Overland Adventures with Our Winnebago Revel 'VanGo'

While the traditional vision of overland travel typically conjures images of khaki-clad bushmen stalking big game on the African savannah out of burly decommissioned military vehicles, this is a fairly narrow perspective on an incredibly diverse group of people. According to OverlandJournal.com, overlanding is simply "self-reliant adventure travel where the journey is the primary goal." And while we have never really considered ourselves overlanders, we have, in fact, been exploring North America in this manner for decades in a multitude of vehicles ranging from a Honda Civic hatchback to a Tacoma, Tundra, Winnebago View and, most recently, a Winnebago Revel. And while our vehicle of choice has transformed over the years, our quest to seek out what adventure lies just over the horizon has not.

Exploring the Alabama Hills in California in our latest iteration of overland vehicle: our beloved Revel 'VanGo.'

An Intro to Overlanding

Two and a half years ago, we attended our first Overland Expo East in Asheville, NC, and fully immersed ourselves in learning everything this incredible group of adventurers had to offer: from classes focused on crossing international borders and shipping vehicles abroad, to dealing with checkpoints, and much, much more. Even as seasoned full-time RVers with 250,000+ miles, 49 states, 6 provinces, and countless expeditions deep into the wilderness under our belt, we still felt like wide-eyed neophytes as we listened to presenters share epic tales of traversing the wilds of Africa and South America. We left that first event inspired, invigorated and with the sparks of a grandiose dream tickling the edges of our imaginations.

Famagogo World Tour Map - After hearing epic tales of adventure at our first Overland Expo in the fall of 2017, we began to envision our own around-the-world adventure.

Reconnecting & Sharing at Overland Expo

This past weekend marked the anniversary of our 5th Overland Expo in Flagstaff, AZ, and served as a convergence of many plans coming together into a dream years in the making. This year, we rolled through the entrance gate and arrived in our own global expedition vehicle: the Winnebago Revel (which served as the display vehicle in the booth right outside of the very theater that first sparked our imaginations some 30 months ago).

We have served as presenters and panelists at all five Overland Expos over the past 2.5 years. We are honored and humbled to share our adventures and experiences with an incredibly knowledgeable and welcoming community.

We spent the weekend serving as panelists and presenters, sharing our expertise in overlanding across North America: Alaska, Canada, and the lower 48. We reconnected with dear friends from far and wide, and met countless enthusiastic Revel owners bound together by an incredible adventure platform, eager to swap ideas on worthy destinations and inventive vehicle modifications. It was an incredible convergence of new and old friends, and an endless exchange of ideas for the next great adventure.

This year at Overland Expo, we opened the doors of our Revel VanGo to the public and were completely blown away with countless other Revel owners who swung by to say hello and swap stories and ideas. RVers have been exploring dirt roads for generations and we love that our Winnebago family is flourishing within the greater Overland community. #BoundByTheW

What's Next for Revel VanGo?

I drove away from the event once again inspired and invigorated. But this time, rather than departing with my imagination ablaze, I am focused and intent: driven. Actually, I'm driving ... solo ... across the continent from Flagstaff to Baltimore. Almost 2,300 miles in 48 hours. It's a grueling feat, but I am on a mission and it is critical that I make it on time. My destination is the Port of Baltimore where I am rendezvousing with the marine vessel TUGELA who will transport our beloved Revel VanGo across the Atlantic to Zeebrugge, Belgium, where my family and I will reunite in two weeks for a six-month overland adventure across Europe.

Our Winnebago Revel VanGo awaiting its ride to Europe!

From there, anything is possible. Who knows where the wind may take us, maybe we will head to Africa or maybe Asia or Australia. Revel VanGo has served as a catalyst for our wildest dreams and while it has taken years of patience and planning, setbacks and successes, we find ourselves on the precipice of our grandest adventure yet. We are nervous and excited, and in the throes of chaos as we struggle with the last-minute logistics of stage one of the Famagogo World Tour.

But one thing is as certain as it always has been: we cannot wait to discover what lies just over the horizon!

From the canyon country of the southwest...

To the plains of Texas...

And the skyline of Memphis...

The beauty of overlanding lies in the journey.

Revel VanGo - We wish you fair winds and following seas as you make your way across the Atlantic. Adventure awaits us all when we meet again in Europe ...