Frequently Asked Questions

Some costs vary, some do not. The entry fee is the one price that will stay the same and visas depending on what country you are from. At the end of the day though, this is your adventure. You can buy a massive Land Rover or a crap banger for €300. For more information see the "Costs" section here.

Simply hit to register your team button and the rest will be pretty self explanatory. You will need your personal information such as address, passport number, birthday, etc for just you. Obviously, you will also need your credit card number for the entry fee payment. You can add your team members from the start or later at a later date. A deadline will be set, but you'll be told far in advance.

Registration starts October 1, 2009 and ends March 31, 2010 or when all spots are filled.  Keep in mind the cost goes up by $200 USD on January 1, 2010 and again on February 1, 2010. 

The entry fee is $1250 per team if you sign your team up before January 1, 2010.

You will pay your entry fee upon registering your team. This ensures you a place on the trek. All payments will be done through paypal.

Each team is required to raise a minimum of US$2000 (or £1300) for your selected World Cup Trek charities. However, we encourage you to raise as much as possible. These charities do amazing work and are truly deserving of the funds.After you raise the required US$2000 (£1300) you are free to raise money for any Firstgiving REGISTERED charity working in Africa.

Teams are required to have the charity money raised by 1 July 2010, a couple of weeks after the rally.

Step one: Set up a team donation page at firstgiving.com or justgiving.com for the charity you select. 

Step two: Link your firstgiving/justgiving page to your team homepage so everyone following you can make a donation. 

Step three: Throw parties, coerce your grandmother, tell you FB friends, do whatever you have to in order to raise the money. 

All money must be raised through firstgiving.com or justgiving.com so that the world can see your progress. Offline donations are discouraged and must go through a verification process. Everyone has credit cards nowadays so it shouldn't be an issue -and it's easy enough to simply throw the party money into an account and put it up.

Nomadic Nation has a hands off policy. We appreciate Charities that are transparent and we try to do the same by not dirtying our hands with donations money. In other words 100% of the funds donating go to the charities -after firstgiving takes their percentage.

The answer is anything you want, the cheaper and more creative the better. Save money on gas and the car by buying an old small engine banger for virtually nothing.

We are working to find you a honest and reliable used car salesman (an obvious oxymoron) in Berlin who can help sort out some under €1000 cars for you. If you need a car, let us know and we will try to help.

We recognize that many of the teams are coming from overseas and thus may come only a few days beforehand to buy cars in Germany. Thus we will have someone on hand prior to the departure party to handle any of the last minute vehicle registrations.We do urge to let us know four to six weeks ahead of time though if you have obtained your vehicle.

Local mechanics abound and are usually quite cheap. They're used t keeping cars going in this part of the world so as long as you're not coming with a brand new car full of computer gizmos you should be fine. Of course, harnessing local wildlife to pull your car would make a pretty good story.

Well that is up to you.  If you have taken it into a country that requires a carnet than you may be losing the money put up as insurance.  If you can sell the car to a mechanic it is up to you to fill out the appropriate paperwork.  Nomadic Nation is not and can not be held responsible for any fines or fees that come with leaving a vehicle in a foreign country.  We urge you to still make it through whatever means necessary to South Africa and the arrival party in Cape Town.

There are gas stations, although often times they will not be the ones you are used to at home. Petrol/Gas is abundant and fairly easy to find in population centers. In the middle of the desert it's going to be a lot harder. We suggest you bring a couple of jerry cans to stock up on the stuff. Diesel is difficult to find. If you were thinking about saving a bit of coin on the diesel you may want to reconsider.

The answer is yes!! You must have both vehicle and health insurance. Vehicle insurance usually comes with the car. If you are buying it as a foreigner you will receive special export plates that provide you with a "green card" for a month. Throughout Africa you will be asked to purchase insurance on the borders. Be aware this usually only covers the people you hit (i.e. third party). Travel insurance is quite easy to obtain and very inexpensive. If you have any questions please contact us, but take a look around and find out what's best for you. We aren't doctors and do not know exactly what you require.

If you are bringing your car from overseas you need not worry about it. If you are buying a car in Germany we can help you sort out the tedious bureaucratic paperwork.For Africa, you will be registering your vehicle at each border and paying a small temporary import fee.

This is your adventure and we are not telling you were to go. Take any way you want to arrive in Cape Town. We have taken the time to outline a route that is the quickest and cheapest down the continent. We have also scouted out meet up points long the way to share a pint and a few stories with your fellow trekkers. This is about being a building a nation of nomads afterall.

Yellow Fever Vaccines are a must.  Other than that it is up to you.  We highly recommend talking to your doctor before leaving your home country.  Malaria Pills and a tetanus booster are things that we would recommend.  If you are up to date with all of your other shots and have a healthy immune system a few minor precautions should be enough to get you to the end with out many problems.  However we are not doctors and highly recommend you contact someone who has been trained in preventative medicine.

Your embassy will be able to help you out in certain circumstances.  War, natural disasters and translators at hospitals are things that you embassy will be sure to work with you on.  Your embassy will not bail you out of jail or pay your fines for not wearing your crash helmet.  The best thing to do is register at your embassy at every country you visit.  This will be done by Nomadic Nation but it will be up to you to contact your embassy upon arrival.  Knowing what they will and will not do ahead of time can help you make important decisions on the road.

Perhaps a cruise would be a better place to start.

Tony was born this way and trained Lovie in high school.  Years of hard work could possibly get you to this point.

Simply speaking a "carnet" is an insurance document that covers the import tax on a vehicle that never leaves a country.  It is needed in some countries and not in others.  They are usually very expensive to acquire and Nomadic Nation recommends trying to stick to country's where it is not needed.

If you are driving a motorcycle, motorbike, pedal bike, pogo-stick, four-wheeler or anything else with out a seatbelt the answer is yes.  South Africa and every other country in Africa as of July 2009 does have a mandatory helmet law.  Locals may be driving around without the helmets and the law may not be enforced but it is there.  As a socially conscious business Nomadic Nation promotes the use of helmets and other approved safety gear and expects all "citizens" to abide by this.

The best way is to get export plates in the country you purchase the vehicle.  Most of them come with a time frame of insurance.  Make sure that it is sufficient time to actually export the car.

Take pictures and video by all means.  We want you to have memories of your adventure.  If they are awesome we may even buy some from you.  However for us to make this work we need to be the sole providers of network and internet footage.   This means that any video sold or given to broadcasters of any nature must be approved by Nomadic Nation.  We also have an image to uphold.  Video of you cursing a the border guard is not appropriate so please don't ask.

The answer is yes and no.  It is your adventure and we encourage you to get as far from the well worn path as possible.  This may mean off-roading through the sahara or asking locals for the low down on quicksand.  For the most part there will be roads between major cities for the less adventurous.

Well that is up to you.  If you have taken it into a country that requires a carnet than you may be losing the money put up as insurance.  If you can sell the car to a mechanic it is up to you to fill out the appropriate paperwork.  Nomadic Nation is not and can not be held responsible for any fines or fees that come with leaving a vehicle in a foreign country.  We urge you to still make it through whatever means necessary to South Africa and the arrival party in Cape Town.

Yes.  In order to cross most borders and donate the car at the end the titled owner must be present.  So if it means bringing Mom and Dad along we suggest getting a bigger tent.

It depends how well you can sell yourself.  Keep in mind that this is a multi-national event spanning two continents arriving at the biggest sporting event in the world.  Who wouldn't want their business to be plastered on the side of your car or on a t-shirt on your back?

NO!!!  This is not a race.  There are no prizes for first place however just making it to the end is sure to provide you with sufficient bragging right when you get back to the office.

You do not but someone on your team does.  If you decide to hire a taxi to take you from point B to C you will need to not only pay the fare but most likely pay the drivers entry fee.  We can not allow you to drive a car with out a proper drivers license and international documents.