this is a mainly motobike forum with some car bits but really up to date on shipping, visas etc
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/trip-transport/
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this is a mainly motobike forum with some car bits but really up to date on shipping, visas etc
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/trip-transport/
Mine is a Camel Trophy... I swear I still wash Mongolian mud off it... And Zambian, Tanzanian, Namibian etc...Quote:
Originally Posted by El Rey
Ive travelled quite a bit overseas, taking mostly my motorbike but also a range rover p38 (when it still ran good).
I have driven/ridden in a fair bit of the world.
The documentation is easy.
The customs etc.. is easy.
Quarantine guys in Aus have a look, but if its clean-ish your passed.
Whats really your concern?
Costs?
Time?
Its really not that hard to organise, and when you do it, theres nothing better than having your own vehicle in the country of your choice.
The only concern, in my opinion is insurance.
I never had any, and I never needed it. But thats just my personal experience.
Feel free to PM me, or call me. I'll explain the process.
Cheers
I have shipped my Australian Land Rover overseas twice. It is fairly straightforward.
In 2009 we paid $2,100AUD, to ship our 110 from Brisbane to Pusan, South Korea, plus another $650US at the Korean end for unloading, transport, customs, etc. Shipping insurance would have cost $380AUD. We then travelled up the coast of South Korea, to Sokcho, caught an overnight ferry to Vladivostok Russia, up to Lake Baikal, into Mongolia, back into Russia, down to Turkey, Eastern/Central Europe, Baltic states, Northern Europe, before shipping back to AUS from Hamburg Germany, to Bris. All up we did around 45,000km in 18 months.
The hardest part was getting a ?Business Visa? for Russia, as this allowed us to travel for up to 6 months in Russia, with multiple entries, and meant we didn't have to have pre book any accommodation. Our application was rejected twice in Sydney as they said it was not for business purposes. By this stage the Land Rover was already in the container on the way to Korea. As to apply for the visa you need an invitation, which is easily obtainable online, but you can only apply 45 days before you are due to arrive. We ended up flying to the Canberra embassy were we obtained the visa no questions asked (thank goodness). This visa cost $700 per person plus the required invitations, aids tests etc. The reason for sending the container to South Korea, and then arriving with the vehicle in Russia was that it was much easier to do all the Russian formalities. Anyone who has collected ?un-accompanied baggage? will know how much easier it is to just fly with it.
It was a fantastic trip. Eastern Russia is great. Heaps of wild camping, forests, rivers, lakes, and poor, but friendly and generous people. The beer is awesome, and fuel is cheap at about 25cents/litre. In Mongolia the Gobi desert was a surprise with plentiful water in wells about 3m below ground, which helps explain why the locals are so evenly spread out. So despite being the world's least populated country, and basically travelling cross country for the most part, there was only 2 days, in 2 months where we didn't have a visitor to our camp. Interesting at first, a bit annoying long term. But is a very scenic country with mountains, forest, lakes, and desert. Western Russia started to get a bit tiring with machine gun wielding police check points at each town and as a foreign vehicle we got stopped at most?.
Shipping from Hamburg to Bris at the end of 2010 cost 1,900 Euro plus $1,423AUD in Australia for unloading, customs, AQUIS etc. The vehicle has to be clean ? which means ?clean as new? to Quarantine. I spent a week cleaning our (1995) 110 and it was surgically clean, and had no problems. I chose a depot again where I could unlock and unload the contain myself. As it was a 'returning Australian vehicle? (re)import was not a problem. Friends had their Land Rover unloaded from the container for them, and were charged several hundred dollars for cleaning, for some alleged mud on the outside of the guard.
This year, in May, we shipped the 130 from Bris to Hamburg which cost $3,400, and 790 Euro in costs in Hamburg. All the costs quoted are for a standard 20 foot container. This trip we have mainly stayed in Bavaria, with a run down into Morocco. The 130 is parked in a shed for the winter ski season (to avoid the salt), then in spring we are off to ?The Stans?.
While overseas, the car is supposed to stay registered in Australia, with Rego papers acting like the vehicles identity papers ? showing ownership. Border people generally look for your name, number plate, chassis number. This should all match. Then depending on the country, your car Rego gets stamped in your passport, or you are given a separate 'temporary import? certificate, part of which you need to hand over when you leave the country. Though bringing the car into the EU no one could care less about the car. You also need 'third party? insurance which is obtainable at most borders. In Russia this cost $60 for 6 months. The green card insurance for Europe (and surrounds) costs about 100Euro a month long term.
That is pretty much it. You obviously want a reliable machine. And it needs to be a pretty special vehicle (or trip) to warrant the around $8,000 return postage costs. You also have to think about what you want from the trip. It can be a hard slog at times. For example - In Norway it rained every day except 3 in the two months we were there. Despite being summer, it was minus 2 at Nordkapp, and snowed numerous days elsewhere. That was hard going in a pop top Land Rover without heating, and nowhere to dry anything. Maybe we would have enjoyed Norway more if we had just spent 2 weeks travelling on the Hurtigruten mail ship, nice and warm and dry, getting dropped off at the 'sights??
For shipping, I highly recommend to contact Ahmet Koc at BTI logistics. T: +613 8336 9000 E: akoc@btilogistics.com.au . We contacted over 30 shipping agents each time, and BTI Logistics were by far the cheapest. Ahmet also organised a depot where we could load, and strap the vehicle ourselves. This saved over $500. And there was none of the induction, and WH&S bollocks that the other shipping agents came up with.
To lash the car down I use four 2,000kg ratchet straps, one from each corner of the car to the corners of the container. I make up 4 wooden blocks that go between the bump stop rubbers and the axles, then ratchet it down till the tyres start to bulge. The battery needs to be disconnected, which is a bit of a pain on a defender getting access through the left hand door as the container is fairly narrow.
Hope some of that helps,
Alan
Some interesting websites to get you started.
This one is a great travel website:- Ali & Julian Travels
This one has a lot of useful info:- How to Explore Planet Earth in a Vehicle
Or these guys:- The Kingsmill's Overland Travels
I've never actually done it, but did look into costs etc prior to our 9 weeks in southern Africa this year.
I worked out it would be around the $8-9K mark so good to know that's on par with those who've done it recently.
In the end we decided to just hire Puma's ex Johannesburg as it was about the same price and more of a certainty for what was a tight trip schedule-wise. I didn't want to be caught out with a shipping or bureaucratic delay screwing up pre-booked camping and accommodation.
The other advantage was that the hire vehicle was fully insured and the company would provide a replacement vehicle in the event of a major breakdown or accident etc. As it turned out we did end up with a replacement after an engine failure.
I'd love to go back with my own vehicle that was nicely set up rather than a hire-vehicle compromise, but it would need to be for a minimum of 3 months for me to even consider it. I'd also want time up my sleeve at the overseas end in case of any issues.
Steve
A recent trip to the USA got me thinking a 12 month cross-country trip would be cool. Another option I thought of was buying a vehicle there and selling it before leaving. Anyone had any experience with this?
I think shipping your own vehicle comes down to travelling long enough to make the cost justifiable.
It is fairly common to buy and then sell. However you need to make sure that the end country is carnet De passage free otherwise you could end up with a surprise at your final border.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ranga
I know of some people that did it and sold it (prearranged) with some people doing the return trip. Also note that this involves many bureaucratic hurdles and depending on the country is very very patient people
I'd love to do the Americas top to bottom and also Africa bottom to Europe but from what I'm reading the common eastern African route seems quite dodgy at present, particularly Libya and Egypt.
I'd also be interested in an Asian route, maybe up through Thailand and Laos into China, but the Chinese rule requiring a guide would rule that out. The other option would be Bangladesh India Pakistan Iran Turkey but only if things settled down.
The other issue is persuading The Navigator, who is a bit sceptical at present. Maybe once we retire and have done an Oz lap it might happen.
Of course, for every tale ot trouble there are many who get through fine, so maybe it is just a case of go for it and see what happens. You only live once.
Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app
The "China Problem" is something that I am currently working on as I work on planning a trip. It has become slightly easier since our trip in 09 but it's still a bureaucratic nightmare. Even with a tour "guide" you still require a Chinese license.Quote:
Originally Posted by DiscoMick
Also not all border crossings allow foreigners to cross with a car, so checking which ones they will accept you to cross is important. I've planning to cross over from Tajikistan.. until I saw that it's a hassle despite being "open"... So it looks like Tajikistan -> Kyrgyzstan -> China is the simplest route.
Even in 2005/2006 Africa was a pita and that was before the Arab spring uprisings. Carnets that required 800% loading for Egypt. Corrupt border guards, 12+ hour waits while they tried to fleece you out of your hard earned dollars. The Americas is relatively easy with the exception of the Darien gap.