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Good to hear this brought back some memories! Unfortunately as much as we’d like to do so much more everywhere we go, we have to be practical and for this year year specifically, stick to our plan which was worked backwards from the Himalayas… Thanks for the tips in Russia. We’ll check them out. 👍

@@View_from_Australia I’m sorry we don’t really understand what you mean? Please could you elaborate…

@@projectwildearth You wanted to send your goods (car, etc.) through Russia and fly to Kazakhstan. This was one of three options, correct?

@@View_from_Australia Yes one of the options, and the one we went for in the end, was to send Matt with the car and trailer through Russia and then fly the rest of the family to Kazakhstan. We’d then meet up in Kazakhstan just after the border.

@@projectwildearth Thus, I understood correctly the selected option. With this in mind please read my first message. Or you would like me to spell for you all and every probable scenario and consequences of this decision?

@@View_from_AustraliaThanks for your concern. We’ve both travelled extensively before this trip and have over two decades of experience in over one hundred countries. Our background and network also helps in these circumstances. 👉 projectwildearth.com/about-us We’ve done our research, spoken to a lot of people, got the latest information and made the best decision we can in our situation, in our opinion, all things considered. We’re not naive and understand that nothing is risk free. We’ve considered all the possibilities but more importantly in this case, the probabilities. If you’d like to voice your thoughts, please feel free to do so… ideally without calling us kids. It’s unnecessary. 👍

Thanks for the kind words Paul! 🙏 Glad you enjoyed watching this one!

No worries at all! 😊

@@dennynisevic7848 Hi Denny! Although a little brief, we crossed Serbia, one of our favourite campsites was there! Glad to have you along for the journey! 🇷🇸 😊

Hi Jeff. As far as we know, as of today, you do need a guide for China if you’re bringing your own vehicle into the country. The best way to do it is as part of a group to share the costs. It’s been like this for many years. We only know of a couple of exceptions where people managed to do it without a guide and it was a very long and painstaking process but these were pre Covid. Can you provide any details about where you’re getting your information from? Is it up to date?

@@projectwildearth I live in China, and drive here. Having a guide actually with you is just required in restricted areas, ie Tibet. Some other places you need permits, few of those in xinjiang. Your car needs to be properly imported, and temporarily registered, temporary license plate etc You need to get your Chinese license, it can be provisional if on tourist visa, really easy at most big city ports/airport and if course you have a foreign license and docs. There is paperwork, lots and lots I'm sure, and probably why need an agency and said agency is telling you that you need a guide, but you don't. If your point of entry is kazakhstan to xinjiang, them itay be more difficult / less developed to get things like provisional licenses so the guide is just the fixer getting it sorted for you, and perhaps pet it's through restricted areas... Definitely advise a guide for that part. But when you have your vehicle properly registered and a legal driving license (provisional), then you can travel freely anywhere in China, other than Tibet. Some amazing guys do offer driving trips across the country, fully guided, and sort all this for you... But if anyone is telling you that you must gave a guide with you across the country then you are being lied to.

@@JeffCleverleyThanks for this. Can you provide concrete links to examples of people who have managed to do this recently without any issues? Post Covid? (Cross the country temporarily with a foreign vehicle as a foreign driver) Even if it is possible, we then have to decide whether it’s worth the headache and costs to do it… If you have information that doesn’t seem to be available online right now from what we can tell and it makes sense financially, we’d love to see it. 😊👍

​@@projectwildearth I believe it's up to date... I mean... I live in China and have a Chinese driving license and drive all around China.... and have lived here for many years (18 years). Bringing your vehicle in to the country is a lot of bureaucracy, I bought my 4x4 here as I live here.. Foreigners/Foreign Tourists only need to be accompanied by a guide in restricted areas - ie Tibet (Xizang), and maybe couple in Xinjiang. In most places in Xinjiang you just need a permit which can be applied for, but you don;t need a guide. (Even my Chinese wife needs a permit for some of those). You need a permit for all of Tibet, and if you go outside of Lhasa then as a foreigner you need a guide - that bit annoys me. But outside of those areas - no guide is necessary, you can travel freely. To bring your car in, it needs to be properly imported and it needs to be temporarily licensed., for that you will need an agency - they get things done quickly, without that it would be a PIA. If you are on a tourist visa then getting a temporary provisional driving license is really easy in any big city airport/port, but I imagine you are coming in via Kazakhstan->Xinjiang this might not be so straightforward so you would need a fixer/agent to help with that. I wouldn't recommend trying to get that sorted outside of some arrangement with a local - ie an agency. But the idea that you need a guide to drive across the country, outside of Tibet and a few places in Xinjiang is wrong, once your car is registered and you have your license, you can go where you like... Tourist visa's, like any country often want some sort of itinerary, where you want to go, plan to stay, but this plan can change at any time on the fly - aslong as you complete a temporary registration form at every hotel you stay. All hotels licensed for foreigners will complete the temporary residency when you stay there, this is true from Shanghai to Urumqi. Smaller guest houses may not be equipped/licensed for foreigners but this less and less the case. They are actively loosening the restrictions on small hotels to allow foreigners to stay in them as they are increasing the promotion of tourism as an important industry.... Honestly, these restrictions are in place so foreign guests don't stay in sh!tholes, not for any other reason - minimum standards type of thing. I've driven across country from Shanghai to West Sichuan, Gansu, and Qinghai and back a couple of times now, and never had any issue. There are some amazing companies that organise groups to bring cars/bikes in, and organise it all, import, licensing, permits where needed etc, and they provide guides for the entire trip... BUT the guide is not needed outside of restricted areas. (I don't want to piss any of them off lol - I am relying on one of them for a planned driving tour across and around Tibet). So if you are working with such a agency and they are telling you that you need a guide with you to drive in China, then they are lying to you. (its just business) Once your have your license for you and your car, you could go where you want - even if you used a guided tour to get that far... you aren't breaking any laws not having a guide with you - this is not North Korea.... Choosing a guided tour is the easiest option - and travelling in groups is the least expensive in areas where you need a guide/permits (shared costs), but there is no legal requirement for a guide to travel in China outside of Tibet - with or without your own car. You need an agent/fixer to import the car (impossible without - needs to be imported by a licensed import company), and they could help you get your provisional license (but that part is generally easy). If you want to go to restricted areas, you will need permits (not generally difficult), and in some cases you must have a guide and permits (Tibet).

I should also say, guides make things easy - where you arrive is not Shanghai/Beijing/Guangzhou - ie foreign tourist user friendly. The English language will be mostly useless when dealing with officials. - Reply above this was removed -

Hi Niels, here’s what you’re looking for 👉 Falling Star - The Neighborly

Good idea Mr Callanan! I’m glad you’re enjoying the videos and our journey! I’m sure some of them make you cringe with your BBC and filmmaking background but your lines “take people along with you” and “focus on the story, that’s the most important” have really stuck with us so thank you. Your advice is always appreciated and welcome. And thank you once again for continuing to help share the journey too! 🙏 (There’s a lot of thank yous there 😉)

@@projectwildearth There's zero cringe in your films. Your content is spot on. Whats even more amazing is editing on the road. (not easy) Keep up the great work!

Hi Mark, thanks for the comment. We’re glad the videos are able to inspire others. It’s amazingly beautiful planet we all live on. 😊

Hi Priya! Here’s the full list 😊 Let’s Go - Palm City Moment In Time - The Born Love The Great Russian Catastrophe - Songs of Water Ripples In Time - Austin Farwell Forever Looks Good On You - Maylyn Enjoy!

@@projectwildearth Huge Thanks, Forever looks good on you is beautiful song. You guyz are doing incredible work.

Hi Bruce! Good to hear you’re enjoying the journey, thank you for following along! We’re glad to be able to play our part in allowing others to see certain parts of the world that aren’t that well known. As for never seeing these places personally, never say never, things are changing quickly, everything is becoming more accessible and technology is changing rapidly. If you really want to, make it a priority and see what you can make happen. You may surprise yourself. We love Jane, our Grenadier! We’re approaching 20,000 miles and she’s still very strong! We started with the spec of the vehicle we wanted first and had been watching Projekt Grenadier from the beginning. When it became clear it was going to happen and the timing would almost align perfectly, it was an easy choice due to the crazy inflation and prices of everything else comparably. All other options just didn’t make sense to us and so we decided to go with the Grenadier. A 5 year global warranty for a 5 year around the world trip is rather useful. 🙂

Hi Guru, thanks for the message and glad to have you on board! How did you find us out of interest? Through RUclips? We’re coming to Kenya and so let’s hope you’re the first of many! 😎 🇰🇪

@@projectwildearth I stumbled on your video thanks to the RUclips algorithm. You are all welcome in Kenya, and when you arrive, please pass by and say hi.

@@guruvoke4331 Ok great! Good to see it’s working worldwide! 😊

Hi Pat, good to hear we’re starting to strike those emotions within! Georgia has a lot to offer. We were there a little earlier than is ideal as we’ve had to plan backwards from the Himalayas using all the best weather windows. For the desert it just needs to be dry before and during your time there and you should be fine. As for meeting us, it’s a small world and so it’s always possible! Where are you based? To answer your question - We went for the petrol version for a few reasons. We did a lot of research and spoke to many people who have done similar worldwide trips and we’re going to do a lot of time in Africa where it’s easier to get good quality petrol and less issues overall. Worldwide, in rural areas, there’s motorbikes everywhere and they all run on petrol and so worse case we’d be able to source enough if required. If we had a diesel engine that was more than 10 years old then we’d probably stick with diesel but with the new ones, it’s more hassle than it’s worth in our opinion. Sourcing ad blue, DPF filters etc. We have to say we were regretting our choice in Europe due to the extortionate fuel prices but it calms down a bit as you head East.

@@projectwildearth Matt, I am based in Northern Italy.

Hello have you had any problems with your Grenadier? Dave

@@davidgoulden3543 Hi Dave, congrats on the order! Glad you’re enjoying the journey! As for our Grenadier, we did have a few issues early on, as expected with any brand new manufacturer and vehicle, especially with us being one of the first in the world to have one, but they were sorted after the first service and software update. From what we know, they’ve been resolved in the newer cars too and so shouldn’t be a problem for you but maybe worth checking with your dealer. We’re big believers in preventative maintenance and so we actively monitor the forums, just like you would with any other vehicle when doing a trip like this, and so that maybe a good place to start if you’re at all concerned. We’ve been in all sorts of environments, conditions and terrain with a lot of off-roading and we love it! Zero regrets with our decision to go with the Grenadier! So far it’s done exactly what it was supposed to do 👉 Get us from A to B with no dramas. 👌

There’s a fair number of sensitive and restricted areas and some border areas are subject to strict regulations regarding the circulation of people. It can get a little complicated, especially actually acquiring the permits and so you need to do your research before you go. Kyrgyzstan and other countries around the world have similar restrictions. Once you have the permits, it’s no problem, you just have to show the paperwork when asked. Each check point can be a little different so you just have to have your documents in order and ready to go. Usually they’ll ask for your border permit, your authorisation, the papers for your car, and your passport. It can sometimes take a bit of time and so as with all these things, a smile and patience goes a long way! 😊

@@projectwildearth Great info. Hopefully it's just checking the papers and after everything checks out they leave it at that. It sucks to have amazing views like that but at the same time being so anxious and stressed of being fleeced as to not enjoy it.

@@NigelNaughton Yeh it’s fine. You just have to be respectful of how people manage their own countries for their own reasons and not worry about it. There was zero anxiety from our side. It’s more the hassle of getting the permits and the whole administrative process to do it as each one can be different but that’s all part of the fun when embarking on a journey like this. 😊

Glad you enjoyed this one! Thanks for the info regarding snakes, everyday is a school day as they say! 🙂🙏

Thanks for the lovely comment Alexandru, and for following along. We really appreciate it and obviously enjoy reading these messages. We'll keep doing what we're doing and trying to improve with each episode. : )

Thanks for the comment Jonas! We're glad you enjoyed this one!

Romania is still very much a hidden gem. Go now before that changes…

Thanks so much for your kind comment! We really appreciate it! 🙏 😊

Stone road wasn’t that bad in the end compared to many of the roads around the world. There’s a few narrow bits, it’s not ideal for turning around or reversing with a trailer and it could definitely go wrong if you’re not concentrating but all in all, it’s fine. As for advertising the Grenadier, for sure, it’s a great spot and quite different to most other places around the world!

It's not our intention to give you anxiety but if you keep watching, you'll see the roads become more and more interesting as the journey continues... 😉 As for the farming, we're glad you enjoyed this one as it's a little different. Definitely dig into permaculture, maybe even take a course or two. There's so much to learn and endless possibilities! We've no doubt it will become a big part of our future as we start to finalise plans!

Terima kasih atas pesan baik Anda dan berlangganan! Seperti yang Anda katakan, rencananya adalah menikmati keindahan dunia, tetapi kita juga harus bersiap menghadapi apa pun di sepanjang perjalanan! 😊

Glad you enjoyed this one! Thanks for following along! 😊

Cheers Matt! As you know, our plan is to keep improving with the each one! Editing on the road is a challenge for sure, especially from a time perspective but we just do the best we can while balancing everything else! 🙃

Cheers Glenn! This one is a little different but it's all part of our journey! Great experience too! The wwoofing site is an amazing resource which we'll probably use again on this trip. We shall see!

Glad to have you along for the ride! Let us know what you think of the others! We’re always looking to improve with each one. 😊

@@projectwildearth Will do... My advice (from my own experience on here)... be natural, try and relax with the A-role to camera and just enjoy the process. Your B-role with views and music is brilliant, and the fact you dribble in a touch of history of where you are aill always interest your audiance. I was very interested in the TET trails, I hadn't heard of them before and are looking into that for myself. People watch these sorts of videos because they love the travel and the places you visit, the info and history of the places you visit is a great way of groing your audience. What you're doing now is very much where I want to get too... enjoy and stay safe.

Glad you enjoyed this one! 😊

Thanks so much for the kind comment Samantha! We’re glad to have you along for the ride and hope you enjoy the rest of our videos! We’re still very much at the beginning of our journey really and so there’s still a long way to go! 😊

Thanks for the constructive criticism and positive way in which it was delivered… Here’s a bit of background for your info - It had been unusually warm and very sunny for over a week before with no signs of any ice or snow on the tracks at all. We’d been all over these mountains and over many 2000m passes with no issues at all. If there had been any warning signs, then we would’ve maybe taken a different approach. It was just this one particular corner that was in the shade for almost the whole time. There was another little bit of ice higher up, as you can see in the video, but that was no issue which is why we thought we’d seen the worst of it. In hindsight, you make a valid point and we possibly should have invested in some chains for this exact situation, despite the probability being extremely low based on our experiences a few weeks previous. We knew we had the shovel with us to get us out of this type of situation but chains would’ve been useful. They’re definitely something to think about for next time, although saying that, you can’t take all the equipment you may need, for all eventualities, as you have to carry all of this, all the time and it’s just not practical for an around the world trip. Sometimes you just have to come up with a solution with what you have, which is what we did, or just not go at all.

No problems at all! We're glad you enjoyed this one and it's inspiring you to push a little further in your own life! As for not going viral, that made us smile! If only it was that easy. There are all sorts of variables, timing, luck, etc. Comments like this do help to though! From what we've learned, you need to put out good content, every week, for a year before the algorithm starts to take notice. We're not able to do that being on the road with two young kids with our priority being them, but that's ok. There are examples where things have taken off without following this model and the situation is always changing, but we'll just do what we can to the best of our ability, as often as we can, and remain patient. We still see ourselves very much at the beginning of this journey and we're new to the content side of things. We've had to learn it all from scratch and continue to do so, as you can probably tell! As with anything new though, our plan is to start slowly, remain consistent, keep learning and improving and hopefully, the rest will take care of itself! Time will tell...

That's a fair point but with the situation we were in, there was no way we were going to be experimenting with that to work out whether we had the traction we needed or not. There also wasn't a great deal of gravel available, certainly not enough to make us feel comfortable with this course of action. It was a steep downhill slope into a corner with no barrier and our whole family was onboard - the video doesn't do it justice. It was very precarious. Our focus was obviously getting out of the situation safely, promptly and with us much certainty as possible. In our opinion, the safest option was to dig out the ice so we knew we had good traction.

Obvious choice in that scenario... wisely done! Or you called blockbusters 😂 I will keep that in mind when too icy!

Thanks for the comment! We're glad you enjoyed the magical balloons! As for the ice, this is not something we want to go through again to be honest. Like you say, the plan is to enjoy our journey and give the kids the best experience we possibly can.

We’re glad you enjoyed this one! It’s becoming known as “The Ice and Balloons one” 🎈

Thanks for the comment! We’re glad to have you along!

Cheers Matt! As you can imagine we had a chuckle! 😂😂😂

Indeed it was a privilege. As for epic journeys in a Grenadier, it’s a big wide world out there full of endless possibilities. 😊 We’re glad you enjoyed this episode are looking forward to the rest of the journey! Plenty more to come! We also plan to do some more Grenadier specific content.

Glad you enjoyed it! As for Albania, there’s a lot to see and do and some real hidden gems if you have the time!

Thanks so much for the kind comment and for following along with our journey! We’re glad you appreciate what we’re doing and the work that goes into it behind the scenes. Each project we support will be slightly different so that we’re not repeating ourselves but we do hope to communicate some common themes throughout as we believe that’s important. We will cover projects you don’t hear much about, the positive and inspiring side of things that can be used as a blueprint by others around the world to show that it’s not all doom and gloom! There’s a lot of amazing people doing amazing things and we want the world to know about it. This is just our way to do our little bit to shine a light on those that are doing the hard work on the ground to protect what we all love for generations to come! As for Albania off-road, it definitely has its challenges but it’s all part of the fun! We’re not sure when you went but we can report there’s plenty of food, water and fuel now. 😊 You do have to plan a little conservatively and maybe not always choose the “most interesting route” but we guess that goes for anywhere that’s a little remote and unpredictable! (Which will apply to almost all of the places along our route)

You are a so lovely family and I can sense that you are giving back to all of us. Indeed I was driving from Gijrokaster to Pogradec in off road and of course along the Vjosa river and I did recognize some of the bridges you did cross. And from Pogradec to Tirana we found a very challenging road but it was already end of October and it turned out to be foggy and very rainy in the mountains - and of course we got lost and it took us 8 hours to go back to the tarmac at 10pm - we saw only some shepards, a bear a wolf😅 . Luckily I was not alone and at the end it we all made it and had a rest day in Tirana. Yes, Albania is a very beautiful country with very pleasant people.

@@patpie3703 The weather can certainly be changeable in that area. We were operating in a pretty tight weather window as always 😂 Glad to hear you got out ok despite your challenges! It makes for a great story in the bar afterwards! 🍻

Thanks Julie! It was pretty miserable at the time but we’re all good now! Fighting fit and raring to go! 😎

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the nice comment! 👍😊

We’re glad we didn’t disappoint with the latest episode! As for scratches, we’ve always seen them as stories and memories. It’s what life is all about at the end of the day. 😊

Great to hear, thanks for the comment Graham! The project videos take a lot more time but we hope in the long run will be worth it! 😊

We’re glad you enjoyed it!

It was bound to happen at some point and will probably happen again but we just want to make sure we do all we can to try and prevent us all getting ill at the same time for weeks on end. Not much fun! 🙃

We loved it! Like you say, it’s got a lot to offer! 😊

Thank you for the kind words. 😊 We don’t have plans to publish our route in detail as we believe in the joy of exploration and preservation of these places.

You are absolutely right…exploring is it all about 👍🏻 Save travels for your family - looking forward to more of your super videos that are simply extrem inspirational!