I've had my eyes on an overland trip for a little while now, post-poned by Covid. But I just got back from a mini exploration of the south of Spain and I am hooked. I got down to Tarifa and could see Morocco on the other side of the sea and just had this overwhelming desire to go there. So, I am planning a little overland trip around Morocco, specifically the Riff Mountains, maybe the Atlas Mountains, and some of the Sahara. Would love to replicate a bit of the Dakar feeling.

My question is, do I take a motorbike or a 4x4? I can drive both, but currently have neither (at least not an off-road capable motorbike). My budget is fairly limited so I suppose that is the major concern. I would be looking at something relatively old like a DRZ-400 for a bike, or a 1990s Toyota 4 Runner for a 4 x 4.

While the basic premise (driving round looking at stuff) is the same, I imagine the experience is completely different depending on what mode of transport you take. I don't think I would feel comfortable sleeping in a tent, so if I took a motorbike I would be reliant on some form of hotel/hostel/whatever for the whole trip, whereas with a large 4x4 I would feel comfortable to sleep inside it. This would let me do things like camp overnight in some places if I wished for one or two nights at a time and might give me more "Freedom". Equally, I reckon I would feel more or less safe just leaving the car parked up wherever, but might worry more about the bike? On the other hand, driving through a city (and parking) a 4x4 sounds stressful, but if I can drive a motorbike through Madrid rush hour I feel pretty confident I can ride anywhere.

I have no idea how fuel range would differ between the two? The bike would have better economy, but a smaller tank. The truck would guzzle petrol but I could carry more. I don't know which has more range, but I imagine it would change the type of trip one could do? I imagine if the motorbike broke down it would be significantly cheaper to fix than the 4x4. Not a deal breaker, but perhaps something I should consider.

What else? There must be a million things I haven't even thought of! But please, help me make up my mind whether I should take a truck or a bike on my first little (solo) overland trip abroad. I suppose it would be more helpful if I could tell you exactly what I wanted to do, but sadly I can't, I don't have an itennery yet, just the desire for adventure and to watch the sun set in the Sahara.