We are back, and I must tell you that I have not recorded many videos for the YouTube channel, in fact, I have not recorded much at all, just a few specific topics, but not much else.

I have noticed that the videos on the channel have little reach. So, I have been thinking about what to do with the channel and this website while I have been out there driving around, being an overlander, without recording much. This has allowed me some time to meditate on all of this.

The truth is, I usually take advantage of overland routes when I am driving alone, or in my case, with Conan, in the mountains to peacefully contemplate things. Unless you are chatting on the radio, this kind of activity gives quite of free time to think, sometimes even more than desired.

Typically, I tend to think about topics related to my work, which often helps me to focus on things. I would not say it is so much about planning, but more about getting a sense of where I stand, especially in the summer, looking ahead to the coming winter, to the next year. For me, and I understand that for most of you, the year begins on September 1st.

This summer, I have been thinking, as far as this is concerned, both about the YouTube channel and this website. For me, they are inseparably linked. I have meditated why I have a YouTube channel, what I want with a website, and, well, a bit of everything. The truth is, I have questioned everything, as always, but this time a bit more seriously, perhaps even more dramatically.

I am not sure if I´ve ever told you how I started my YouTube channel and how this website came about. Initially, I started by simply recording videos of our outings, a group of members from the All-Terrain Land Rover Club of Spain. We were four, with me, five, and we called ourselves "los extremaos" (the extremists). At that time, I still did not know how to plan routes, use maps, or navigate. I could barely follow a route, and I would say that the only thing I did well was follow my friend Rafa who was leading the way.

Back then, I was already recording videos of the trips we made, then editing them with the bare minimum, adding music, with the sole intention of creating a summary of the trip for us to watch, just us, "los extremaos." Those videos were too large to share through more traditional means, so I thought the best way to share them among us was through a YouTube channel. Thus, in this unplanned and spontaneous manner, the channel was born.

In any case, little by little, I realized that I was getting hooked on recording and editing videos. It´s clear, in any case, that I haven´t achieved great feats in video editing, although I believe I´m improving with each edit, I think I´m making progress.

Today, I see that, for some reason, the old videos, the oldest videos on the channel, the ones I consider to be worse, have more views than the current ones, which is at least surprising to me, considering I think they were longer and more boring than the current ones that have fewer views. The mysteries of the algorithm, I understand.

Later, when I started to learn how to design and plan routes, I realized that I went through the journey three times: one when I prepared or supervised the routes, designing them, looking for interesting places to visit, places to sleep, etc.; two, the actual journey when we traveled it; and three, when I edited the videos.

On the other hand, little by little, you become hooked on the YouTube channel, you try to create better videos, and you aim to gain more viewers, likes, or subscribers. You start to analyze in detail which types of videos are more successful, and which are less so. All to understand the darn algorithm and master it.

Honestly, nowadays, I couldn´t care less about the algorithm. I believe that the algorithm is designed to make sense only for YouTube and Google, seeking only the highest immediate return on investment for the company. But that is another topic not the subject of this blog post.

In any case, what YouTube has given me, it seems, is a community of remarkably interesting people who are genuinely interested in the topic we cover on the channel, overlanding. Although, to be honest, I´m not sure if YouTube facilitated this or if it was Facebook and Facebook groups. It does not matter much; the fact is that there are quite a few of us in the channel´s community. A community with whom I enjoy and am pleased to exchange opinions, listen to ideas and suggestions, and participate and receive feedback that satisfies me.

Given all of this, I asked myself, "What do I want to do with the channel?" It´s clear that my main activity, my job, the one that financially supports my life, is not YouTube. Let me make it clear right away that I do intend to continue with the channel, that I plan to keep making videos for YouTube. So, I wondered what I would like to do, what kind of videos or activities I enjoy most when recording videos.

The answer to this second question is obvious: the routes. What really excites me, let me put it that way, are the routes. As I mentioned earlier, specifically the three aspects of routes in chronological order:

1. Planning the routes; finding places to go, places to pass through, searching for routes, designing them, mapping them, etc.

2. The main part, traversing the routes, traveling them, experiencing them, living them, and sharing them...

3. Preparing the route videos, which allows me to remember and imprint the experiences of the journey in my memory.

So, I believe that what I should focus on is this: creating and planning the routes, traveling them, experiencing them, recording them, and editing the videos to share with you all. This is the crucial decision I´ve made this summer.

Therefore, those who want to watch the videos I upload, can watch them; those who do not, they do not have to. I will try to make the videos as natural, interesting, and appealing as possible. If any of you are interested, I hope they are at least enjoyable and easy to watch. They will not have grand technical feats or editorial virtuosity, but they will be engaging, easy-to-watch, and entertaining videos. Videos that aim to strengthen and grow this small community that gathers around our channel.

Therefore, the decision has been made I´m going to focus on creating routes in the broadest sense of the term and document everything in videos that I will share with anyone who wants to watch them on the YouTube channel.

Now, when it comes to focusing on the routes, what kind of activity do I want to engage in, what type of routes do I want to prepare and potentially travel? Well, I will tell you about two types of routes:

1. Historical routes or routes with historical motives or excuses. I enjoy preparing routes; I already prepared my first route, "The Last Raid of Almanzor," and I liked the experience of designing it, planning it on the map, traveling it, checking its feasibility, exploring possible alternatives, its potential for realization, recording it, and sharing it with you. Therefore, without haste but without pause, I have decided to continue preparing routes of this kind. I will keep you updated as I think of and plan them.

2. On the other hand, another topic I would like to develop is a list of mythical routes, I´ll call it that. A list of routes that every well-rounded overlander should undertake at least once in their life.

This idea of mythical routes arose spontaneously this summer. As some of you already know, I went back to the Alps this year, and due to circumstances, I could not complete the entire planned journey. It was my fault; I got a flat tire (well, I practically shredded the whole tire, I will tell you about it in a video). I only had one spare tire, so I did not dare venture into the mountains without a spare. We ordered a new tire, which took a week to arrive, causing us to lose a few days of the route. So, I had to improvise and figure out which points, which places, were must-visit and which areas did not add as much value and could be skipped.

This was the trigger, let´s say, that led me to start thinking about creating a list of mythical routes. Routes and places that every overlander should travel, at least once in their lifetime.

And so, the idea of the list of mythical routes was born, a task for which I ask for your help. I would like to know which routes by country you consider could be deemed as mythical. I don´t want to limit it to any specific country; I invite everyone to contribute routes they consider mythical in general, if possible, by country. Please indicate, to the best of your knowledge, within each route, which places you think are the most interesting in each case, the must-visit spots on the route that we absolutely cannot miss.

Therefore, I encourage you to leave your suggestions in the comments of this blog or on social media or on the YouTube channel. Let´s see if, together, we can create a list that is as comprehensive and appealing as possible.

Once you make your proposals, I will publish them to hear your opinions on each suggested route and its highlighted places, with the aim of reaching a consensus on which routes and places have enough importance, allure, or substance to be part of the Hall of Fame of Mythical Overland Routes.

Thank you very much, and I look forward to your comments and suggestions.