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How we use Best Western Hotels
"Best Western Hotels served as a home-away-from-home for the LONGITUDE Expedition team. As we drive through 34 countries, across four continents, it is nice to have consistently friendly staff to meet us at each destination. Best Western Hotels also served as a safe location for shipping team equipment and supplies, as
well as remote offices for quickly easing into a work environment. Best Western hotels not only gave the team an opportunity to
rest and recover from the road, but they served as Drive Around the World's mobile base of operations."
Why we chose Best Western
"When planning the LONGITUDE Expedition, there were a lot of factors that went into deciding on a hotel chain including affordability, quality, and number of locations. Our route takes us through 34
countries and across four continents, and that's a lot of travel. Best Western is the largest
hotel chain in the world which made our decision very easy. The friendly staff and quality rooms worldwide made the decision right."
Best Western performance
"On a nine-month expedition, the hotel chain you choose makes the difference between just another night's sleep
and being fully rested and ready for the next day's drive. Every Best Western Hotel we visited greeted us with
amazing hospitality and support for our mission. The rooms were always comfortable and quiet, which helped our
team perform its best every day. When spending nine months on the road, it's nice to have a place to call home. Thank you Best Western!"
Thank you Best Western.
Justin Mounts
Assistant Director for the LONGITUDE Expedition
Drive Around the World
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How we use BFGoodrich Tires
"A high profile around the world expedition places unique demands on a tire so we needed a tire that would perform well under every road condition imaginable--and something and would look great on the vehicle too. Thus far the LONGITUDE Expedition team and vehicles have encountered a potpourri of driving conditions, from cratered and pockmarked gravel in Costa Rica to smooth, endless pavement near Santiago, Chile; from the desert sands of coastal Peru to the thick mud of the Andean Altiplano; from the deep, gravelly pumice of the twisty Austral Highway to the arid scrub brush of middle-Patagonia; from dry lake beds in Mexico to river crossings in El Salvador. We've encountered all of these road conditions and the expedition isn't even half-way complete. It gives you an idea of what our BFGoodrich® Mud Terrain T/A® KMs are up against."
Why we selected BFGoodrich Tires
"When planning for the LONGITUDE expedition, the Drive Around the World team considered dozens of tires. We needed a tough, durable, and capable tire. A tire that could provide superior traction in the most extreme conditions and perform well, be it on the highway, rocks, mud, sand or sharp desert terrain. We needed a tire that would stand up to the entire spectrum of imaginable roads and our search ended with the BFGoodrich® Mud Terrain T/A® KM. We knew that BFGoodrich tires consistently exceed the demands of Paris Dakar so we looked within BFGoodrich for a tire that could take this type of sustained punishment over the course of a nine-month expedition. BFGoodrich has motorsports experience and vast expertise with all types of vehicles because BFGoodrich knows tires! As a record setter in the tire industry we know the only records BFGoodrich needs to break are their own, therefore we could settle for nothing less then the best, BFGoodrich!"
"Drive Around the World worked with BFGoodrich to select the right tire and their experts asked all the right questions. They had us estimating the amount of on-road versus off-road driving we would do. They wanted to know the types of terrain we would encounter, vehicle data, and even weather and seasonal patterns were taken into account. And after the analysis smoke had cleared we knew we were looking for an off-road tire with a strong sidewall, able to withstand the impact of the killer potholes we would encounter in nations with unimproved road systems. This investigation led us to the BFGoodrich® Mud Terrain T/A® KM--A tire designed specifically for off-road use that offers the perfect combination of performance, and durability. This tire is known as the brand's rock-climbing, mud-eating, terrain-taming KING of off-road tires. Having been recently named one of the top ten most influential off-road products by JP Magazine, we believe this is the best tire for rugged off-road expeditions."
BFGoodrich Tire performance
"The tires have performed fantastic. There's plenty of tread on the ground which spells traction when the road is good to us and, when the road treats us bad (it treats us real bad), the tread pattern has grabber lugs that really dig down into the mud to move us along. Their road-gripping technology has provided us with a comfortable and economical ride to the end of the earth and beyond. It's reassuring to know that BFGoodrich is going the distance with the LONGITUDE Expedition."
"We thank BFGoodrich for their strong tires and for the strong support they have shown to the LONGITUDE Expedition team."
Thank you BFGoodrich.
Nick Baggarly
LONGITUDE Expedition Leader
Drive Around the World
Boots n All
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How we use Boots n All Services
"One of the most important tasks of an expedition such as Drive Around the World is keeping the
outside world informed of its progress. The primary way we do this is through our travel journals,
which are written by various members of the team, each taking turns to write about every day of the expedition. These
journals make our journey real and personal to the outside world and help generate interest in what
we're doing and why we're doing it. Without these journals, our expedition is an abstract notion;
with these journals, our expedition is a vicarious experience to share with students, supporters, and followers around the world."
"Thanks to Bootsnall
consulting, we were able to set up and host a weblog-style journal with a professional appearance that is also easy to use. The Bootsnall template makes our journal visually attractive and easy to navigate. Moreover,
thanks to Bootsnall's long experience in catering to independent travelers, our journal is automatically
networked with dozens of other travel sites."
Why we chose Boots n All
"Since Drive Around the World team members had already been using their weblogs and travel message boards,
choosing Bootsnall to host our journals was an easy decision. We knew that we would not only have ready
technical support for our journal, but we were confident placing our expedition content in the hands
of people who shared our passion for travel, exploration, and making personal connections around the world."
Boots n All Performance
"A ready indicator of the performance of any product is how much time one spends thinking about how it
works. Thankfully, Bootsnall has created a dynamic content environment so Drive Around the World never has to worry about
the intricacies of the weblog software. Instead, we simply upload our journals and photos with a maximum
of efficiency -- which is important to us when we are working in the Internet cafes of the developing world,
where the connection and technical support is not always dependable."
"Our Bootsnall-hosted travel journal has allowed us to share the LONGITUDE journey with supporters and followers in a
way that would otherwise be impossible. As we travel through these remote and amazing
places, it would be difficult to send a daily email to so many -- but thanks to the collective effort of our
journals, every day of the expedition is accounted for and available to access. Bootsnall has helped us make
it simple to send these stories home -- and the photo-rich layout looks better than anything
we could produce using standard email."
"As a traveler on this expedition, I contribute journals of my own for the weblog -- but I'm always
fascinated to go online and read the journals of my teammates. It's interesting to read about each day
from their perspective, and the accumulated wealth of these journals will make a remarkable
time capsule for this expedition -- hours of reading for armchair adventurers for years to come. Thanks Bootsnall
for making this possible!"
Thank you Bootsnall.
Rolf Potts
Travel Writer for the LONGITUDE Expedition
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How we use BVG products
"We have two Santa Cruz Blur mountain bikes and two BVG spare-tire racks as part of our standard kit on our
nine-month Drive Around the World LONGITUDE Expedition. We needed a tough, secure, low-profile rack to carry
our bikes all the way around the world safely, and we found those qualities exclusively in the BVG spare tire-mounted
rack. The bikes are safe from theft, come on and off in minutes, and swing out of the way to provide easy access to
the back of the vehicle. Without Bauer, we would not have bikes on this expedition, and a long journey without bikes
is a sad undertaking, indeed."
Why we chose BVG
"When outfitting our Drive Around the World expedition Discoverys to carry the team's Santa Cruz Blur mountain bikes,
I researched every available rack. Our application is very specific, and our specifications are such that finding a
perfect rack proved very challenging. First, the rack had to be secure. I didn't want to lose my precious Santa
Cruz Blur to third-world thieves or to treacherous roads. Secondly, and this proved most difficult to accommodate,
the rack and bike had to be mounted in such a way that they would not a) interfere with our departure angle (in other
words, it would not scrape the ground when the vehicle traverses steep terrain transitions during extreme off-road
conditions), b) add height to our already-high vehicles, and c) would not add so much length to our vehicles that
they wouldn't fit in the cargo containers when we ship them across the ocean. We had to rule out
all roof-mounted racks, and hitch-mounted racks were out of the question as well because they would scrape the ground in
many off-roading scenarios and interfere with the Discovery's swing-out rear door. I was about to give up
entirely when I visited the San Jose SportsRack store and found the Bauer Vehicle Gear XSP spare-tire rack. It was
small, lightweight, out-of-the-way, and had a top clamp that could easily adjust to grip the Blur's downtube. In
addition, the rack mounts very quickly and is very low-profile, loaded or empty. For this expedition, the only
choice in vehicle bike racks is Bauer. They are the only rack we can trust to safely carry our precious bicycles
all the way around the world. Thanks for providing a perfect solution to our problem."
BVG performance
"Since departing on our Drive Around the World expedition more than three months ago, we have traveled through 13 countries
and across a distance of more than 15,000 miles. During this time, our BVG spare-tire-mounted racks have stood up
to the rigors of Central American humidity, frequent rainfall, and relentless mud and dust blastings, all the while being
fully laden 100% of the time on extremely rough washboard roads. I'm proud to report that the racks are still as strong and secure as the day they
were installed on the vehicles. The precious bikes they carry are up and out of the way of road hazards, and the locking
access points discourage tampering and theft. Our bikes can be removed and replaced quickly and easily, and I have moved
the racks from one vehicle to the next single-handedly in a matter of minutes. We are constantly opening the rear
doors to access equipment and cargo, and the bikes just swing out of the way as if they weren't even there.
Our Bauer racks have far-exceeded my high expectations. I am a believer."
Thank you, BVG.
Sincerely,
Nancy Olson
Drive Around the World
LONGITUDE Expedition Team
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About Chez Jays!
"Drive around the world loves Chez Jays! The food is divine, the atmosphere is perfect for sharing a drink or a meal, and the company is equal to none. We had our last good meal in California there, and I have a feeling that we'll have plenty more when we return. I can't think of a better place for us to begin our expedition; Jay has launched many an adventure, and we're proud to have him launch ours.
Jays Nuts
One nut up. One nut down. Jay gave us a nut to take around
Astronaut Alan Shepard took one of Chez Jays famous coctail peanuts to the moon and back. Award-winning documentary producer, Ralph White, took a peanut from Chez Jays to visit the Titanic, at the bottom of the sea. And now and now Chez Jay's peanuts are going around the world with the LONGITUDE Expedition team. Jay has placed peanuts in each of the LONGITUDE Expedition Certified Land Rovers that will circumnavigate the globe. One nut has gone up. One nut has gone down. Jay gave us a nut to take around.
The Drive Around the World team looks forward to returning Jay's nuts once we have completed our nine-month global adventure."
Nick Baggarly
LONGITUDE Expedition Leader
Drive Around the World
Travel Author, Rolf Potts has more to say about our time with Chez Jay. Read more at www.vagablogging.net/archives/001875.shtml
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How we use Country Watch services
"CountryWatch.com is a welcome addition to the LONGITUDE Expedition country-research toolbox. As Field Research Director for Drive Around the World's LONGITUDE Expedition, I am grateful for the comprehensive and up-to-date services that CountryWatch provides."
"The CountryWatch service allows our team members to gather current political information as well as weather and statistics about the countries we visit."
Why we chose Country Watch
"CountryWatch should be a resource for every international traveler, whether you're part of a multi-country overland expedition or a business traveler who wishes to stay informed. With CountryWatch.com's comprehensive and up-to-date information on all 192 countries, we believe this service is destined to become the essential reference guide for global travelers."
Country Watch performance
"With CountryWatch, our expedition team stays knowledgeable and informed about the countries we visit. CountryWatch
services allow our team to easily follow the current political and weather conditions of each country along our
route.
Thank you, Country Watch!"
Sincerely,
Chanda Baggarly
Field Research Director
Drive Around the World
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How we use Equinox Services
"Equinox is the exclusive provider of underwater videography equipment for the LONGITUDE Expedition documentary crew. We're using their custom-built housings for the Panasonic DVX100 and the Sony TRV900 for all our underwater footage."
Why we chose Equinox
"We chose Equinox housings because they are the best. The equipment is rugged and can stand up to the
abuses of a nine-month global expedition, which is extremely important."
Equinox Performance
"Equinox Housings hold up great in all conditions, whether I'm shooting, surfing, or scuba diving. They never
let me down and I always feel that my gear is safe."
Thanks Equinox!
Collin McAuliffe
Director of Photography for the LONGITUDE Expedition
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About Exclusive British European
"Exclusive British European's commitment to quality and service was the reason we asked them to assist us
with vehicle expedition outfitting. Their expert staff understood the demands expeditions place upon a vehicle,
and their work has stood up to the demands of a nine-month global expedition. They installed upgrades, pointed out potential problems that our team
might face, worked well within our time frame, and were always true to their word.
We came to value their in-depth understanding of these vehicles and their knowledge of what we would encounter.
This gave us peace of mind, knowing that our vehicles were truly ready to drive around the world."
"All of the accessories installed by Exclusive British European have performed without fault.
Their expert technicians installed a dual-battery system that has performed trouble-free from day one, and when we
call upon them for advice during the course of the expedition, their friendly technicians define the word 'responsive.'"
Thank you Exclusive British European.
Todd Borgie
Mechanic for the LONGITUDE Expedition
Drive Around the World
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"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time"
- T.S. Eliot
"Every person possesses the instinct to explore, this is what led Columbus to the Americas and Neil Armstrong to the moon. Although this is an innate quality, it is this instinct that needs to nurtured. The Explorers club has fostered this quality for the last hundred years, inspiring millions, including Drive Around the World Team members. The Explorer’s club has pushed explorers to new heights by setting high standards for recognition, while offering their support and resources to young explorers and those who face challenges. Drive Around the World created an education program guided by the principles of the Explorers club, encouraging students to develop the instinct to explore, to challenge the unknown, and to return with a wealth of knowledge for the benefit of humanity. Drive Around the World salutes the Explorers club as an inspiration and an organization to be emulated."
Nick Baggarly
Executive Director
LONGITUDE Expedition Leader
Drive Around the World
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How we use Extreme Outback products
"If we have to use our Extreme Outback gear, it's because we've managed to get ourselves into a jam. While we hope
we won't ever have to break out the recovery kit, we certainly feel confident knowing it's there if we need it.
When you're conducting a nine-month, 50,000 km expedition around the world to raise money for Parkinson's Disease,
the last thing you have time for is to worry about your recovery gear. We chose Extreme Outback because we know it
will be there to get us out of a jam when we need it. But until we need it, we need the luxury of forgetting about
it. Just knowing it is in out kit gives us the confidence we need to press through the most difficult legs of our
journey. Thank you, Extreme Outback."
Why we chose Extreme Outback
"When it came time to choose vehicle-recovery equipment for our nine-month LONGITUDE Expedition,
we took great care in selecting only the very best, most durable, most trusted equipment available. We simply do not
have time to worry about our equipment. We outfitted ourselves with Extreme Outback's Vehicle Recovery Kit because
it contains the gear we want, built to the standards we require to give us the confidence we need to embark upon a
monumental four-vehicle, 32,000-mile overland expedition. We can't trust the safety of our vehicles and
the overall success of a nine-month journey to just anybody, so we only chose gear that we know can handle anything we
throw at it. With Extreme Outback in our kit, I'm almost looking forward to getting stuck."
Extreme Outback performance
"We used our Extreme Outback Vehicle Recovery Kit during pre-expedition driver training in Hollister, California.
The Land Rover driving instructors put us through a tough course, and we ended up sticking one of our Land Rover
Discoverys in a sand-and-rut combination. We broke out our Black Rat recovery kit and used two shackles and a
recovery strap to free the vehicle. It worked like a charm, and we put the kit away. In fact, we won't think about our recovery kit again until the next time we get stuck. That's the beauty of good kit like Extreme Outback: you never have to
think about it, but you know it'll do its job when you're in a pickle and need it. With Extreme Outback in our
kit, I am looking forward to getting stuck."
Thank you Extreme Outback.
Nancy Olson
Drive Around The World, LONGITUDE Expedition Team
2003 Land Rover G4 Challenge American Competitor"
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“It’s not where you go it’s what you find there.”
- Author Unknown
How we use Garmin products
"On the LONGITUDE Expedition, we "use" our Garmin GPS V daily. Whether it's route planning, navigating through an urban maze, verifying our
altitude, or determining when the sun is going to rise and set around the world, our GPS V is an essential
piece of equipment. The handy dash-mount feature makes it easy for me, as the lead navigator, to cross-reference
our route with the villages we visit. Additionally, the altitude and gas-mileage functions areinvaluable
for managing all aspects of the expedition."
Why we chose Garmin
"When it comes to driving around the world, you need rugged navigation equipment that is beyond reliable. Garmin's GPS
units have a long history of assisting modern-day explorers at home and worldwide. We selected the Garmin GPS V based on the unit's compreheisive functionality and ease of use. Plus, the large display makes navigating through all 34 countries simple. Knowing where we're going makes our expedition enjoyable.
The LONGITUDE team is proud to have Garmin as our co-pilot."
Garmin performance
"The GPS V is outperforming our expectations. At first we only used the device for its navigational capabilities, but slowly we became familiar with one feature after another until the entire team understood the full feature set, quite naturally too. We were all amazed.
The Garmin GPS V allows us to keep track of our gas mileage and the altitude in each country--it even tells us when the sun will rise and set, and, when you're driving all day long, this information is very important. Thanks to Garmin, the navigation information we need is right at our fingertips."
Justin Mounts
LONGITUDE Expedition Navigator
Drive Around The World
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About Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher
"Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher provides Drive Around the World with legal council and support and they have been
with us every single step of the way, from 'Day One' when Drive Around the World was first incorporated as a non-profit,
to the unfolding of our latest project: a humanitarian and educational expedition called LONGITUDE--a mission to circle the globe, raising money
and awareness for Parkinson's Disease research. Their knowledgeable attorneys have patiently answered many questions and have helped Drive Around the World face challenges while creating this unique event. The skill, expertise, and friendly manner of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has helped make this expedition a reality. Thank you Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher for helping us navigate through the the legal world."
Nick Baggarly
Executive Director
Drive Around the World
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How we use Hannibal Tents
"Simply put, our Hannibal tents have been "home" on this expedition. Regardless of our condition or
location on the road, we are able to relax in the assurance that, in a matter of minutes, we can
set up our tents anytime, anywhere, and get a good night's sleep."
Why we chose Hannibal
"We chose Hannibal tents for their quality -- both in design and durability. Created for the rough conditions
of South African safaris, we know that Hannibal tents have what it takes to house us comfortably for the duration
of our nine-month expedition."
Hannibal Performance
"I believe that the true indicator of a product's reliability is how little you have to think about it -- and
believe me, our Hannibal tents have been a no-brainer. Setting up or breaking down camp anywhere in the world
can be done in a matter of minutes, which is unbelievably convenient, especially when it's freezing cold or pouring rain. We've had experiences camping during thunderstorms, with gale-force winds rocking the vehicles, but in our Hannibal tents these winds are merely rocking us to sleep. These tents also pack away without a lot of hassle in thinking about which pole goes where. The padded floors are extremely comfortable, and the mesh windows allow for a good nights sleep, even in the tropics. With windows closed, it's hard to tell if it's day or night outside!"
"Our Hannibal tents are the first thing most folks want to talk about after seeing our vehicles. I believe the best example of Hannibal's usefulness came not months into the expedition, but on the very first
night of our journey. We had just crossed the border into Mexico, and -- wouldn't you know it -- it began
pouring rain in Baja. Had we been relying on normal ground tents, we would have been soaked by the time we got
things set up. With Hannibal, however, we had the tents on four vehicles open in under five minutes, and we got an
amazingly comfortable night's sleep listening to the sound of rain against the canvas. This night set the tone for us, and our faith in the reliability and usefulness of our Hannibal tents has been strong ever since."
"I've gotten so used to a good night's sleep in my Hannibal tent that I often use it even when we are
staying in a hotel! On multiple occasions in places like Guatemala, and Peru, I have opted out of the hot or
crowded surroundings of a hostel or hotel room and slept in the Hannibal tent, right there in the parking lot. Hannibal tents provided us with luxury accomodations on an over-night ferry ride across the Gulf of Corcovado in Chile. Tents were popped and, combined with the gentle back-and-forth rocking of the ship, we slept peacefully. We awoke feeling quite bad however, exchanging glances with dozens of grumpy backpackers who had slept on deck through the misty night and awoke drenched. My sleep has always been cool, quiet, and more comfortable. Thanks, Hannibal, for many nights of blissful slumber!"
Nick Baggarly and the LONGITUDE Expedition team
Drive Around the World
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