maryandjohn Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 We're investigating the possibility of taking our motorhome to Australia for 3 to 6 months then to the USA/Canada for another few months. First enquiries suggest a shipping cost of over £5,000 (for our 7.5m 'van) so we were wondering if we could reduce the cost by driving overland as far as possible, avoiding Iraq if possible! Has anyone any experience of this sort of journey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna miller Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 ref shipping costs. have you approached any export companies or have you just got quotes from shipping companies. some, if not all export agencies will sell you just enough space in a mixed shipping container, this will cut down costs considerably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnerontheroad Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Hi, If you have a look on this site you may get info but you will have to join. http://www.xor.org.uk/silkroute/index.html If your van is LHD I think I read somewhere you cannot take it into Australia. Good Luck Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgain Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 used to drive trucks to iraq before all the troubles,and there were a few drivers that went to pakistan and afghanistan overland, and some of the tales they told ,were real horror storys,you will have to go through iran and then the kyber pass into afghanistan, and that is a no-no for a start, the only other way possibly is through turkey, into syria, than jordan, and then follow the pipeline through saudi, to one of the ports on the east side of saudi or one of the emirate states, its a long and hard drive, and to be honest 5 grand is a cheap price to stay alive , i would think long and hard about this trip, as it is not for the faint hearted, have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I was nominated for riding shotgun on model T overland (AFAP) to NZ, breathed a sigh of relief when the deal fell throu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Overland to Australia 8-) Crikey, how different we all are. I couldn't stomach the journey in a plane, let alone a van. Good luck all the same. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojitoes Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Watching the Ice Road Truckers on the deadliest roads in India you would need to have nerves of steel to contemplate such a trip, however we have met a couple of people who flew out to Oz, bought a motorhome, travelled round for a few months then sold it when they were coming home. Does that appeal to you? I do not know about Oz, but can definitely confirm that you cannot take LHD to New Zealand. Good Luck!! Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_C Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Australia has VERY stringent cleaning requirements for vehicles brought into the country. They need to be cleaned to virtually new/unused condition. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Fly out, buy a used MH, tour for 6 months or a year and sell the MH afterwards is the least expensive option. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timetraveller Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Have you thought about doing a motorhome swap with an Australian who might want to tour U.K./Europe. This way you could both be winners. I think there are sites that offer this service & am sure some of our more knowlegeable bloggers will come up with some sites for you to explore. Good luck with your travels (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawcara Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 My wife and I lived in Australia for over a year (work related) and we toured using motorhomes for hire. However, there were loads of adverts in the papers for ex hire models. Try looking at the Herald Sun for Australia, that is the local rag for Melbourne. We owned a 16 year old Toyota whilst there. At the time all it had to have was a 'roadworthy' certificate, like an Mot but a lot more basic in my opinion. That was only done, every time the vehicle changed hands. Thus this Toyota only had 3 owners, so 3 roadworthies. The 3rd one was when we sold it. Each state has its own rules. I would go over there, buy one, travel around and sell it as others have suggested. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmoney2 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 There is a company that does overland holidays to Australia, so it can be done. Doing the same route on your own could be quite complicated with regard to visa's, possible problems with vehicle, or ill health and no formal backup from a travel company. Could be a nightmare or the trip of a lifetime. Also the costs could rack up with fuel and ferries. Easiest way would be to fly direct and hire vehicle out there. I did this for New Zealand last year, cost wasn't too bad and could have been cheaper if we'd hired a smaller or older camper. Details of overland route are here http://www.oz-bus.com/london-sydney/london-sydney-budget.aspx Jules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryandjohn Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 Thanks everyone for all your helpful advice. Looks like we might need to re-think our plans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 maryandjohn - 2011-01-13 11:32 AM Thanks everyone for all your helpful advice. Looks like we might need to re-think our plans. A sad reflection on the state of the world that a journey that was reasonably common place in my teens is now near enough impossible because of human strife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altipueri Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Yeah, did Kabul and Khyber Pass in 76. Long hair and flares. Still got the flares. But envious of my daughter who spent 3 months of gap year in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos which weren't so accessible then. Time is the enemy. Just go, see how far you get. Read "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush" by Eric Newby for ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 My 19 year old daughter spent 3 months in south east Asia last year (before Uni) and had a wonderful and safe trip. The experience and independence was life changing for her....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 maryandjohn - 2011-01-10 3:35 PM We're investigating the possibility of taking our motorhome to Australia for 3 to 6 months then to the USA/Canada for another few months. First enquiries suggest a shipping cost of over £5,000 (for our 7.5m 'van) so we were wondering if we could reduce the cost by driving overland as far as possible, avoiding Iraq if possible! Has anyone any experience of this sort of journey? As suggested if you want quality info go to the Silk Route m/h Club site, its really good to read. There was an article in MMM in 2 parts called "They Took The Long Way" The first part was in May 2000 and the second in June 2000. It was a couple with a small child in a type 25 VW. Basically their route was thro' Turkey, Iran, The "stans", China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, & Oz. Simples. How's that for a memory/filing system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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