THE PATH to off-road

Touring Austria in our A-class, we caught a glimpse of two unfamiliar 4x4 motorhome-type vehicles. Both had set up camp on the shores of a lake and were fully equipped with the most adventurous-looking kit that you could possibly imagine.

These two 4x4 campers were from what we now know to be Azalaï, the French overland adventure motorhome firm. This chance glimpse on a summer trip not only changed our perception of what we wanted from a ’van, but led us on a two-year search for a 4x4, after years of owning conventional ’vans.

For us, this was a new area. Although we knew just about everything there was to know about motorhomes, we knew nothing about what was available in the 4x4 adventure market. What we know was that after years of motorhome trips across Europe, as much as we loved motorhomes and our