Alicia has been on the Road for about 3 months now and has been enjoying her time on the road immensely. She has been taking her time coming up the West Coast from Baja stopping in Northern California to see family and making her way to Overland Expo PNW. As a Overland Expo Foundation scholarship recipient, she felt the best way to give back was to volunteer at Overland Expo PNW. 

Alicia’s favorite experience of her trip so far has to be the month she spent navigating through Baja. She said it was a lot easier to do than even she thought. Spending her first few nights at traditional pay campsite, she moved on to free beach camping and now whenever she looks for a place to stay, free is first on her mind. 

The driving skills and learning about her vehicle were some of the most impactful takeaways from her time at Overland Expo. She says taking what she learned and applying it to real life situations has given so much confidence. There was a sketchy big hill in Baja where she said to herself “Hey can I do this? I know my vehicle can do it, but can I?” and she got real excited when she tackled that task with no problem and proved to herself that she can do it. Her time at the Low Traction Class and Picking a Line Class were well spent as she says she applies what she learned there on every outing. 

To those who want to get into overlanding, Alicia suggests first and foremost to just get out there. Not everyone has the perfect overland vehicle but knowing you and your vehicle’s limits will help to get you out on the road in any vehicle. Once you get out there and get comfortable, you can really start to know what you need for your overlanding experience.