Overlanding Around the World with Albo, the Land Rover Defender Camper of Next Meridian Expedition

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Through their vehicle, Albo, we discover how preparation, flexibility, and a passion for adventure are key to their journey.

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The Story of Albo: Overlanding and Adventures in a Land Rover Defender 110 Camper

In this interview, we’re not talking to people, but to a very special traveler: Albo, the Land Rover Defender 110 of Nick and Mathilde. This vehicle, transformed into a home on wheels, shares its perspective on the world, its experiences on the road, and how it has become the heart of the @nextmeridian.expedition journey.

Throughout the conversation, Albo tells us about the routes it has explored, the challenges it has overcome, and the lessons it has learned while traveling the world. A unique perspective for those interested in overlanding, self-sufficient travel, and responsible exploration.

And yes, they are the protagonists of the EXPO ADN OVERLAND 2025 poster. Their photos, capturing the essence of their expedition, are a significant source of inspiration for the overlander community and those passionate about responsible adventure.

What’s your name, how did you meet Mathilde and Nick, and how long ago?

My name is Albo (it is short for “Albatross”), and I met Nick & Mathilde, a French/Italian couple in 2020. They were searching for a 4×4 to travel the world with them and found me in the center of France in a farmhouse in a tiny village. I am a Land Rover Defender 110, from 2012. I was already geared up with a pop-top but the rest was mostly stock. Nick and Mathilde then fully kitted me out into a tiny home on wheels with the objective to travel to all 7 continents, through about 88 countries in what was supposed to be 3 years, which has now moved to 5. And we’re loving it! We are currently in Indonesia, our 6th continent after 3 years of travelling through Europe, The Americas, Antarctica (without the vehicle), and Australia.

Are you the first vehicle in their lives?

I am their first 4×4. Before having me they started travelling with a normal car, a tent and simple camping gear. After a while they bought an old French car: a Renault 4 (known as the 4L) from the 1990s. With it, they participated in a huge rally in Morocco, through the dunes, into the desert, and the mountains. It was not a 4×4 but the 4Ls are very light and capable cars that can go everywhere. They ended up 9th out of more than a thousand participants. It gave them the taste for off-road travel.

The set up was still super basic with a tent on the side. It was perfect for three weeks. When they were thinking about the world tour they decided they needed a more serious 4×4 and a more comfortable set-up. They knew it would be a home and to ensure they felt entirely comfortable to live and work full-time, they decided to work on a full set-up. I am fully kitted for Overlanding, with a pop-top bed, an interior living room with sink, fridge, and diesel-heater. When it comes to the exterior, when opening the 270 awning there is an exterior living space too with the possibility to have a hot shower, a massive plus when Overlanding in cold countries.

In total we carry 135L of diesel letting us do about 1100km, 115L of water easily lasting us more than a week, and everything needed to self-recover in case of issues. I don’t have a roof-rack, as we are trying to stay minimalistic with our gear, fit under bridges, tunnels and into containers for all our container shipments. I had to feel like a home to them; everything needs to be accessible, comfortable, autonomous and never need to feel like they need to go to a hotel or even a campsite. And we’ve achieved that!

“… the world really isn’t as scary as the media portrays it.”

Where have they taken you and where do they want to take you?

So far together we’ve crossed 34 countries through 5 continents and are now on our 6th, currently in Indonesia. It includes: Europe, North America, South America, Nick and Mathilde went to Antarctica without me and then we headed to Australia together. The idea was to take the b-routes around the countries, going through local villages, seeing the country for what it is, meeting locals, making new friends, hiking, and wild camping.

It works out great for us, we’ve made so many great encounters, been invited to people’s homes, to take part in ceremonies, learn from each other and make new friends. Encounters are the long-lasting memories for us, so we try to always say ‘yes’ to invitations as every person has a story and you never know what experience you’ll get into. We’ve never had an issue in the past 3 years, so it’s refreshing to also see people are good everywhere and that the world really isn’t as scary as the media portrays it.

Next we will be heading through Asia and then to Africa.

Do they plan or improvise?

They do a bit of both, they plan a week ahead for b-routes, landmarks and wished exit date of a country to keep the big timeline in mind. But then on a daily, we keep it flexible, because plans change all the time when we are on the road and being too organized will make you skip out on memorable experiences. Regarding the rest, before leaving, Nick and Mathilde had a first aid training course with the red cross, and barely any mechanical experience. They could only change and fix tires, or the air filter. Being handy though they learnt superb fast along the way and always followed the mechanics on any job, so they can now do most of the jobs themselves and keep a tidy tracking of everything. They speak French, Italian, English fluently and good spanish, Mathilde also speaks a little Arabic. Together did some 4-wheel driving in Belgium with groups to learn how to drive on harder terrain, and tested all our gear in Iceland for 2-3 weeks before leaving on this trip. Planning and building tracks has always been something we’ve done before the trip so that was a massive help to start from the get-go by taking the b-routes, offroads and finding wild campspots.

What hobbies, passions, neuroses... are your travel companions?

Thet are both into outdoors activities and wanted to learn new ones. So on this Expedition they both hike and challenged themselves to hike tall mountains or volcanoes. They are also learning to surf. THey both enjoying making videos, storytelling and writing blogs and newsletters so as we travel the world, we try our best to document everything on different mediums to hopefully make this a full-time living. We are present on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. But also on Patreon and have a Newsletter. We sell a lot of guides, tips&tricks, howto’s, our GPS tracks/hikes/wild-camp spots and files on all the border crossings and country regulations on our Patreon and website too for anyone who is interested in getting a starting hand.

Any scare or breakdown?

We’ve broken down multiple times, the first was in Canada, the starter stopped working so Nick and Mathilde had been pushing me down the hills to jump start for a week. In the USA I had an engine blow-by and I had to be towed away, that took 2 weeks to fix as the parts had to come from Europe. Also in the USA the clutch Master cylinder gave out. 2 u-joints gave out on our way up to Alaska. The power steering leaked in Peru. Piston cracked in Australia and I had an engine swap for a new one. Not too bad for a vehicle that’s been around the world, into rough tracks and endured all climates. I still have another 50 countries to cross for the next 2.5 years, surely more mechanicals issue will come by. But you know what, when you travel with a Defender like me you become a mechanic, and it’s great! Regarding health, Nick had a meniscus knee surgery in Mexico Cancun, after his knee had locked up. This was January 2023, we stayed in Playa del Carmen for the recovery and were back on the road 1.5 months after. In Australia Mathilde got a kidney stone around September 2025, Nick got a herniated disc in June 2024, and had surgery back in France February 2025 which took 1 month of recovery before getting back on the road. Luckily for our health insurance Chapka, They were able to be fully covered. See: humans and Defenders are the same… they need maintenance. Scary moments on our trip. We never had a strong scare, but once in Colombia around midnight, we were up around 3500m altitude, parked on the side of a single track for the night when 2 guys on a motorbike came to wake us up and telling us in spanish ‘the situation changed, you can’t be here, it is dangerous’. Nick and Mathilde talked through the pop-top canvas without unlocking my doors to ask what had changed and why? They couldn’t give us a clear answer except that they wanted Nick and Mathilde to get out of the car. After 20 minutes, they changed strategy and asked them to come out for a drink… It was sketchy. They left, and so did we. Our action plan in these moments, and this is why we like having a pop-top instead of roof-top tent, is that Nick slides to the front and drives away, while Mathilde pulls the roof down and holds it down till we get to safety. We can be out and driving in about 20 seconds if we needed. We do also have some pepper sprays hidden in the vehicle, but no other weapons.

Albo bids farewell by sharing a lesson learned along the way.

THank you very much for reading this. I am not used to answering questions. Our biggest lesson learnt is to say ‘yes’ to invitations, you will have the most memorable memories. Also, If you are thinking of leaving on a trip, do it! It’s scary, but the day you quit your job, sell all your stuff and close the doors of the car to start the Adventure, all your worries will go away, and you’ll understand that it was all worth it! Also you might meet your soul-4×4 like me and Nick and Mathilde.

The journey of Next Meridian Expedition highlights how proper preparation is essential for overlanding.

At EXPO ADN OVERLAND 2025, you’ll find practical workshops led by industry professionals to help you get ready to tackle the challenges of the road. From off-road driving and self-recovery to survival skills and first aid.
You’ll also have the chance to explore exhibitors, attend talks, and enjoy a great atmosphere with a like-minded community passionate about overlanding, adventure travel, and responsible exploration.

For more information about EXPO ADN OVERLAND 2025

click here

Respect for the environment, nature, and the regulations of each country

See you on the way!

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