What's the Difference Between Off-Roading and Overlanding?

When planning a trip around some extreme outdoor activities, you’ve surely come across the term “overlanding.” At the same time, you’re probably already familiar with another term: “off-roading.” Being similar but not the same, juggling the differences between overland and off-road can be a real overload. While all off-roading is overlanding, not all overlanding is off-roading. We’ll dive deeper into what the differences between off-roading and overlanding are in this guide.
All About Off-Roading
Off-roading is exactly what it sounds like: taking your vehicle off the paved roads and exploring unpaved trails through forests, beaches, deserts, mountains, and other forms of terrain. In the western United States, where the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of the Interior oversee vast swaths of wide-open, federally owned land, off-roaders often find well-maintained trails to explore with their vehicles. Elsewhere, off-roaders take to privately owned courses to scratch their itch for going beyond the roads.
You could try to go off-roading in the family minivan, but if a park ranger didn’t stop you first, common sense would. Off-roading is for off-highway vehicles, or OHVs, which include models of Jeeps, SUVs, and all-terrain vehicles, but street-legal vehicles like Jeeps require a few preparations before switching to off-roading. While Jeeps and SUVs are both street-legal and fit for off-highway use, ATVs have to stay off the road.
What About Overlanding?
Overlanding, both a term and a concept that precedes off-roading, is any long and adventurous journey that takes the traveler—you guessed it—over land. While off-road excursions are often day trips including some camping when accommodations are available, overlanders are in it for the long haul, traveling over weeks and months in a vehicle that doubles as a domicile.
While you can try to live out of your Jeep Wrangler, the tight quarters of this otherwise versatile vehicle may have novice overlanders looking for the next flight home. Instead, most overland trips use campers, motor homes, RVs, or other slightly more luxurious accommodations than an OHV. Experts who want to combine the best of both worlds do find ways to live out of their Jeeps on their long and strange trips.
Which Is Right for Me?
As you can see, the differences between off-roading and overlanding are slight but significant. If you’re going on your first trip beyond the pavement, you may want to stick to some nearby off-road courses with an experienced friend by your side. If you’ve logged some serious off-road miles, you want to take outdoor exploration to the next level. If you have nothing but time on your hands, go all out with an overland odyssey across the country.