After thousands of miles, countless new friendships, and more than a few mistakes, these are the road-tested lessons we’ll carry with us for the rest of our journey.
HERO PHOTO — YOLA ON THE ROAD / WITH FRIENDS
Choose a strong image that immediately communicates road life, people, and practical lessons—not simply a scenic destination.
One of the unexpected gifts of this journey has been the people we’ve met along the way.
Some we’ve known for years. Others we met only days—or sometimes hours—before they shared a meal, a story, a mechanical tip, or a piece of advice that could make life on the road a whole lot easier.
After more than two months of living and traveling in YOLA, our Toyota 4Runner, we’ve learned that overlanding isn’t just about where you go. It’s about learning from the people you meet, paying attention to what works—and sometimes learning the hard way what doesn’t.
So here’s a collection of lessons we’ve picked up from friends, fellow travelers, mechanics, and a few painful mistakes of our own.
“The best lessons of this trip haven’t come from guidebooks—they’ve come from the people we’ve met along the way.”
The 3’s of Overlanding
One of the most important lessons we’ve learned is what we call the 3’s of overlanding. These guidelines can also be customized into the 4’s or 5’s, depending on your travel style, but the basic idea is to slow down, stay awhile, and arrive early.
Keep the Critters Out of YOLA
Jerry and Rosemary taught us an important lesson early on: rodents don’t need an invitation.
If you are living out of your vehicle, your car can apparently look like a five-star hotel to a vole.
We now keep all dried food in sealed, snap-lock containers. But we learned that isn’t enough. Paper products need to be sealed too—yes, even toilet paper and paper towels.
We also keep heavily scented dryer sheets and peppermint sachets inside YOLA because rodents apparently don’t appreciate strong smells.
And perhaps the most important lesson?
Don’t eat in the rig.
We’re learning to be much more careful about crumbs, food storage, and anything that might convince an unwanted little visitor that YOLA is a good place to stay.