IN THE PRESS
Over the years Michael Ladden & DRIVE THE GLOBE | Overland Adventures have appeared in numerous articles, videos & TV interviews. These items have been published both locally as well as in National and International publications. Below is a sampling of some of these items.
October 2023
The Interior Reveal Of My New Expedition Rig
A quick reel & sneak peak by Mountain State Overland at the truck’s debut showing- Overland Expo East in Arrington Virginia.
Click Here to see the video. It has now been viewed more than a quarter million times!
September 2023
Community Spotlight | 1994 Stewart & Stevenson M1079 | Michael Ladden
Meet Michael Ladden, hailing from the East Coast, now a world traveler for the last three years. When Michael made the switch to this 1994 Stewart & Stevenson, he incorporated a lot of features and aspects from his previous builds into this rig. During the pandemic, Michael built this rig to fit his lifestyle needs on the road, reliability and comfort. The inside is similar to what you might see at a studio apartment with a shower, separate bathroom, full kitchen, great storage components, and custom fabrication for the bedroom in the former military vehicle. Michael is proud to say he performed all the work on the vehicle, aside from the paint job. Michael enjoys taking it slow and appreciating the journey. He tends to immerse himself in places for longer periods of time, up to a month in one area, before moving on to the next leg of his journey. His future travel goals include traveling down to South America and eventually crossing the pond over to Africa!
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August 2022
MILITARY TRUCK TO LUXE OVERLAND RIG (WALKAROUND)
Back in 2019 we caught up with Mike Ladden of Drive the Globe and toured his customized Unimog and off-road trailer. Now Mike has traded in the Unimog and trailer but he is still traveling to remote parts of the world - this time in a Stewart and Stevenson M1079 military truck.
Yet, don't let this beast of a machine fool you, Mike has outfitted the inside with all of the comforts of home - including full shower, generously sized kitchen, office corner, full size bed, bike racks, kayaking equipment, and more. Mike has turned this metal military box into a luxury tiny home on wheels fit for any terrain.
Check out this totally unique rig walkaround video that just might inspire you to sell everything and 'drive the globe'!
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June 2022
My overland rig and I were featured on Tiny House Giant Journey
Mike has spent years traveling the world in custom overlander rvs, and he has perfected the art of converting vehicles to tiny homes. This is his 3rd overlander tiny house, and it happens to be a retired military truck that he's modified into a modern and surprisingly spacious home on wheels.
Click Here to see the video. It has now been viewed more than 5 million times!
April 2022
Instructor Spotlight: Michael Ladden
Growing up in the rural farm country of New England, you’re bound to see many Jeeps, trucks, and tractors. In fact, many people have them, not only for daily transportation but for working on and around their properties, and the Ladden family was no exception. Fascinated from a very early age while watching his dad with his Jeeps and Land Cruisers, it’s no wonder that Michael’s first word was not “mom” or “dad” but “Jeep.” And thus began his love of the outdoors and all things that “go.” ……..
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April 2022
The Top 60 Overlanding Blogs & Websites
The best Overlanding blogs from thousands of blogs on the web ranked by traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness.
We are ranked number 14! Thank you!
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November 2021
JaYoe Nation Features Us
I had the pleasure to meet Matt from the the JaYoe Nation YouTube channel at Overland Expo East. If you are into adventure, overlanding, cycling or just about any other travel related activity be sure to follow this guy! Matt is incredible! He has climbed Mount Everest, run marathons, ridden a recumbent human powered trike half way across the world, and is now building an Overland Van to drive across the globe on a very similar route to me. Truly inspiring and a blast to watch his videos.
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March 2021
October 2020
Delayed 220,000-mile overland journey steers into Sussex.
Article & Photos by Dennis Forney
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OCTOBER 2019
Top Five DIY Builds of Overland Expo. Video by Overland Bound
Our 1979 Mercedes Unimog & matching Overland Expedition Trailer was selected as one of the top five do it yourself custom builds at Overland Expo East 2019. Interview with Michael Ladden.
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November 2018
Impressive Vehicles From Overland Expo East 2018
Article & photos by Bryon Dorr
Overland Expo East 2018 was a cold, muddy mess. That did not, however, stop the amazing overland crowd from gathering outside Asheville, N.C. The amazing group of travelers showed up from all over the globe in truly impressive adventuremobile. Here are some of our favorites.
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November 2018
Our Favorite Vehicles from Overland Expo East 2018
Article by Chris Dixon
Four-wheeled fun for the car-camping massesThis year’s Overland Expo East took place November 9 to 11 at the beautiful Reeb Ranch just outside Asheville, North Carolina. Thanks to a day and a half of relentless chilly rain, off-road tires plowed the sodden grounds into the consistency of a Louisiana mud bog. Here are eight of our favorite overland camping machines, as described by their owners, that managed to navigate the calf-deep muck.
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November 2017
Drive The Globe - 1979 Mercedes Unimog Walk Around - Overland Expo East 2017
Video By Jason Koertge
The following video was filmed at the 2017 Overland Expo East at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville North Carolina by Jason Koertge of Swell Runner Overland.
Jason, and Drive The Globe's Michael Ladden cover the Unimog from bumper to bumper and show why this vehicle is unique and adventure ready.
Click Here to view video.
October 2017
The Campers And Trailers Of Overland Expo East
Article By Chris Cordes
Story from October 10th, 2017 on Expedition Portal
While there are loads of awesome vehicles and products at Overland Expo each year, few command as much attention as the campers and trailers scattered throughout the show. These capable platforms not only look cool, but have made overlanding more comfortable, and in many ways more accessible than ever before. They enable owners to park at the base of a mountain in a snow storm then sleep in a warm dry bed, drive across Africa in an air-conditioned and secure cab, or watch a storm roll outside while enjoying a hot coffee in their dinette. They are homes on wheels, gateways to adventure, and some of our favorite products to use and write about. Thus, we’ve taken the opportunity to give them their own article, “The Campers and Trailers of Expo East.” Let us know which is your favorite!
Click Here to view online article.
December 2016
Who Says The British Can't Cook
Article By Jeffrey Aronson
Story from the 2016 edition of the Land Rover Muddy Chef Challenge
Click Here to view online article.
October 2015
The Coolest Adventure Vehicles We Found at Overland Expo
Article By Bryan Rogala
Each fall, adventure-travel enthusiasts gather on a ranch in Asheville, North Carolina, to check out hundreds of tricked-out adventure cars and trucks and to learn the ins and outs of overlanding. The event’s called Overland Expo, and it’s basically a dream come true for the editors at Outside. If you want to drool over the most badass, go-anywhere jeeps, trucks, vans, and bikes in the world, this is the spot. Hurricane Joaquin dumped buckets of rain on this year’s event, but we still spent a couple days walking around the venue rounding up our favorite rigs.
Click Here to view PDF article.
Good Times To Celebrate
Article By Jim Leach
Drive The Globe's Jim Leach tells his story of the Ottawa Valley Land Rover Club's Birthday Party 2007. Drive The Globe alum Kim Groenendyk and her yellow Range Rover are featured. This story ran in Land Rover Monthly, a British published magazine with the largest worldwide circulation of any Land Rover magazine.
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Driving In Arctic Circles
Article By Jim Leach
Drive The Globe | Overland Adventures accomplished one of its most ambitious expeditions when it traveled to the Arctic Circle in the winter of 2007. This trip began in Edmonton Alberta and followed the Alaska Highway and the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, North West Territory. Along the way we visited British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. The trek continued on over winter ice roads and ultimately reached Tuktoyaktuk, a small village on the Beaufort Sea (part of the Arctic Ocean). This three part article ran in Land Rover Monthly Magazine during the summer of 2007. Drive The Globe leaders Michael Ladden and Jim Leach were accompanied by Peter Goundry, Kim Groenendyk, Eric May and Neal Brenner.
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Doing Battle On Trail 666
Article By Jim Leach
A narrative account of an off road adventure in Ardberg Ontario by a group of enthusiasts including Drive The Globe's Jim Leach, Ted Matthews and Patrick Findlay. Great coverage of Drive The Globe's Land Rover Defender 110 in the photos. This story ran in Land Rover Monthly, a British published magazine with the largest worldwide circulation of any Land Rover magazine.
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Get Down And Dirty
Article By Jim Leach
The story of the 2006 Mid Atlantic Land Rover Rally held in Virginia in October 2006. This story ran in Land Rover Monthly, a British published magazine with the largest worldwide circulation of any Land Rover magazine.
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Right To The Top
Article By Kim Groenendyk
Drive The Globe led a summer adventure to the Gaspe Peninsula in Canada in July of 2006. The participants included; Michael and Karen Ladden, Jim Leach, Kim Groenendyk, Pat Macomber, John Penwell, Jason Kasprzak and Nick Correa. This story ran in Land Rover Monthly, a British published magazine with the largest worldwide circulation of any Land Rover magazine.
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Beers, Burgers And Boulders
Article By Jim Leach
A narrative written by Jim Leach about the Spring 2006 Ottawa Valley Land Rover Club's annual birthday party in Silver Lake Ontario. This event was attended by a number of Drive The Globe alums, including Jim, Michael Ladden, Ted Matthews, Kim Groenendyk and Jason Kasprzak. Photos that ran included Michael Ladden's orange Land Rover Forward Control 101 and Ted Matthew's yellow expedition Range Rover. This story ran in Land Rover Monthly, a British published magazine with the largest worldwide circulation of any Land Rover magazine.
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Baie Or Bust
Article By Steve Hoare
This three part article ran in Land Rover Monthly Magazine during the summer of 2006. The topic though was far from summer. It outlines a trip made to the Baie James region of Northern Canada in the winter of 2006. Drive The Globe leaders Michael Ladden and Jim Leach traveled in Jim's expedition prepped Land Rover 110 Defender. Also on the trip was Kim Groenendyk, Ted Matthews, Mary Kaye, Peter Wood, John Cockell and Steve Hoare. Part I outlines personal gear preparation, Part II discusses vehicle preparation and Part III covers the expedition itself.
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Overland- Be Prepared
Article By Margaret and Mike Hingley
In May of 2006 Land Rover Monthly Magazine produced a 32 page camping and overland special publication. Drive The Globe | Overland Adventures was honored to be included as one of the top websites to assist in overland expedition preparation. This special publication included discussion of expedition gear, vehicle accessories, camping and cooking gear, expedition preparation and survival tactics in the third world. Drive The Globe continues to be a leader in the overland expedition world.
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Off-Road Fun Canadian Style
Article By Mary Kaye
Ottawa Valley Land Rover Club is the oldest and largest Land Rover club in North America. This article features their 22nd annual Birthday Party event in Silver Lake Ontario. Michael Ladden's orange expedition forward control is pictured along with Drive The Globe's Jim Leach and alums Ted Matthews and Mary Kaye. This story ran in Land Rover Monthly, a British published magazine with the largest worldwide circulation of any Land Rover magazine.
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Mid Summer Birthday
Article By Steve Hoare
Maybe this issue is one to misplace. Unfortunately the incident is forever captured in this article. There are photos of the now infamous rollover of Michael Ladden's orange expedition forward control 101. This story ran in Land Rover Monthly, a British published magazine with the largest worldwide circulation of any Land Rover magazine.
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Three In One
Article By Steve Hoare
A Land Rover outing in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania after a huge winter snow storm hits the East coast of the United States. Drive The Globe alum Peter Goundry joins the trip and provides photos for the magazine. This story ran in Land Rover Monthly, a British published magazine with the largest worldwide circulation of any Land Rover magazine.
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21 Great Adventure Holidays
Drive The Globe | Overland Adventures was included in Land Rover Owner International's list of 21 great holiday adventure companies. Michael Ladden and Paul Shumway, expedition leaders for Drive The Globe are mentioned in the summary and a photo of the four Vintage Rovers Across Africa vehicles is featured. (Michael's 1965 Series IIA, Shane Ballensky's yellow Forward Control 101, Jim Leach's late Series IIA and Al Cornell's Series 3). Al Cornell's truck is also seen cresting a Saharan dune.
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Home From Home
Article By Dan Stevens
The West Connecticut Rover Club, headed by Drive The Globe's Michael Ladden and Pat Macomber organized the largest gathering of Land Rovers in North America at an event called RoverFest. The event was held at Killington resort in Vermont in 2000 and 2001. This article was published by Land Rover Owner International magazine after RoverFest II. Michael Ladden's 101 forward control can be seen on page 6 before it was painted orange. Page 7 also includes a photo of Ladden's white Defender 90 involved in a fierce game of Rover polo with Kelly Davis manning the broom. If you look closely on page 9 you can see Drive The Globe alum Peter Goundry photographing the action.
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Readers' Rovers
Readers' Rovers is a monthly feature in Land Rover Owner International Magazine. June of 1999 saw Drive The Globe President, Michael Ladden as well as alums, Peter Goundry, Mary Kaye and Ted Matthews featured after they took part in a trek to Moosonee Canada as part of an Arctic Circle trip that year. This story ran in Land Rover Owner International, a British published magazine with distribution worldwide.
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Bordering On The Edge
Article By Kevin Girling
A gruelling 2300 mile trek across North America's toughest off-road terrain. This Border To Border expedition was run to celebrate Land Rover's 50th anniversary. The brain child of Simon Burn, this adventure was run by Drive The Globe's Pat Macomber in his one month old Land Rover Discovery. This story ran in Land Rover Owner International, a British published magazine with distribution worldwide.
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