Throughout the year Overland Expo has launched a new addition to each of our 2024 events with the new Women Who Wander program. This new addition has provided a space for women overlanders ranging from novice to expert to share their experiences. Lady overlanders are one of the fastest growing communities within the overland community, and we’re happy to feature female-specific education during the days throughout the weekend and a fun Happy Hour on Friday evening from 5 pm-7 pm near the Toyo Tire Oasis Bar and Food Court. For more information about what you’ll find in this exciting new space, please continue reading.
Daytime Education
We’re thrilled to feature a dynamic and accomplished roster of instructors in the Women Who Wander Pavilion:
Connie Rodman spent her honeymoon on her very first overland journey… through Africa. In Connie’s class “Fear: Don’t Get Over It, Get Through It” she’ll talk about using fear to make you more confident about the road ahead.
Full-time overlander, Deb Lee, will tackle the tricky topic of pooping on the road. She’ll discuss the techniques and products that make it less of an obstacle for those hesitant to get too far away from the grid, lest they miss that old porcelain fixture.
Rachael, a 2010 Olympian in women’s figure skating for Team USA, will reflect on what she learned as an elite athlete and how these lessons prepared her for overlanding adventures and building a new rig with her husband Eric, a Mountain State Overland guide.
READ MORE: A Newcomer’s Guide to Overland Expo East – 2024 Edition
Alan Glickman and Paul Seehafer are back by popular demand to teach their classes about safety, situational awareness and self-defense and long-time overlanders Lory Perfect and Cyndee Schneidau will cover the topic of hygiene on the road from a variety of angles and perspectives.
Lory Perfect and Cyndee Schneidau will cover hygiene on the road from multiple perspectives, and Rebelle Rally competitor Liz Long will teach classes on traditional navigation and Rebelle Rally formats.
(Note: with the exception of Alan Glickman’s classes, all are welcome to attendee these sessions – while the classes are tailored towards women, we guarantee that anyone in attendance will come away with valuable new insights and knowledge.)
Evening Fireside Chats Series for Women Who Wander
On Friday from 5 pm to 7 pm, all ladies are welcome to join us in a special area adjacent to the Oasis Food Court & Bar Sponsored by Toyo Tire USA. Harkening back to the “good old days” of Overland Expo Ladies’ Nights, we invite everyone to grab their happy hour drink, head into the Women Who Wander lounge and gather ’round a “campfire.” While guests are welcome to simply mingle and network, we’ll have a few more structured Q&As and community conversations:
Q & A: How Not to Die in the Desert as a Rookie Rebelle
The Rebelle Rally is 8-day, women-only, traditional navigation rally that stretched 1500+ miles through California and Nevada. Connie Rodman, from the prospective Rebelle Rally Team “Tried and True – TNT” will get all of the dirt from 2023 Rebelle (and Overland Expo’s director of programming) Azure O’Neil. When Azure and Eva Rupert competed in the Rebelle last year, their goals were 1. To get as many checkpoints as possible before noon. 2. Not to die in the desert. 3. To be good teammates to one another and all Rebelles. While rookie-to-be Connie will surely have several questions of her own, everyone around the fire pit is welcome to ask Azure their most burning questions about how to Rebelle.
Meet the Most BadA$$ Adventurer at Overland Expo
Before the invention of GPS technology, Patty Upton and her late husband, Loren, took their 1966 CJ-5 through the Darien Gap and around the world. She has always been fascinated by maps, exotic places, and different cultures. After meeting Loren, she stepped through the Looking Glass and into the world of overland expeditions and a lifetime of adventure. Patty will be giving a can’t-miss presentation about her travels during the day in the Storytelling Pavilion (those who have heard her speak before say it is one of the most captivating and inspiring stories they have ever heard). This fireside chat is an incredible opportunity to ask a true living legend questions about her wild and phenomenally interesting life.
You can learn more about Loren and Patty here.
