EPIC 5,000km Journey Across Eurasia Pt. 1 | Armenia to England in a £1000 van | Van life adventure

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

What's the longest journey you've undertaken in one hit? Do you think our engine problems will be solved? Tell us in the comments below 👇

[@RogersRamblings]

From near San Diego, southern Spain to Dieppe ferry in two days stopping only for fuel, physical needs relief and one night's sleep just north of the Spanish/French border. A few miles north of the stop is a short section of toll road that is cheaper to use than go round. Passing through the toll gate I was pulled over by Customs. This was about 7:30 am. The sniffer dog, a black Labrador, really didn’t want to be there. 😁

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Wow that sounds intense! I take it not in a van though? That would just be awful 😅 Those flying customs are a pain, stopped us entering Germany- so much for soft borders!

[@RogersRamblings]

@@FromRustToRoadtrip I was in a Fiat Ducato based coachbuilt motorhome. I used to drive all over the UK for a living so covering long distances isn't a daunting prospect. I tend to cruise at about 60 mph.

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Fair play! It usually takes us around 3-4 days to get through France

[@RogersRamblings]

@@FromRustToRoadtrip Re flying Customs. I was having trouble when stopped at a motorway services just north of Bordeaux, in a Convoy would you believe, when a Customs officer approached and asked where I was going and where I'd come from. He was satisfied and left me to swear at the motor.

[@RogersRamblings]

Two snippets for the traveller. "If you don't make plans nothing can go wrong", Spike Milligan. "No plan survives contact with the enemy", military philosophy.

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Some excellent snippets of wisdom there Roger!

[@davidpiper3652]

I like the way you talk it up, cut out all the bad bits and really sell the glamour and excitement of travel.

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

😂😂

[@markplenty2631]

Ah I’ve joined late, I’m gonna have to catch-up! The production of this video is spectacular! It’s like watching a documentary series!

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Thanks so much! That means a lot as documentary is what we’re working more towards 😄

[@markplenty2631]

@@FromRustToRoadtrip I watch some of your older videos soon, gonna be epic I’m sure!

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Hope you enjoy! We think our videos have only gotten better over the years compared to when we started 😄

[@miladyanne8411]

PS ...Some truly scary moments there in harsh conditions, good on you both to keep a cool head! Also great that you persevered and were determined to come back in the van. Many would have bailed out. Also probably better to have it done there as those repairs would cost a fortune in the UK....Well everything costs a fortune in western Europe these days.

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

We’re getting used to the bad conditions and staying cool now, which is probably a good thing as we head further east in future! Yeah this definitely cost at least 3x less than it would’ve in Western Europe, even though it was still a fair chunk! But it’s worth it to keep the old girl going (and not getting pulled off the road and scrapped by the police 😂)

[@alanhat5252]

Some things *_are_* cheap. I found a chap in Kent who quoted to turn up to the field I was in in his van with a fresh engine, fit it & drive away with the old one. Five hundred Pounds. He did one in a Transit on the same field while I was dithering. I'm still waiting (at least 5 years now) for mine to actually let me down, what I thought was a dying engine is actually an air leak in the fuel system that I haven't tracked down yet. Smoking on starting, reduced max speed, timing off, completely died on the road once, a few more symptoms that I can't remember right now... I helped fix the same thing on someone else's Convoy, it was the £2 rubber connection on top of the fuel tank but the bolts holding the tank in were rusty. I'm not expecting mine to be any better.

[@eugenestruthersUK]

I'm glad you decided to show the return journey. Awesome footage stunning cinematic vlog. The bloopers at the end was a nice touch. Can't wait to see the return journey and what repairs your van needed. I'd love to see you do a van tour from Morroco to Cape Town or from Alaska to Patagonia. Highly recommed. 100%

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Thanks so much! Not everyone makes it to the outtakes at the end 😁 They’re often my favourite bit! We want to do both of those journeys in future! If and when it’s ever safe to do so through Africa. There’s so many journeys to be done I feel like we’d need to spend the rest of our lives travelling to do them all!

[@alanhat5252]

@@FromRustToRoadtrip there's apparently a section of the Pan-American Highway that's genuinely impassable much of the year, I think it's probably through the Amazon but you'll find it when you do the research. The Camel Trophy went through there one year which should indicate how difficult it is. North of Mexico it's just a long way, there's paved roads all the way to Prudhoe Bay (though feet-deep in snow in winter with huge lorries using momentum not traction to keep going, they often flip off the road & the bodies are collected in spring when it thaws).

[@peteivil7315]

I recently subscribed and love your bravery taking on this trip in the LDV. Also so confused you haven’t got tens of thousands more subscribers! Your editing and story telling is fantastic looking forward to next part.

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Thanks so much! That means a lot 😄 It was a crazy idea taking this van as far as we have but so worth it! 😁

[@alanhat5252]

@@FromRustToRoadtrip well now you know how tough Convoys are :-)

[@veronicabalfourpaul2288]

Great video

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Thanks so much 🥰

[@Scud_and_thesTig]

Stunningly good video and progress. Keep pushing 👍💙❤️

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Thank you so much 😊

[@davidrowe5512]

Thought you must have made it home - followed a trail of blueish coloured rust down the A30 last week! Thank you for what has been a truly epic cinematic series, definitely could be a film.

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Haha wonder if that was us! We usually leave a rust trail wherever we go 😂 Thank you! A feature length film could definitely be on the cards in future

[@andrewkirkham9560]

Loved it. (And all the daily reels you posted). What a bonkers and brave adventure. You couldn’t invent this. Long live the LDV. Life back in the UK is going to be so “normal” after this.

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Thanks Andrew! You couldn’t have made up some of the stuff that happened on this journey 😂 It does feel very normal, so much so that it feels like an even stranger country if that makes sense! We’ve become so accustomed to the ways of Turkey Georgia and Armenia that the UK’s ways don’t make sense to us anymore

[@millennialfalkon]

You guys are legends!! SUCH a cool, original, authentic road trip! You embody the true spirit of adventure, and demonstrate that the price of adventure and freedom is within anyone’s grasp.

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Aaw love that, thanks so much! 😄

[@HatiWarg]

Really good video, keep up the good work! 😁

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Thank you!

[@cornishhh]

In 1989 I drove about 2,500 miles from Melbourne to Perth in a 1970 Renault 10. I had all my possessions with me including a dinghy on the roof. It took me three days driving about ten hours a day and part of a fourth day. The car (which I'd paid AU$200 for a few months earlier) never missed a beat, although I'd given it a thorough service a few weeks before leaving. I took a few spares with me, and a parts list from a Renault specialist who would send things, but I never needed anything. I took plenty of water, both for me and the car in case either of us needed it. I still carry a couple of litres of water in my car now. In 1992 I did the trip back, this time in a 1975 Renault 12. That trip was uneventful except I stopped at a roadhouse to check the fluids, and the bonnet release cable came off. Luckily the roadhouse had a hoist which I put the car on and was able to release the bonnet by poking the catch with a broom! Needless to say I reattached the cable very tightly. You wouldn't have that sort of access with any modern vehicle.

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Wow what a journey! If things go wrong out there they can do really wrong. Fortunately there’s nearly always a way around things! It always seems to us that journeys had more poignancy and meaning in the time before social media, but maybe that’s just nostalgia talking!

[@micksroversmg558]

Had too reach up on back from ground too release a LDV bonet on few occasions on my own truck an , other vans and trucks and no modern van is as easy too get in to bonet catch as the LDV! 😂🤣

[@alanhat5252]

@@micksroversmg558 mine was enough of a pain that I only did it once, I replaced the cable within a couple of days.

[@BRED510]

Wow, I thought the Kombi Chronicles restoration of their VW, Ruby in 6 weeks was optimistic, but getting all that done in 5 days is very good going if you manage it!

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

It was a huge workload that wouldn’t have been possible in that space of time anywhere except Turkey!

[@DonnyOutdoors]

Just awesome as always. Best adventures out there.

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Thank you so much 🥰

[@TakeAPeakAtThis]

Just discovered your channel! Loved watching the video👏 Such a great story telling 👌 And what a journey you had there ! 😮🔥🔥

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

@@TakeAPeakAtThis Thank you! So glad to hear you enjoyed it 😄 This is definitely one of our favourite videos we’ve ever made! Should have new videos out by the end of the year too ☺️

[@TakeAPeakAtThis]

@@FromRustToRoadtrip we’ll keep our eyes peeled 😁🫶

[@rickardenstedt]

Hi guy's, you're adventurous and brave.... it seam to be very costly all the repairs all together. Perhaps the car has emotional value for you guys, otherwise many people would recommend to take a flight home and say goodbye to the car, but i hope you get back to UK... and put the car in a museum! Many people would love to see that car, i bet! Regards Rickard from Sweden 🛻🚐🎸🇸🇪

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Thanks Rickard! There’s no way we could leave our van behind, she’s been a reluctant part of the adventure for 7 years now and deserves to rust out on British home soil 😂 We would love to see it in a museum though, if only such a thing were possible 😁

[@rickardenstedt]

@@FromRustToRoadtrip It's possible i guess, it's a rare model isn't it? Never seen one. I guess you made it home any way... so once I hopefully drive to Cornwall one sunny day I'll come to see it...😊🎸🚐

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Actually they used to be the most common van on British roads, they were proper workhorses although very few were exported. Sadly almost all of them have been scrapped and now they have become quite rare!

[@rickardenstedt]

@@FromRustToRoadtrip yes, I have also a Ford Transit bus, a 350 , 2012 as well very common. It was a service bus for school children and I transformed it to a autocaravan myself. It's a real pleasure to be able to be independent travelling like this. Before I've been around the world with a backpack only, now it's more comfort. Rickard

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

That sounds wonderful! It must be quite a contrast going from backpacking to van travel, more but also less freedom at the same time 🤔

[@JoyTheConvoy]

I'd absolutely bid on that bit of rust

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

😂😂 We’ll make this happen, we’ll even frame it

[@rogertrucker]

If you had a new van you wouldn’t have half the story. ❤❤

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Exactly that 🥰 The LDV has always been a bit of an underdog

[@alanhat5252]

don't bet on that! All the #vanlife channels have tales of vehicle problems, usually they move into hotels or tents for a while & the van reappears all fixed but it's cost as much as buying a Convoy.

[@elgringoec]

Y'all did a great job on this! 😍☮️

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Thanks so much!!

[@williamgraham793]

Brill vid👍

[@lynzwilliams7435]

Brilliant 😊

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

💙 💙

[@miladyanne8411]

Aahh you're back !!! So pleased to be able to follow you on your journey back. Great production value as usual, and great adventurers ! Good luck and bon voyage !

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Thanks so much! We’ve been super excited to share this one 😄

[@mikebourke1185]

Fantastic trip .. But 1000 Euro to fix a Fuel Pump 🤔 Robbery ..but I've seen a few foreign van vloggers being Ripped off there .😁 Back around 2005 I drove alone from Lecce Italy to Cherbourg no sat nav then just a paper map just a few hours rest in a 1995 Smiley Transit. Hill Smeller 😊 Stay Free and Safe Travels 👍😍

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Thanks Mike! Wow that sounds like an epic trip. There’s something very satisfying about using paper maps but I don’t know if we could cope for long without our Satnav! 😅 The fuel pump ended up costing €800 to repair, after having it repaired or inspected at a couple of different garages earlier on the trip that is actually about the going rate in that area of the world, and would cost easily 3x that in the U.K. or Germany! It’s a labour-intensive process that involves stripping down half the engine, and new Bosch fuel pumps can easily be £2000-£3000. We don’t believe we’ve ever been ripped off in Turkey, they’re very honest in general and have a delightful tendency to want to help travellers ☺️

[@mikebourke1185]

@@FromRustToRoadtrip I hope you're New Vehicle has a more reliable Engine .. I have a Mercedes 709d non Turbo 1993 going on the road soon basic ..zero electronics around 50.000 mls on the clock .. But Considering the Weather and Road Conditions the LDV did Very Well . And Lucy's Mechanical engineering . Take Care ..

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Yeah that’s the way we’re going too, all mechanical, no dodgy electrics making the van do silly things 😁 Still this van has taught us a lot about mechanics over the years, and we’re quite well adapted to its little foibles now

[@alanhat5252]

@@mikebourke1185 the banana-manifold Ford is one of the most reliable engines available though the same can't be said for the computers that come with the turbo (the computers do benefit from having umbrellas fitted).

[@alanhat5252]

@@mikebourke1185 mine has 160,000 miles & I'm totally convinced the body will fail _looong_ before the engine.

[@Phiyedough]

As a fellow Convoy owner I hate to say this but with all those problems I would have scrapped the van and flown home.

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

You’re not the first person to say that 😂 But in our minds the idea of an adventure is that you get through whatever it throws at you as a team, and the van is our third crew member, she’s been with us for 7 years and travelled all over Europe and beyond. There’s nothing that can’t be repaired, and fixing things is still better value for time and money than scrapping it and starting again

[@micksroversmg558]

@@FromRustToRoadtrip My sentiments too well done on being truly environmentally friendly even if it goes back and gets used as a chicken shed until it rusts into a fiberglass top rust heap it better than not letting it rot into the ground as hen house storage shed museum exhibit it been a cherished problem child! 😂

[@alanhat5252]

@@FromRustToRoadtrip yep, mine has a full-length repaired gutter, a mostly-fibreglass footwell & wheelarch on the passenger side & last year I patch welded the driver's side footwell & step. You have the turbo so you probably have 2 computers in the cab, they both need plastic-bottle umbrellas.

[@alanhat5252]

Convoys are great, every decade or so you rip off a few layers of patches & start again, they just keep going & going. I admit the 9 inch hole that appeared in the chassis above the back axle had me alarmed but I just welded a patch the full length of the wheelarch & it's still there many years later without even chipped paint.

[@Nickle314]

Not enough gaffer tape.

[@FromRustToRoadtrip]

Agreed 😂

[@FreeBirdUKVanLife]

Yikes