Raising Adventurers: The Case for Overlanding as a Family

A son’s 18th birthday is celebrated in the middle of the Gobi Desert. An open stretch of wilderness, towering dunes, and nothing but the hum of an untamed landscape. For a Dutch family overlanding with Nomadic Road across Mongolia, this was exactly how they wanted it.

It was their final adventure before both sons left for college—one last trip as a unit. But instead of hovering, the parents handed the boys their own expedition vehicle. Over the next few days, the brothers navigated Mongolia’s rugged terrain, made their own decisions, and learned firsthand what it meant to face the unknown.

In the middle of the Gobi Desert, our chef baked a cake from scratch, bringing tears to his mother’s eyes.

Plenty of people take on overlanding solo. Others do it with partners, friends, or fellow travellers. But as a family? With kids? That’s when the eyebrows go up. Overlanding is challenging enough—add children to the mix, and it’s a whole different ballgame.

So why do it? Why take kids off the beaten path, where uncertainty is the only guarantee? Some families have done exactly that on past Nomadic Road expeditions. And every time, it proves to be worth it.

The Best Time to Go? Now.

Oftentimes, parents wait for the "perfect time" to travel with their kids. When they're older. When they're less restless. When it’s easier. But ask anyone who's actually undertaken family adventure travel, and they’ll tell you this: every age is the right age.

A father who lost his wife during COVID almost didn’t bring his nine-year-old son on an overlanding trip across Mongolia. He worried about how the boy would react and whether the isolation would be too much. But something told him to take the chance. And that decision changed everything.

Each day, his son opened up more—whether it was learning to drive for the first time on Mongolia’s endless dirt roads, or sitting around the fire, sharing stories with strangers who quickly became family. By the end of the trip, the kid was, unsurprisingly, a critical member of the team. As the expedition came to an end, he told the crew he was already looking forward to the next adventure—perhaps Bolivia, maybe Atacama.

The boy with the nomads of Mongolia holding a Morin Khuur - a traditional instrument.

Stranded, But Stronger

Off-road family travel is unpredictable, rough around the edges, and forces parents to do something they rarely get to: step back and let their kids take charge.

Like the Dutch family in Mongolia. Their teenage sons weren’t just along for the ride. They had their own vehicle. 'Figure it out,' their parents said. The elder brother, who had a valid driving license, took the lead as they navigated the terrain.

Reality hit fast. A flat tyre on a remote dirt road. No mechanics, no quick fixes. Just the two of them figuring it out.

Challenges like this are what make overlanding truly rewarding.

Then, a bigger challenge. At some point, the boys took a detour, choosing to navigate a different route on their own. But in the middle of nowhere, their car engine overheated. With no service, they called for help over the CB radio. Hours later, the crew found them, standing by the smoking vehicle, a little shaken, but certainly a whole lot wiser.

Stranded in the vast emptiness of the Gobi, they had no choice but to rely on each other. And in doing so, they strengthened their bond in a way only the open road can.

The Magic Happens When the Screens Go Dark

Parents often ask: "Will my kids even enjoy this?" The answer? Well, maybe not at first.

A single dad took his 11-year-old daughter deep into the Gobi Desert on Nomadic Road’s expedition. At first, she barely looked up from her mobile phone. But the further they drove, the more the world she knew faded—no Instagram, no TikTok, no signal. In Mongolia, one of the most immersive overlanding destinations for families, disconnecting comes naturally.

By day three, she was climbing dunes alone. By the fifth, she was convinced she had discovered real dinosaur bones and spent the entire trip collecting them—think goat skulls, camel leg bones, and beyond. On the final day, she rode horseback across the desert with Mongolian kids. She returned grinning ear to ear and said, "This has been quite an experience."

The 11-year-old rides like she was born to do it. No classroom teaches this. No vacation package compares.

Besides, what’s ordinary to adults may seem extraordinary to kids. To the 11-year-old, every bone found was a prehistoric relic. Her excitement was contagious. Soon, the entire expedition was caught up in her imagination, helping her strap the “fossils” onto her dad’s car like battle trophies.

Off-road family travel helps you rediscover a sense of wonder you didn’t even realise you’d lost.

Memories That Go the Distance

Parents often wonder, “Will my kids even remember this trip?” Maybe not every detail. But these experiences become stories that get told and retold, which has advantages.

Perhaps they’ll grow up telling people about the time they stood in the middle of a desert with no roads in sight. Or how they learned to navigate a dirt trail without a GPS. Or how they once met animals in the wild—not in cages, but in their natural habitat.

Travel like this gives kids perspective. The understanding that the world is vast, unpredictable, and best experienced beyond the comfort of routine. Whether they realise it now or years later, these adventures shape how they move through life long after the trip.

When Experience Becomes the Classroom

Parents want their kids to be prepared for life. But what prepares them better: another summer in a resort, or getting stranded in the desert with a broken-down car?

The Dutch boys who fixed their own flat tyre? The kid who learned to drive across Mongolia’s open plains? The daughter who learned patience while fishing in a remote lake? They all walked away with valuable skills—resilience, problem-solving, and a new way of seeing the world.

The best part of family adventure travel is that kids learn without even realising it. You don’t force education on the road. Kids absorb everything naturally.

Letting Kids Run Wild—Without the Worry

Family overlanding trips aren’t without their challenges. There’s more to consider—comfort, safety, the occasional meltdown. But that’s just part of the adventure. And while things don’t always go as planned, Nomadic Road ensures that family overlanding trips remain about the experience, not the logistics.

The routes are scouted, the vehicles are expedition-ready, and there’s always a support crew within reach. Parents don’t have to spend their days buried in maps or worrying about the next fuel stop. They just have to show up, let go, and watch their kids experience the wild in a way no school trip or resort vacation ever could.

And for those who want to take things a step further, there’s room to dream bigger. Some families opt for Nomadic Road’s signature expeditions, joining a small group of travellers on carefully crafted routes. Others come with a vision of their own—something bold, something personal.

A Father, His Sons, and an Ultra-Triathlon Across Siberia

In the summer of 2021, as the world slowly reopened, a father from Malibu decided that an ordinary holiday wouldn’t cut it. He wanted to embark on a journey his sons would never forget. His idea? A privately curated ultra-triathlon—swimming, cycling, and running across Siberia’s legendary Lake Baikal.

It was an audacious plan. Siberian terrain isn’t forgiving. The lake, the deepest on Earth, stretches endlessly, its waters known for their eerie stillness and bone-chilling depths. Planning a challenge like this was no small task. But Nomadic Road made it happen.

The father and his son take in the vast, untouched beauty of Lake Baikal.

Over ten days, the family swam across open water, ran through remote villages, and cycled across wild landscapes. The father crossed the lake’s deepest point, while his sons kayaked alongside him. They trekked through dense forests, climbed rugged mountains, and ended their journey with a boat ride across the vast expanse of Baikal—tired, exhilarated, and bonded in a way only a shared challenge can bring.

For them, it was a test of endurance. For us… just another day proving that no adventure is too big, and no dream too wild.

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