Route Planning, Maps & Navigation Basics
Learn how to plan realistic days, combine maps and navigation apps, and build simple habits that keep your overland trips on track and less stressful.
Lesson objectives
By the end of this lesson you’ll be able to sketch realistic routes, estimate daily distances and time windows, and use a mix of maps and apps to stay oriented – even when plans change.
What you’ll understand
- What a “good” overland day on the road actually looks like.
- How surfaces, elevation and stops affect distance and time.
- The strengths and weaknesses of navigation apps vs paper maps.
- Why bail-out options and buffer time matter for safety.
What you’ll be able to do
- Rough out a route using the Expedition Planner and maps.
- Estimate driving windows for sealed, gravel and low-range sections.
- Set up offline maps and waypoints for key decision points.
- Use Rusty to sanity-check distances, fuel and backup plans.
Use this lesson together with your favourite map app and the Overland Expedition Planner open in another tab – planning while you learn makes the ideas stick.
1. What a “good” overland day looks like
A good overland day is one where you arrive at camp with daylight left, enough energy for a relaxed setup and time to enjoy where you’ve actually driven to.
Key ingredients of a calm day
- Clear start and finish points you can realistically reach.
- Mix of terrain that matches your skills and vehicle.
- Time budgeted for fuel, food, photos and short walks.
- At least one sensible backup camp or town if plans change.
- Plan your days around the slowest section, not the highway sprint.
- Protect the last 2–3 hours of daylight – that’s your buffer for delays.
- If you’re rushing every afternoon, your plan is too ambitious.
2. Estimating distance & time on mixed surfaces
Online maps are good at sealed-road estimates, but they’re often wildly optimistic once gravel, corrugations and low-range tracks appear. You need your own mental “speed ranges”.
Typical planning speeds (starting points)
- Sealed highways: 70–90 km/h average over the day.
- Good gravel / formed dirt: 40–60 km/h average.
- Rough tracks / low-range sections: 10–30 km/h.
- Technical or unknown tracks: plan by time windows, not distance.
Building a simple day plan
- Chunk your route into segments by surface and complexity.
- Apply realistic average speeds to each chunk.
- Add 20–30% buffer for stops, photos and small surprises.
- Use the Expedition Planner to see if your plan still fits daylight.
These are starting numbers, not hard rules. As you log real trips, tweak them in the Expedition Planner so future routes reflect your style and vehicle.
3. Combining maps & navigation apps
No single app is perfect. Overlanding 101 encourages a “belt and braces” approach: use digital tools for convenience, backed by paper maps and basic compass sense.
Digital tools – strengths
- Turn-by-turn guidance in towns and on major roads.
- Easy distance and time estimates between waypoints.
- Quick access to fuel, food and accommodation info.
- GPX recording so you can review where you’ve been.
Maps & offline backups
- Download offline map regions for your whole route plus detours.
- Carry at least one paper map covering the wider area.
- Mark fuel stops, camps and bail-outs on both digital and paper maps.
- Know your general direction of travel (N/S/E/W) without a screen.
4. Navigation habits that keep trips calmer
Navigation isn’t just about following a line on a screen. It’s about keeping a shared mental picture of where you are, what’s ahead and what you’ll do if something changes.
Habit 1 – Shared briefings
Before you leave each morning, spend 5 minutes talking through the day with your crew.
- Key towns, fuel and water stops.
- Slow sections and rough track warnings.
- Preferred camp plus 1–2 backup options.
Habit 2 – Regular check-ins
Every hour or two, compare where you actually are with your plan.
- Are we burning buffer time faster than expected?
- Do we need to shorten the day or use a backup camp?
- How is everyone’s energy and focus?
Habit 3 – Turning around early
Sometimes the safest navigation decision is to abandon a track.
- Deep ruts, flood damage or fire closures ahead.
- Unexpected private property or locked gates.
- Weather closing in faster than forecast.
A calm “turn around” call is a sign of good navigation, not failure. There will always be another trip – don’t spend this one stuck, stressed or in trouble.
5. Knowledge check – Route Planning & Navigation
Answer the questions below to check your understanding of route planning basics. Your score and a navigation badge will appear at the bottom.
If a question exposes a weak spot – maybe daily distances or bail-out planning – flag it. That’s a perfect topic to run through with Rusty using your real routes.
Continue with Overlanding 101
Nicely done on Lesson 3. Next, we shift from maps to daily life on the road – campcraft, packing and routines that make your routes feel smoother in real life.
Next lesson: Lesson 4 – Campcraft, Packing & Life on the Road
Use Rusty as your Overland Route Planner
Rusty is trained on overlanding fundamentals, route planning concepts and Overland Gear Guide content. Use him as your calm planning partner when sketching trips and checking navigation ideas.
- Share your vehicle, group size, destination and days available.
- Ask him to suggest daily segments, fuel stops and backup camps.
- Use him to sanity-check tricky sections or ambitious distances.
- Converting a list of places into realistic daily segments.
- Spotting where fuel, water or time might be tight.
- Suggesting bail-out routes and backup camp ideas.
- Creating simple navigation checklists for your trip style.
Rusty is a planning companion – not a replacement for up-to-date maps, local advice, weather forecasts or emergency services. Always stay within your limits and local regulations.
Tools that support your route planning
These OGG tools help you turn Lesson 3 into real distances, fuel numbers and packing decisions for your specific vehicle.
Overland Expedition Planner
Break your trip into days, surfaces and segments so you can see whether your ideas fit daylight, fuel and energy.
Tyre Pressure Calculator
Link your planned loads and surfaces to sensible starting tyre pressures for more comfortable travel.
Overland Gear List Builder
Build packing lists that reflect your actual route – remote, mixed or mild – instead of generic one-size-fits-all lists.
Overlanding 101 – Lesson 3 FAQ
Do I need expensive navigation gear to start overlanding?
No. Many trips can be planned and navigated with a smartphone, offline maps and a good paper map as backup. As your trips get more remote, you can add dedicated GPS units or satellite communicators.
How far should I plan to drive each day?
It depends on surfaces, weather and your crew. Overlanding 101 suggests starting with conservative distances, especially on gravel and tracks, then adjusting once you have a few trips’ worth of real data.
Is it safe to rely only on offline apps instead of paper maps?
Offline apps are powerful, but they can still fail due to device issues, corruption or user error. A simple paper map covering the wider area is a cheap, robust safety net that’s worth carrying.
How often should I re-check conditions on remote routes?
Whenever possible before departure and again along the way – road closures, fires, flooding and seasonal conditions can change quickly. Local visitor centres, rangers and recent trip reports are invaluable.