writer needs some tips
 

I have got this carachter in my upcoming novel that suddenly decides to study "singing and chanting as oral storytelling in the sahara" (or something like this) and leaves the story for some time only to come back seriosly ill from dehydration and heatstroke after not having planned his trip well enough.

This takes place in 1993-94, and I hope somebody could give me a brief on the situation back then so he will travel to countries he would acctually be allowed into.

He travels to morocco, obtains a 2cv there and ventures either south or west. His trip is not a huge part of the story (his abscence and homecoming is) but its important that he acctually does a rare trip, travels into the desert, and makes it an expedition as well as the investigation into oral traditions.

How hard will it be for an unexperenced traveler to do this alone? What are the obstacles? Besides running out of water or fuel, what can go wrong that will be more unexpected for the average reader (and of course traveler)

Any comments are welcome. And thanks in advance!

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there are no short cuts to anywhere worth going