Why Overlanding Is the Ideal Mode of Travel for a Landscape Photographer
Some years ago, I swapped flights to faraway destinations for slow exploration in my own vehicle. I got tired of long haul flights, meticulously packing and repacking my equipment so it would fit the cabin allowance, and fearing for those less-essential pieces that didn’t make it to my hand luggage. Of always thinking of rules and restrictions and requirements for flying, and the trouble wouldn’t even end there: then there comes the accommodation, rental cars, acquiring food with my peculiar dietary restrictions. As I got older, travel seemed only to get harder and more complicated, and as a travel videographer, naturally, I had to find a way to make it work for me.
Certain that there must be a better way and resolved to explore other travel options, I got: a car, a mattress and a cooler. My first trip with this setup lasted almost two months and took me to eight countries, around the most beautiful mountains of Western Europe: the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Dolomites. On this trip, I learned that this was my perfect travel solution. The car was a game changer: apart from allowing me to bring all my equipment as well as my bicycle, it granted me total independence and complete freedom of movement. I didn’t have to rely on flights, hotels, rented vehicles or public transport; I was free to move around as I liked, and most importantly, to park at the exact spot that I was planning to shoot (or very close to it). Suddenly, early morning shooting stopped being such a hassle, as it’s now never necessary to wake up at 2 am and go for a long drive to that perfect sunrise spot. And equally importantly, it allows me to travel slowly, taking my time, waiting for the perfect light or weather conditions in order to get that perfect shot, exactly as I imagined it.
My first Overland vehicle was a cheap Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ.
And then, the pandemic hit. After the initial wave of strict lockdowns, the world started slowly opening up for travel, but with many uncertainties and even more hoops to jump through. So, car-reliant travel became even more convenient: if, at any point during a trip, travel restrictions are introduced and a certain country or place closes, the solution is as easy as rescheduling or simply driving someplace else. I fell in love with Overlanding, and I’m not going back.
Since my first trip to the Alps, I’ve started planning a long trip or two a year. Right after, I got to visit six countries in the Balkans. There I was shooting a documentary in locations so remote, that they are completely unreachable to those without a powerful 4x4 (unless, of course, you’re prepared for long and strenuous winter hikes and insane working hours). I spent the first summer of the pandemic exploring the north of Spain in depth. The following summer took me all across the continent to Norway, Sweden and Finland, then back through the Baltic states and Eastern Europe. On all of these trips, I discovered places I might not have known were there in the first place, woke up every morning to peaceful nature sounds in all kinds of scenery and weather, and eaten simple campsite meals while looking at striking sunsets. Since that first trip, my rig has grown and developed, but the initial intention has stayed the same: get on the road, go places, shoot landscapes.
These days, I travel comfortably in a fully-equipped and camperized Ford Ranger.
There are, of course, some shortcomings to this way of traveling, the most obvious one being that, in a relatively limited time period, a car can only take you so far. My car travels haven’t taken me outside of Europe so far, as anything farther would be significantly more time consuming, more expensive and logistically more complicated. However, I have a clear vision on how to change that: in the near future, I hope to temporarily leave my home in Madrid and set out on a long-term vehicle-based expedition, and explore some of the most remote and inaccessible corners of the Earth. I haven’t decided on the exact destination yet, but wherever I go, rest assured that I will come back with a great deal of stunning footage, and many, many travel stories.
