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Char Is Far

the journey begins where the road ends

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  • Blog
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    • Africa
      • Morocco
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      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • Tajikistan
      • Thailand
      • Türkiye
      • Turkmenistan
      • Uzbekistan
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Albania
      • Austria
      • Bosnia and Herzegovina
      • Croatia
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      • France
      • Georgia
      • Germany
      • Greece
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      • Norway
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Overland Itinerary: Driving From The Netherlands to Singapore

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Overland Journal Day 173–185: Crossing the Border & Central Thailand Road Trip

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Overland Journal Day 93-109: Kyrgyzstan

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Overland Journal Day 11-16: Bosnia and Herzegovina & Montenegro

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Overland Journal Day 17-25: Albania, Greece and Turkey (Istanbul)

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Expedition Overland
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Destinations
  • Road Trip Malaysia
    Asia,  Destinations,  Expedition Overland,  Malaysia

    Overland Journal Day 204-231: Road Trip Malaysia

    July 2, 2025 / 2 Comments

    After a mess of paperwork at the border, we finally roll into Malaysia. In Kuala Lumpur we pick up a friend and set off on a 2-week road trip through the country’s highlights: jungle cruises in Taman Negara, misty hikes in tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands, street food and colonial old-town vibes in Georgetown, and scooter rides along Langkawi’s tropical coastline. When our friend flies home, we…

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  • Wild camping under palm trees at Bottle Beach, Koh Phangan, Thailand
    Asia,  Destinations,  Expedition Overland,  Thailand

    Overland Journal Day 186-203: Island Hopping in Southern Thailand (Koh Phangan, Koh Tao & Koh Lanta)

    May 25, 2025 / 2 Comments

    We drive into the heart of Southeast Asia’s tourist mecca: the Thai islands. Oat milk lattes flow freely, smoothie bowls are everywhere, and we have to try VERY hard to escape the beaten path. But after some searching, we manage to find a few gems that still feel remote and free. We fall into the rhythm of island life: waking up with the sun, no plans, just seeing…

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  • Ayutthaya Temples Overlanding Thailand
    Asia,  Destinations,  Expedition Overland,  Thailand

    Overland Journal Day 173–185: Crossing the Border & Central Thailand Road Trip

    May 4, 2025 / No comments

    Overlanding Thailand and crossing the border from Cambodia with your own car isn’t easy. But thanks to good prep, we make it through to continue our overland expedition to Singapore. We dive into Bangkok life while the 4Runner gets an upgrade, head north into monsoon rains for waterfalls and night safaris in Khao Yai National Park, and explore ancient, crowd-free temples in Ayutthaya. But after days of rain,…

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  • Road Trip Cambodia
    Asia,  Cambodia,  Destinations,  Expedition Overland

    Overland Journal Day 159-172: Cambodia Road Trip to Phnom Penh, Koh Rong & Angkor Wat

    April 24, 2025 / No comments

    We leave behind what’s said to be the most corrupt border crossing in Asia and roll into Cambodia. At this point, we’ve been on the road for five months and have covered 27,000 kilometers. We dive headfirst into the comforts of city life in Phnom Penh, soak up the easygoing island vibe on Koh Rong, and – maybe the biggest milestone yet – we drive our own car…

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  • rooftop tent kyrgyzstan
    Asia,  Destinations,  Kyrgyzstan

    Holiday to Kyrgyzstan: The Ultimate 3-Week Road Trip Itinerary (+Wild Camping & Off-Roading Tips)

    April 16, 2025 / No comments

    Planning a holiday to Kyrgyzstan? This breathtaking Central Asian country quickly became our all-time favorite, and for good reason. Towering mountain ranges, vast valleys, and rugged off-road trails make Kyrgyzstan the perfect destination for an adventurous road trip. We’ve explored Kyrgyzstan twice now: once by flying in and renting a 4×4 with rooftop tent, and once by driving all the way from The Netherlands in our own Toyota…

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Char Is Far

We’re Charelle and Marcel, living for off-road adventures and the freedom that comes with it. Char Is Far is your invitation to break free, chase dreams, and explore the unknown. In 2024 we drove from The Netherlands to Singapore in our 4x4 with rooftop tent, and the road ahead is calling again. Ready to leave your comfort zone and see what's out there?

Travel with us



Popular posts

Overland Itinerary: Driving From The Netherlands to Singapore

The Ultimate Guide On Riding The Ha Giang Loop In Vietnam (4 Days)

Overland Journal Day 26-40: Türkiye

Kyrgyzstan 2-Week Itinerary: Epic Self Drive With 4×4 and Rooftop Tent

Overland Journal Day 117: Border Crossing Into China

Kyrgyzstan Travel: Everything You Need To Know

Driving to Thailand with your own car: Foreign Vehicle Permit and border crossing guide

The Start Of Our Overland Adventure

Overland Journal Day 41-52: Iran

Overland Journal Day 72-81: Tajikistan (Panjakent and Dushanbe)

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Slowly integrating into Spanish life 🇪🇸 We spent Slowly integrating into Spanish life 🇪🇸

We spent the past two weeks on the Costa Blanca, with Dénia as our base, exploring the Valencia region. Orange trees everywhere, long sunny days, colorful houses. Quite the contrast from the snow in the Pyrenees just days before.
And this is exactly what we love.

Switching to remote work has been even better than we expected. And our expectations were high to begin with. It still feels slightly unreal that this is our life now.

We’ve now moved further south (near Málaga) into a house we rented for three months, close to both the coast and the mountains.

To be honest, we were a bit worried about focus. A lot of people told us it would be difficult to stay productive. But we’ve built a steady rhythm: coworking three days a week, structure during the week, exploring on the (long) weekends. It works surprisingly well.

Also VERY excited to go off-roading in the weekends. Plenty of tracks here.

Have you ever lived abroad for a while or worked remotely? What were the pros and cons for you? Or any questions about our switch? Let us know 🔥🧡

#workingremotely #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #spaintrip #explorespain
This is what working remotely from the Pyrenees lo This is what working remotely from the Pyrenees looks like 😍

Week 2 of remote life and it’s already better than we imagined. 

Working from tiny mountain villages in northern Spain. And navigating some very questionable, narrow streets (see photo 7) 😬

Weekend? Road tripping through a snowy Andorra.

Further south we go. So happy we took the leap 🫶

#workingremotely #overlandtravel #pyreneesmountains #andorra #spaintrip
ON THE ROAD AGAIN! 🚙 9 months ago we came home fr ON THE ROAD AGAIN! 🚙

9 months ago we came home from our overland expedition. Now we’re packing up again and hitting the road.

For the first time ever, we’re working fully remote. Looking forward to find out what that's like. Our base for the coming months: Spain 🇪🇸

This first week already feels unreal. Champagne, Paris and now the Pyrenees. Taking it all in.

We took one week off to ease into it. As of today, we’re back to work. Still wrapping our heads around the fact that a regular Monday now includes a snowshoe hike through a snowy forest 🌲

By the way, that last photo is the view from our balcony. Insane!

Proud that we chose this. Excited that we didn’t settle. Grateful that we’re actually living the plans we talked about.

PS. Not everything is perfect. The Toyota still smells and yes, the throat ache is still there. But overall? Very, very, very happy to be back on the road.

Also, make sure to hit follow. We’re much better at stories than posts anyway 😂

#workingremotely #overlandinglife #wereldreis #dutchvanlife #overlandtravel
Who knew the Netherlands could look like this? ❄️ Who knew the Netherlands could look like this? ❄️ We went on a regular camping trip and woke up in a full-on winter wonderland.

Campfires under a full moon. Frozen lakes. Hot chocolate by the fire. Fresh tracks in powdery snow through the woods. And a verrrrry cold night. 

You know what that is? Simply lovely 🇳🇱

Who would you like to go winter camping with? ☃️

#wintercamping #kampereninnederland #visitnetherlands #kamperen #daktent
First camping trip of 2026, we picked a good weeke First camping trip of 2026, we picked a good weekend ☃️❄️

Had such a blast! Our first time camping in our tent again since we shipped our car to Dubai end of 2024. Felt like coming home.

And of course we did some off-roading through the snow with @lizzy_land_roamer 🔥

When your weekends look like this, you know you chose the right life.

#4x4ing #wintercamping #overlandadventure
Scroll back with us for a quick rewind ⏩ 2025 was Scroll back with us for a quick rewind ⏩

2025 was the year we came home from our overland expedition.

But somehow… home didn’t feel quite like home anymore.
We had changed. Life back home hadn’t.

So what do you do when the place you return to no longer fits?

You come up with another wild plan!

Here's a recap. From a crazy idea in Kyrgyzstan to coming home a few years later. And how we ended up choosing a new one (at least for a couple of months).

Moving in five weeks. Very excited!

What does 2026 have in store for you?

#overlandbound #roadtripadventures #wereldreis #overlandtravel #overlandadventure
We came to Andalusia for a week… and left with the We came to Andalusia for a week… and left with the idea to move here.

A few weeks after finishing our overland expedition from the Netherlands to Singapore earlier this year, we landed in Andalusia. Tired, dusty, and still trying to process everything we’d just done. We thought it would be a short break. But this place hit differently. The warm summer sun, the mountains, the beaches, the calm pace of life. We loved it.

Somewhere between the olive hills and white villages, we caught ourselves saying: “We could actually live here.”

Now, four months later, we’re back. Not just for tapas and sunsets (although, yes, plenty of those), but to explore the area properly and check out some houses. Because early next year… we’ll call Andalusia home for five whole months.

If you know any hidden gems, mountain towns, or must-visit coffee spots, drop them below! We’d love your tips 🧡

#andalusiatravel #visitandalusia #andalusia #andalucía #andaluciaviva #andalucia_photos
The not so sexy side of overlanding? Border crossi The not so sexy side of overlanding? Border crossings. 🚧

Long lines, X-rays, interrogations, car checks, piles of paperwork and waiting for hours.

We’ve cursed at it, laughed about it, and sometimes dreaded it. But even in all that hassle, we carry something many people would give anything for.

Privilege.

It hit us hard in Iran, when we met a girl who had the exact same dream as us. To pack up, hit the road and see the world. She had the passion, the drive, the curiosity. What she didn’t have was the right passport. Her dream stopped at a border she couldn’t cross.

While we get frustrated at yet another form to fill in, the truth is: the fact that we can move, that a piece of paper or a stamp usually opens the gate for us, is something we often take for granted. A privilege we did nothing to earn.

So yes, borders are the messy, less glamorous side of overlanding. But every time we roll through one, we try to remember how lucky we are to even be in that line.

What are your thoughts on this?

Oh and since so many of you asked, our Carnet de Passage guide is now live on the blog. What it is, how it works, the costs, and how to apply. Link in bio to the blog 🙌

#overlandbound #overlandlife #overlandtravel #overlandjournal #overlandinglife #vanlifeadventures #roadtripadventures
🚐 Big news (& giveaway!): we’ll be on stage at the 🚐 Big news (& giveaway!): we’ll be on stage at the Vanlife Magazine Theater during @camperbeurs, the biggest camper fair in the Netherlands. And... you can be there with us!

📅 On Sunday 21 September we're joining two panel talks (in Dutch):

💸 Talk 1: Costs & budget on the road: how much does overlanding really cost and how do we afford it?

🎯 Talk 2: Preparing for the road: how to prepare for a long, overland expedition? What to arrange before you leave? Including planning, Carnet de Passage, budgeting, visas, documentation and everything else you'd like to know!

Together with @vanlife.magazine.nl we’re giving away 2x2 tickets for the entire Camperbeurs weekend (19–21 Sept) in Hardenberg, The Netherlands. Come join the talks, meet other vanlifers and overlanders, and ask us anything about our drive from the Netherlands to Singapore. 

🔥 How to win 2 tickets:
1️⃣ Follow @char.is.far
2️⃣ Tag the person you'd love to bring in the comments 👇

Winner announced Thursday evening, so just 2 days from now.

Will we see you there? 😊

#kamperen #camperleven #vanlifenl #dutchvanlife #wereldreis #daktent
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Recent Posts

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  • Driving to ThailandDriving to Thailand with your own car: Foreign Vehicle Permit and border crossing guide

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