There's some truth in this I think, Surfy. I certainly feel that there has been a growing tendency to take more of a 'tickbox' approach to overland travel in recent years - i.e. to go to a country and your own vehicle, and to focus on seeing a list of the better known sites/rides/locations.

I have also wondered whether this has been fuelled by social media - you only have to look at content on YouTube etc and you'll see that people posting for [x] country all post very similar videos.

My experience on the ground last summer in Georgia/Armenia mirrored that - in the 3 months I was fortunate to have there, I rarely saw other overland motorcyclists or trucks outside of the better known locations.

None of this is meant as a criticism, I should add. If you have the privilege of being able to travel, particularly on a motorbike or car, then we are all 'tourists' whether we like it or not; though I think there are a lot of people in the overland community who activity seek to claim otherwise, which is rubbish IMO.

I've travelled that way in the past though nowadays I prefer a different approach; I find it far more rewarding to focus on a particular area (rather than a specific number of locations), exploring it in-depth.

Three reflections on this:

1) The accessibility of adventure vehicles and growth of overland travel, combined with social media, is likely a factor because it is becoming more mainstream as a result.
2) As the number of people doing it grows, then the reality is that overland travel will become less of preserve of the 'hardcore' and become another form of popular tourism. Not everyone has the inclination or ability to do multiple trips, so they have to go for breadth over depth.
3) And for many people, maybe that approach is just enough.

Some Sunday evening musings whilst drinking a cuppa of tea in a rather nippy London.

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Where Next Barney? / Trans Morocco Trail