“The traveller is still what matters most when travelling”
wrote André Suarès, not without humour.

It is true that successful travelling, whatever the adventures may be, mainly depends on the talent, the capabilities, and even merely on the willingness of those who travel.

A - BEHAVIOUR
YOURSELF
Leaving one’s own country often affects one’s personality and no one can predict what his or her reactions will be when experiencing a group journey. No judgment should be made of what another person does, nor should you compare behaviour with your own. Tolerance and an effort towards understanding are the rules to be respected. Desert country (heat, silence, vastness) has enormous power to alter disposition. The merriest person may suddenly become, without realising it, the saddest; and the nicest, the most quarrelsome. Imagine your team-mate is driving and gets stuck three of four times in sand or mud in sucession, and each time, while pushing and shoving, you curse out loud, saying that you wouldn’t have got stuck in this situation!! We always think we could do better than others. But how will the sand be when you’re at the wheel?

The useful space in a car (even a convertible) is very limited. It will be necessary, however, to live in it for approximately ten hours a day, in forced proximity. It is particularly necessary then, that convenient items be shared and you and your team mates chores of tidying up personal belongings and daily camp be similarly shared.

THE OTHERS
In all the countries you will drive through, there is one absolute rule: because the people you will meet are in their own country, it’s your duty to respect their way of life. Their culture and traditions may be different from your own.
Respect that difference and avoid shocking them with an unwelcome display of your own prejudices.
Don’t compare their habits or customs with those of your own country, try rather to understand them. Don’t forget that you have changed countries and continents. Independence may still be fresh in the history of many countries you visit. As this may be important to them, you should be aware of possible marked sensitivities in this area. It’s not for you to judge or give an opinion for which no one has asked; you should rather discover nations that are unknown to you. Seeking to debate or prove something, serves no purpose, except to antagonize people, involving the risk of an incident and the loss of precious time. Whatever your own personal convictions, don’t forget that in the eyes of the inhabitants, you will be representing your country. Some may have a pleasant recollection of your country:
don’t disappoint them. Others will perhaps keep a certain bitterness which you should refrain from judging.
Even if the people live wearing little clothing, they will not necessarily understand an untidily or insufficiently dressed European, which they may see it as a provocation.

Your behaviour, beginning with your clothes, must take into account the customs of the country where you find yourself. This is particularly the case for female clothing in Moslem countries. We advise you to be modest and discreet. There is nothing to be gained by shocking. Would you go to your neighbourhood police station half naked, without having washed for a week? If you did, what kind of a reaction would you expect from the superintendent or from his assistants?
With greater reason, stay within the limits of the law. Penalties, which vary from country to country, may be far more serious than you suspect.