Our story and experience

We’re Marine and Étienne.

We started out with a Jeep Wrangler and a rooftop tent, travelling across Europe. That’s where we had our first overlanding experiences and learned the basics of the discipline.

Later, we upgraded to a Toyota Land Cruiser 78 with a clear goal : to prepare a long-term project across Africa and the Middle East.
It was a deliberate choice — less electronics, more reliability, and above all a vehicle that’s easier to maintain and repair in remote areas. We prepared it ourselves, focusing only on what was essential. Over time, we realized that less is often more when it comes to gear. At the beginning, you want to bring everything. In reality, most of it never gets used.
We already had some off-road driving basics, which we improved through practice and training. Because good driving isn’t just about handling the vehicle, it’s also about reading conditions… and sometimes knowing when to stop or change plans.

Étienne has a strong mechanical background, which became a key asset for the project, helping us become more self-sufficient : maintaining, understanding, and repairing the vehicle when needed.

Marine is in charge of route planning and administrative preparation. She builds the itineraries, anticipates the stages, and adapts routes depending on terrain and constraints.

Travel has taught us to deal with the unexpected : we analyze, adapt, and move forward. We work as a team, with complementary approaches.

We created Overland Coaching to share this experience. We don’t claim to know everything, but we share what we do, what we learn, and what we genuinely find useful when preparing this kind of adventure.