Whilst most families jump on a plane to and from their overseas postings, some choose to make the journey rather more of an adventure.
The Privately Arranged Passage (PAP) allowance allows families to use the money they would have been given for their flights home for their own travel costs. We hear from two families who have had some unforgettable experiences by doing just that…
The Mills family
The Mills family – From Oman to Estonia
The idea came from our neighbours in Salalah (who didn’t actually end up doing it!) but with 18 months left in our Loan Service post, we decided we’d convert a Toyota Coaster school bus – these are very common in the Middle East.
About two months after buying it and starting to strip the seats and other fixtures out, we discovered we were pregnant with twins! This meant we’d be doing the trip with four kids under four, which would certainly make it more challenging!
GETTING PREPPED
Together with a small team of Omanis, Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis from the local industrial area, Alex worked late into the night over the summer to get the bus into shape for us to live, sleep, eat, wash and play in for the 40-day, 8,000km journey.
The preparations were significant: as we’d be travelling in June and July we needed an additional air-con unit to make it liveable. This was invaluable but in hindsight we wouldn’t attempt the trip again during the hottest part of the year!
It also meant we needed to fit a kilo-watt of solar panels to the roof and several huge lithium batteries, which also suffered in the heat.
The route itself meant we needed a huge variety of visas, documents and insurance paperwork – all of which we printed in triplicate to ensure a smooth passage.
We also reached out to the Defence Attachés and Loan Service teams along the route and we were genuinely humbled by their assistance, hospitality and network of local fixers.
BUMPS IN THE ROAD
Despite all of our preparations, things will always go wrong. On our trip we needed a new head gasket and engine rebuild in Riyadh, a hasty gear box repair in a retired brigadier’s driveway in Jordan, patching of a hole in the exhaust and a deep clean of the starter motor. We ran low on the right type of oil, used lots of coolant which we’d brought with us and lost use of the handbrake, but fortunately we had enough stuff (and good luck) to keep us moving.
The most challenging point was getting into Israel from Jordan in an Omani-registered bus… this attracted a slew of questions and was hot sweaty work stripping everything from the bus for it to be searched in the midmorning heat.
Our highlights included driving up the Red Sea coast of Saudi, travelling through Petra and wild camping near Karak in Jordan as well as island hopping in Croatia; wild camping on the Albania/Montenegro border and driving up the Adriatic coast.
Whilst every day brought its own challenges, it was a brilliant trip and we made it to Tallinn in good order. If we were to do it again, it would be in a slightly more reliable vehicle and with all passengers over the age of six!
MORE INFORMATION
There are certain allowances which may support a family who wish to drive a vehicle instead of flying to or from an overseas assignment.
- Self-Drive may help you claim back some costs for fuel and gives a night’s subsistence when travelling. It can be used for some countries; you can only use this instead of using the options under Overseas Private Vehicle Provision (OPVP).
- Privately Arranged Passage (PAP) helps towards mileage costs, up to the cost of a flight but doesn’t give subsistence. This has to be agreed in advance by the unit admin team and can only be used in certain countries.
The Clemerson family – From Izmir to Yorkshire
The Clemerson family
After an incredible two years at HQ Allied Land Command in Izmir, it was time for us to return to the UK. Whilst many of our friends had their houses packed up and returned via air, we had decided to join the small group of people that made the return to the UK a real adventure.
Having already bought a roof tent and trailer locally, which we had used on many adventures during our posting, our Ford Kuga was ready to go. We knew we had the PAP to offset the cost of the road trip back (the standard price of our family’s plane tickets was about £1,500) and we wanted to use the full 14 days, taking in as much as we could through each country we stopped in.
Our plan was to avoid the major tourist spots and discover more than just the capital cities. We pre-booked camp sites, some self-contained apartments and some hotel rooms prior to setting off just so we knew we had somewhere to sleep – the rules of wild camping varied significantly in each country!
SETTING OFF
The first leg of our journey took us to Canakkale for a picture in front of the wooden horse used in the film Troy, before leaving Turkey for the final time and driving into Greece where it almost immediately started raining!
The first few days of the trip saw some amazing sites in north-west Greece, North Macedonia and Albania, before heading through Montenegro and into Croatia where we had scheduled a rest day in the incredible but expensive city of Dubrovnik.
Split and Rijeka followed before heading into Slovenia. I would encourage anyone thinking about visiting Slovenia to absolutely go for it – it’s an incredible country with the most hospitable people (as well as the best hot chocolate we have ever tasted)!
Austria and Germany were next on the list and into the Netherlands ahead of the overnight ferry from Rotterdam to Hull. Before we knew it, we had travelled over 4,000km, visited 11 countries in 13 days and had the most incredible experience.
TOP TIPS
For anyone thinking about driving to Izmir or back to the UK our advice would be go for it, but check all the small print on your vehicle insurance details. Before our trip we found our UK and European car insurance didn’t cover all 11 countries so some car insurance payments were made at international borders.
Also, take plenty of local currency in cash as most petrol stations had toilets that only took cash payments and let your bank know that you are travelling through Europe so they don’t decline your credit cards!
You can speak to your unit admin team to discuss what is available for your assignment, or feedback your thoughts at moneysupport@aff.org.uk
GET IN TOUCH
If you’ve got a unique travel experience in between overseas postings, with valuable advice to share with others, do let us know at overseassupport@aff.org.uk