Our Jeep Gladiator Is Heading to Africa. Ask Me Anything.

[HourlessLife]

Are you sure you'll get the vehicle back?

I sure hope so. The beauty of container shipping is that the container is sealed and the port and shipping company are liable and responsible once it is in the sealed container. So the seal on the container won't be broken until I'm standing on the port in front of the box. We intentionally built out our rig so that it would fit inside a container for this very reason.

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[HourlessLife]

do you have a YouTube channel of your travels?

We do. You can find us as Hourless Life on Instagram, YouTube, (and Patreon if you want to go behind the scenes with us and hear all the stories). Thanks for asking.

 

[HourlessLife]

Why oh Why ?

Why oh why are we going to Africa? Or why oh why did I accidentally post the same photo multiple times?

If its the former, because its there and I've never been. If it's the latter, because I'm a dolt and not very good at this forum stuff.

 

[HourlessLife]

Wow, best of luck in your travels. I just returned from a trip across Australia and the Outback and thought I was getting really off-road. You make my trip seem like a drive to the mall. Anyway, hope you have a great time and enjoy the adventure. These are things that we never forget and no one can ever take away from us. Enjoy!

We can't wait to do Australia! Good on you for that! I'm jealous! Thank you for the well-wishes.

It is interesting that you said, "no one can ever take away from us"

So much yes to this. It is EXACTLY what I told our then 8 year old son when we were standing in front of the Ushuaia sign at the bottom of the world.

I said, "Son, you did this. You overlanded with your family to the very bottom of the world. As long as you live, no one can ever take that from you."

Stay in touch. I like the way you think.

 

[Gvsukids]

We intentionally built out our rig so that it would fit inside a container for this very reason.

What would you do over, if you rebuilt the rig?

 

[HourlessLife]

Just like NASA control station is there for all those souls that jettison themselves into the “unknown”, let us be that for you from our couches and work cubicles.
You, no doubt have weighed the pros and cons of your safety going through this territory,….my only advise is…

Haha! Being a retired LEO I miss having my sidearm like a guy misses his wallet when he left it behind on accident. That feeling of not having my weapon on me never stops. With that said I really appreciate this community being there for me and my family and for being a resource when I'm having Jeep issues. Y'all are great!

 

[HourlessLife]

@HourlessLife, thanks for taking time to post and share your experiences. The world is a tough place, but you've found a way to navigate through it. How much time are you planning to spend in Africa and where is your next destination after leaving?

So traveling through Africa is MUCH different from Latin America. For the US based traveler, driving through Latin American countries is pretty simple. You get to a border, show your paperwork for you and your vehicle. They give you a stamp in your passport and a document for your vehicle called a TIP (kind of like a visa for your vehicle) and then you are in the country for as long as their government will let you be there.

In Africa it is different. You need a Carnet De Passage for your rig (think of it like a passport for your vehicle) and the carnet is renewed annually and it is EXPENSIVE. Also you need to list all of the countries you intend to visit on the carnet.

So with that said we are only looking to do a year on the African continent. We are looking to do a massive loop around the southern part of the continent and end up back in Cape Town where we started. Then we will ship to Belgium. At least that is the plan for now.

 

[HourlessLife]

What would you do over, if you rebuilt the rig?

Rear lockers. Our JT is the Sport S with the Max Tow package. We chose this platform because it has the highest payload capacity you can get in a JT. But it doesn't come standard with lockers. I'd thought about it when we were building DAUNTLESS but figured we'd be fine without them so I didn't pull the trigger. In hindsight I wish I'd had them once in Nicaragua, once in Costa Rica, and once in Colombia. So three times is enough to make me reconsider my life choices. I might add rear lockers in Cape Town before we start our trek.

 

[Freems]

Are you using a freight forwarding agent that’s bonded?

 

[berb]

So traveling through Africa is MUCH different from Latin America. For the US based traveler, driving through Latin American countries is pretty simple. You get to a border, show your paperwork for you and your vehicle. They give you a stamp in your passport and a document for your vehicle called a TIP (kind of like a visa for your vehicle) and then you are in the country for as long as their government will let you be there.

In Africa it is different. You need a Carnet De Passage for your rig (think of it like a passport for your vehicle) and the carnet is renewed annually and it is EXPENSIVE. Also you need to list all of the countries you intend to visit on the carnet.

So, with that said we are only looking to do a year on the African continent. We are looking to do a massive loop around the southern part of the continent and end up back in Cape Town where we started. Then we will ship to Belgium. At least that is the plan for now.

Ok, so I'm asking because I have no idea about traveling the world.

Is there a shipping point from Morocco into Spain? (Almost like a big Ferry where you can drive onto the ship and sail across the Straights of Gibraltar)

OR is there a shipping point from Tunis, Tunisia to Sicilia, Italy? (same premise)

OR, drive to Egypt and then ship to Greece?

I would say why not drive through Egypt into the Middle East, but I can't see a safe route into Europe.

Thank you for doing this, answering our questions, for those of us who will never get to, or have the courage to do this.

 

[taintedsaint]

I so enjoy your updates, been watching for years. As a former SF sergeant spending a LOT of time in eastern and Northern Africa, I can only say good luck. Yes it's got its dangerous aspects but I know you have shown yourself to be aware, alert and ready. I would only suggest being aware of the 'road jumpers'. Impoverished folks who will jump in front of your vehicle hoping for a big payout. They did it to both a Humvee I was driving and an embassy Land Cruiser a few years later.
Enjoy the continent, it's like nowhere else.

 

[HourlessLife]

Ok, so I'm asking because I have no idea about traveling the world.

Is there a shipping point from Morocco into Spain? (Almost like a big Ferry where you can drive onto the ship and sail across the Straights of Gibraltar)

OR is there a shipping point from Tunis, Tunisia to Sicilia, Italy? (same premise)

OR, drive to Egypt and then ship to Greece?

I would say why not drive through Egypt into the Middle East, but I can't see a safe route into Europe.

Thank you for doing this, answering our questions, for those of us who will never get to, or have the courage to do this.

Hey, we're learning as we go too!
There is a ferry from Morocco to Spain that you take your vehicle on, and there are other shipping options across the Med.
It's nearly impossible to take a foreign plated vehicle into Egypt from what I understand.

Check out Charline Overlanding (Instagram, YouTube) she is a solo female overlander who has traveled extensively in Africa and the Middle East. Most recently she's driven from France back to Saudi Arabia. She's there now.

 

[HourlessLife]

Are you using a freight forwarding agent that’s bonded?

Yes. We're using one of the major international shipping companies.

 

[HourlessLife]

I so enjoy your updates, been watching for years. As a former SF sergeant spending a LOT of time in eastern and Northern Africa, I can only say good luck. Yes it's got its dangerous aspects but I know you have shown yourself to be aware, alert and ready. I would only suggest being aware of the 'road jumpers'. Impoverished folks who will jump in front of your vehicle hoping for a big payout. They did it to both a Humvee I was driving and an embassy Land Cruiser a few years later.
Enjoy the continent, it's like nowhere else.

Appreciate the comment and the heads up. We're really looking forward to it!

 

[berb]

Hey, we're learning as we go too!
There is a ferry from Morocco to Spain that you take your vehicle on, and there are other shipping options across the Med.
It's nearly impossible to take a foreign plated vehicle into Egypt from what I understand.

Check out Charline Overlanding (Instagram, YouTube) she is a solo female overlander who has traveled extensively in Africa and the Middle East. Most recently she's driven from France back to Saudi Arabia. She's there now.

I will check out Charline's channel. So, why ship the Gladiator to Belgium rather than taking the Ferry to Spain?

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