There are some who plan their ventures meticulously to avoid difficulties or obstacles. Others embrace challenges and seek the unknown. For the latter, there is the Adventurists. Started by Tom Morgan, this U.K.-based company creates large-scale events where participants can escape, in their words, “boringness and predictability.”

In 2016, Americans Scott Gurian and Drew Gurian participated in the Adventurists’ 2016 Mongol Rally — an epic road trip that took the brothers 7 weeks to complete. They were prepared for their journey and endured many challenges along the way. However, they eventually made a costly mistake in an extremely remote area that put the completion of their adventure, and themselves, at risk.

A “Crazy” Road Trip

Scott and Drew are experienced travelers. As a journalist and a photographer, respectively, their work has taken them around the world. During their time off, the brothers like to travel together to a wide range of locations — from Galápagos Islands one year to Thailand and Cambodia the next. Rosi — a British friend who lived in Australia and whom they had met during an eventful trip to Cuba — later invited the brothers to join her on a “crazy trip” with her best friend, a Brit named Jane. That trip was the Mongol Rally.

“I’ve worked in public radio and print reporting for many years,” Scott said. “I thought, I’d love to document this whole crazy adventure, not just the trip itself, but all the planning that went into it, getting all the visas and planning our route that took many months of work.” The brothers agreed to join Rosi and Jane. Scott recorded their quest to complete the Rally and later shared it on his podcast, “Far From Home.”

The rules of the Rally and the spirit of the Adventurists’ event require teams to be ill-equipped, so they all knew the trip would not be easy. True to form, the trip included many misadventures. The 4 friends, along with helpful strangers they met along the way, rose to overcome the challenges.

“Unleash the Unexpected”

Tom Morgan first started a rally to Mongolia escapade in 2004, which sparked the idea for the Adventurists. The Mongol Rally has never been a race along a defined route. Participants aren’t encouraged to be first to reach the finish line. Instead, the Adventurists state that the objective is to take an “unroute” to the final destination and encounter along the way “one of the most interesting things in life: the unexpected.”

The event has some basic rules. Teams must drive a “farcically small vehicle.” Basically, it has to be a small used car with a 1.2-liter (1,200 cc) or less engine or a used 125 cc or less motorbike. Scott and Drew’s Team Donundestan and Rosi and Jane’s Team Sugar + Spice both chose Nissan Micras.

Secondly, teams are on their own. The Adventurists don’t want to prescribe a specific route, provide guides or pick you up when you break down. When the unexpected happens, don’t call the Adventurists’ headquarters for assistance. Take care of it yourself. They encourage teams to be inventive and explore.

The third and final rule is that teams are required to raise a minimum of £1,000 for charity. The Adventurists state, “It only seems fair that if you’re having the mother of all adventures on [the planet], you should give a little back to help keep it in good shape.”

On July 16, 2016, the Mongol Rally teams convened at the Goodwood Racecourse south of London. (The Rally now begins near Prague in the Czech Republic.) The next day, some 300 vehicles and 1,000 participants set off for the finish line in Ulan-Ude, Russia (just across the border from Mongolia), taking a multitude of paths to discover the unexpected.

“Get lost. Properly lost.”

In preparation for the journey, the Team Donundestan and Team Sugar + Spice Micras had been modified with roof racks to carry jerry cans of extra fuel, gear and spare tires. Scott and Drew included an inReach® satellite communicator among their gear. “We got it for safety purposes, but also just because it’s kind of cool,” Scott said. “If you’re going on a trip like this, it’s awesome to let all your friends and family members back home follow you and see this crazy adventure you’re taking.”

Despite the language barriers and political and cultural complexities, they encountered many kind and helpful individuals along the way. Scott found the people of Iran to be some of the friendliest he had ever met in his travels. “There was this sense of Persian hospitality, where you chat with people, and in 5 or 10 minutes, total strangers suddenly invite you to come to their house for dinner and meet their families. It’s just incredible.”

In preparation for the trip, they took a class in basic car repair, anticipating the rough roads and miles ahead would present problems. But their car trouble was more than they could handle,…