They're a good bunch of chaps who deserve some accolades.

Buying a car in America and then shipping it to the rally is an untenable proposition. Firstly, because it costs a pretty penny. But, mostly, because there just aren't 1.2 liter cars on the American market. Pity, really, since the Panda puts a Prius to shame in terms of miles to gallon.

In any case, finding a solid mechanic to wire several thousand dollars to sounds like a sketchy proposition. Wire transfers aren't fun and sexy like they are in the movies.

Luckily, D+K Mobile has a long history of outfitting rally cars. They did over a dozen this year. They handle everything, from the scouting of cars, to inspecting the car, to purchasing and outfitting the car. The shop is run by a couple, and their level of service is astounding.

When we arrived in Essex last Tuesday, we rang them up. Answering machine. We had barely finished a cup of tea when they texted, saying they had the car ready for us at our train station.

The car is brilliant. It looks far better then it did on the Internet, which is a rarity in itself. The roof rack was a solid Thule unit that fits the Fiat brilliantly and has two spares up front. Dylan really went above and beyond to outfit our car, which is impressive since about the only things we told him were: Fiat Panda, six wheels, and a roof rack.

We're proud to sport the D+K sticker on our car, and recommend them highly for any future ralliers.

(Although listed in this blog post about companies we pay money for, our mechanic was kind enough to sponsor two weeks of free car storage.)

After the sketchiness of wiring thousands to a mechanic, we had to go through the sketchiness of sending our passports away to get visas stuck in.

Visas, as faithful readers remember, always gave Shane, Hans, and Roberta a headache. Tracts of deforestation can be attributed to the paper used by Roberta as she filled in her Kazakhi visa.

Luckily, the Visas Machine makes things pretty easy for would-be travelers. They answered all our questions, of which there were a great many, and quickly got us visas for all the far-away places that we will go to.

Getting insurance as Americans in Europe is hard. I called up Allstate. They laughed, and wandered off. I felt in good hands. AAA said we weren't exemplifying safe driving.

German insurance companies, in true German fashion, told me that it was verboten for them to do this, since the car was registered in Germany.

Luckily, the Dixie Chickens team sent me a few leads. This is the team that is driving an American school bus around the world. They spent a massive amount of time curating insurance companies in Europe.

Arisa was our company of choice. Located in pretty Luxembourg, they agreed to insure us for the entirety of our adventure.

Non-sponsors

Thanks to those companies who help people travel abroad and smooth the road before we leave home.