Between 1975 and 1980 I went on a number of overland trips to various destinations and in various guises. Collectively I call these trips the Grand Tour in homage to ‘Young English elites of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries often spent two to four years traveling around Europe in an effort to broaden their horizons and learn about language, architecture, geography, and culture in an experience known as the Grand Tour.’
The only actual match was ‘young’ and ‘English’ because I am not elite and the first trip was to Asia. Not all of the time was spent travelling, about three years in aggregate. My story of my Grand Tour starts by clicking here. http://www.ivanhurst.me.uk/01_MAIN/html/grand_tour.html
Whilst the earlier trips were self organized two were undertaken as leader driver for Encounter Overland. The first was another Trans Asia in 1978, and the second was this Trans Africa. An explanation of how I became a leader driver can be found here. http://www.ivanhurst.me.uk/01_MAIN/html/howjoinetrans_asia_1978.html
Read more about this trip here. http://www.ivanhurst.me.uk/01_MAIN/html/trans_africa_1979.html