i used to follow hubnuts channel but then something did not sit right.It was about the time his wife left him ,some home truth comments were made.Carried on following him then one one of his live streams a fellow popped up at his workshop yet again trying an expose.Not watched hubnut since then
Listen to what Ronny reckons about mods. A friend met a European tourist, who had just finished one of our iconic “4x4” tracks, in an unmodified Citreon 2CV.
Franglias, if you want to go genuinely remote, particularly alone, get an eperb.
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Insurance is always a minefield.
We have an annual policy with Saga for worldwide inc. USA & Canada and a cancellation value of £20K. Think the travel limits are 45 days with a max of 120 days in one year. ( I would have to check the policy to confirm that)
I am past my three score years and ten and the wife is fast approaching that line. She has had knee surgery and one or two other problems which we declared but it made no difference to the premium.
A few years ago, in California, the wife lost a dental filling and we went to a local dentist, walked in told the receptionist the problem. First question how are you paying? flashed the credit card, took x rays, replaced the filling and back out again with 90 minutes. Just short of £500 and the filling is still in situ.
We were able to claim 90% on our dental plan when we got back home.
Remember the insurance is there to get you home in case of injury as well as pay for treatment abroad.
There are specialist brokers who deal in long term holidays such as cruises, they may be able to help with a quote.
To be honest, I’ve never really paid much attention to his domestic affairs - I gleaned there was something going on and I presume the NZ trip was a result of that. Now he’s with someone else and I don’t give a toss about that either. If there’s something fishy about him you think I should know, DM me.
I’m sure you’ve received much useful advice (and a lot of noise): it’s up to you to work your way through it.
I’m a pommie git who’s lived here for more than half my life: one day, at some otherwise unprepossessing moment, you’ll see or hear or feel something and that moment will stick with you. Yes, have a plan of some sort, but let some randomness in. It’s a mad corner of the world.
Cheers for that @Gateshead
Yep a minefield is right. Looking at a serious amount for the USA because my trail buddy/'er indoors/t’other 'alf etc has some pre-existing conditions that do up the cost a lot.
We are considering looking at getting medical insurance only and swallowing any cancellation costs.
I’m booking an appointment with some professionals to sort out what risks I am and am not prepared to take. Serious medical costs are a worry. Loosing a suitcase with t-shirts and shorts isn’t. An extra hotel for a night because of a flight delay is not major.
The multi trip deals are as you say limited to between 45 and 60 days per annum.
Single long trips are very variable depending on countries visited etc, both on the actual country, and how many of them per trip, because most are worried about the number of times flights are made, hence how many times they can be cancelled etc.
@star_down_under
Interesting video and reminds of the old question: What is the best vehicle to go for a trip?
The one sitting in the drive.
Don’t be too fussy just get out there.
With decent tyres a Morris Minor will do better than some 4x4s running low profile tyres on huge alloy wheels.
But for camping out I do want a decent bed, off the ground and away from the local wildlife! Plus self sufficient food for a while. I think some areas require all campers to have toilets of some sort in the vehicle? A shovel doesn’t count.
That sounds like it. 
A plan, but be flexible enough to take any good opportunities along the way, and not be upset by unplanned diversions.
I visited Aus in 2013 and hired a motorcycle, I have family also all over. Started in Sydney. East to west via Alice Springs, flew up from Perth to Darwin and back. Took me a month at leisure.
I found a free internal flight with Qantus cost me £1300 for the flights all in. Fly Emirates, only Emirates very good service they share the route, Lon to Dubai, 2 hr stop over then Qantus to Sydney.
Best financial option is if your planning East to West, go there buy a cheap motor or hire. There are plenty of places accommodating students that basically do the same thing Syd to Perth. Trains are rare and expensive. But you wont see much along the nullabor took me 3 days riding to cross it. You could do it in 2 weeks, but it will be a drag.
Sealed roads are few and far between, what they don’t tell you about is the corrugations (hard baked tracks of the earth movers) on the unsealed roads, brutal on your body at speed and on suspension, really brutal! If you have a flat, it takes them 3 days to get a spare tyre! All shipped via road trains or buses. Road trains, yeah…never overtake them. Aussies are mad b’stards when driving, Police are everywhere you least expect them and everything is no dramas. Road checks and breatherlisers at midday, Aussies drink…you get it right!
Everything there will kill you, so don’t touch anything and kill anything that moves. Especially Drop Bears, savage creatures. If you breakdown on a dirt track it can take weeks to find you, never camp more than 200 ft from the road in the outback. Some roads are local check ins with police, plenty of people die due to not planning food and water properly, have a plan even on a sealed road. Hire a GPS emergency locator.
I was going to take a 600 mile track with fuel stops (200miles) from Ularu (Aires Rock) to Norseman or Kalgorli, i was told someone broke down there man wife and 3 kids, survived but they weren’t found for 3 weeks!
My advice if you plan on two weeks go walkabout in Sydney, Blue Mountains, drive down to the Coast Road (loved it) and fly the rest, cheaper and quicker than driving! Temp import of your vehicle is possible, but takes a lot of faff, getting stopped by cops due to your plate, customs etc. That’s why i hired out there in the end.
Enjoy Aus is a beautiful place, people are ■■■■■■■ awesome and getting a warm beer is illegal!
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I never heard the term Drop Bears until quite recently and then it was only as a tall story to frighten visitors with. 
Also I always think it impolite to correct mis-spellings but I must make one correction because it is an acronym. Qantas is spelt that way because it originally was the Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Service.
As you can see, surely the safest airline in the world had very humble beginnings
Nevertheless I found your post very interesting with useful advice. 
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In spite of their fearsome reputation there are not many deaths from drop bears reported by the WHO. Definitely under 50 per annum.
I know that drop bears are marsupials, and are native to the new world or Australasia, but I have suspicions that they do have some genetic throwback to some old world species. It appears to me that that they share common origins with the haggis.
At least you can eat haggis, well you may be able to, I certainly couldn’t, but I think you might hear howls of protest if you tried to eat a cuddly Koala.
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Smear liberal amounts of Vegimite behind your ears in drop bear country. It’s an excellent repellent.
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Less bother from sheilas too.
You have to catch one first. Never trust one that would run widdershins round a church, that’s my advice.
Good stuff.
I’ll put in a recommendation in for Singapore Airlines too: even their average is good, certainly better IME than BA or Qantas.
It’s not the tracks of the graders that cause nasty corrugations, it’s the natural spring rate of many vehicles, heavies included.
You certainly can, but get on the CB and listen - they’ll tell you when it’s safe to pass (@star_down_under can tell you more than me).
aka an EPIRB. Sound advice - if you’re going off-piste, get one.
Rubbish.
Then again…
I remember being told that there was an optimal speed to keep to so that you didn’t feel them, the theory being that you passed effortlessly from peak to peak rather than plunging into the valleys as you go.
Can’t remember what that magical number was now but am pretty sure I never fully attained it. And I would have thought it differed according to tyre and wheel size. 
Absolutely so. The ridges get worse over time.
I used to have a regular run up a gravel track, and over some years it got worse, until a scraper was used to level off the peaks.
On some desert roads there are the same corrugations and they have never seen any earth moving equipment, just continued use by wheeled vehicles.
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Somewhere north of 160k’s probably, at which point a buffalo wanders across the road.
If you’ve done ME or N. Africa trips in the past, you’ll know the scene. They send graders up these roads but within a fortnight or so (depending on weather), brrr.rrr…rrr…rrr
