough. But trailer might be a bad idea over all Also how much value is having a car that I can drive around in and leaving the trailer back on base insted of driving with the RV/Truck all the time?

Also how well-maintained are roads in general, how well equipt should I be. When thinking it over, I´m sure I´ll be traveling 80% on turisty/popular tracks.

 

[john61ct]

Problem is even if going offroad is only 10%, your rig has to be ready for it, or you end up with a broken axle in the middle of deepest darkest nowhere.

Iceland is certainly an unusual starting point for preparing for a world tour.

Maybe consider flying to a major city on your first desired continent, and doing your build out there. Just shipping your rig is likely more expensive than what you need to spend to get started in a KISS way.

A sample "platform" might be a 4x4 flatbed, or a big enough van or maybe a box truck.

The key is lowish mileage and easy to get fixed on that continent.

Once you have the living space enclosure, add solar panels and batteries, a 12V fridge, camp kitchen, some mattresses and off you go.

If you decide to stick with well-maintained roads, then go to a robust custom trailer, not so many mechanical liabilities, so more practical to ship in a container over the oceans.

Could then just buy whatever local truck can pull it at reasonable MPG, and sell it when you're ready to leave that continent.

 

[andri]

Yes I think I would start in the US... that might be a soft start.. since I´ll always be close to a desent store and could master things. Good selections on good price.

To give you an idea of where we would like to be able to access... this route from The Greatn Indian Road Trip has been an inspiration. (skip skandinavia and most of Western Europe)

 

[andri]

Would the iveco 4x4 not be a good option? Or are there other better suited motorhomes that are closer to ready to drive? Since we are willing to spend the cash.

 

[john61ct]

Would only be "easy" to get serviced in Europe.

I only see the 4x4 sold in Australia? That would probably be a better place to start, they have a much better quality build-out industry and excellent off-grid survival culture historically.

Personally I'd go Toyota Land Cruiser 70 as a base platform, maybe MB Geländewagen if I were rich

Land Rover "Defender" distant third.

 

[andri]

Is´nt LC, MB, LR and other similar options with build on camper going to be small for family of five and going to drive some one mad

Are you talking about somthing like this:

 

[Bbasso]

Budget wasn't mentioned... something like this?
https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/fs-2016-earthcruiser-fx-210k-pics-now-up-5-9-2018.192591/

 

[andri]

Thats a nice one! We have set the goal of 150K. We might push it but I would like to stay in that range.

 

[john61ct]

Euro or USD?

Assuming not ISK

 

[andri]

haha, sorry... USD.

 

[Porkchopexpress]

You are very fortunate to have the opportunities you are planning, congratulations.

Some of the areas you have mapped are high risk for travelers. Central American region for example, leads murder per capita statistics because of drug gang violence. The Middle East has cultural differences that your family may find incompatible with your plans as well.

I agree with prior comments about tailoring your transportation to individual regions. To me, trying to clear customs with a foreign vehicle at so many borders would be an insurmountable challenge. Imagine how many times it would be stripped down searching for contraband and how many customs officials would find “violations” that require “fees”.
My opinion, buy a new or lightly used full size 4wd truck in USA with an inexpensive travel trailer or camper top depending on personal preference. Drive it around USA, Canada and maybe Mexico, return to USA and sell it all. Then take a tailored approach to Africa, Australia and Asia. Another consideration, hotels and restaurants can be quite inexpensive in 3rd world countries making an RV unnecessary. Perhaps including some train travel could also add some adventure.

I have traveled the world extensively to include Asia, Mexico, Central America, and a few other places.