Connie Rodman
Connie Rodman & Sand Ship Discovery II, an AEV outfitted 2023 JL370 Wrangler Rubicon. Photo: Matt Ritscher
As North America’s first woman to earn an NPTC (City and Guilds National Proficiency Training Center) certification for off-road driving in 2017 Connie Rodman gained initialed credentials, but her overland travels with husband Graham Jackson set her apart: 9-months, 30,000-mile London to Cape Town; crossing Australia’s Victoria desert and the Simpson Desert’s Madigan Line; expeditions in remotest South Africa with and without GPS = the real adventure legends are made of.
Overlanding Started with the Honeymoom
Graham & Connie on an overland honeymoon.
Connie with Honey-B blowing bubbles on the Skeleton coast of Namibia. .
Connie marshaling an Overland Expo
East trail drive. Photo: John Allen
Connie, Graham & Elephant Botswana
Technically Connie had extensively traveled the U.S. prior to meeting her husband Graham, but on paved roads. For their honeymoon Graham proposed a mostly off-road trip, in a rented Land Rover Defender 110, through remote areas of South Africa, without GPS, and with lions and elephants would be the perfect, five-week honeymoon in 1998. And it was.
The honeymoon’s success led to Honey-B’s (Land Rover Defender 110 station wagon) purchase and a 2004 London to Cape Town overland adventure that included transversing the continent of Africa north to south. This 9-month, 30,000-mile journey was the feature story in Overland Journal’s first edition and arguably served as a key inspiration for the launch of the overland industry in the U.S. The trip log in Connie’s words: “we broke into a country; caused, but not involved in, a bar fight in Angola; and I incited a riot in Namibia resulting in the capture of two thieves and the return of our overland companions’ passports.”
In addition to many Africa journeys, Connie has extensive experience in the Western U.S., and Australia including crossing the Great Victoria desert and traversing the historic Madigan Line of the Simpson desert. In their magazine, Exploring Overland, friends Rosanne and Jonathan Hanson documented their and Connie and Graham’s purchase of vehicles, unseen, before arriving in Australia for an overland trip together in 2016.
As a cook, guide and certified off-road driver on days to months-long overland journeys, Connie has lots of stories to tell and off-road wisdom to share. Since it’s inception in 2009 Connie has been sharing her experience, skills and passion for adventure as an instructor and panel member at each and every Overland Expo.
To learn more about the makings of overland legend Connie Rodman check out:
Website: Africa Overland documenting 2004 London to Cape Town
Article: Buy-and-Fly DIY Adventure: Down-Under Desert Crossing, Exploring Overland
Podcast: Well this is another fine mess you've gotten us into, Stories From The Dirt
In Person: Sign up for a live class with Connie Rodman and Patty Upton 2025 Rebelle Rally team #114 Tried N’ True, check out Sand Ship Discovery and AEV-prepped Sand Ship Discovery II; available to any ticket holder:
→ Overland Expo Mt West August 22-24, 2025, Loveland, CO
→ Overland Expo East October 3-5, 2025, Arrington, VA
Connie with a 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser 1HZ75, purchased sight-unseen for the trip in Great Victoria Desert, Australia.