Founder & Creative Engine of Overcross
Joe Küster
"Jack of all trades, almost all!" The driving force and idea machine behind Overcross.
Joe Küster in numbers
- 30
- years guiding
- 45
- countries visited
- 140
- expeditions completed
- 1,800
- guests guided
- 1,000,000
- km ridden
About Joe Küster
After more than 1,000,000 kilometres through the bush, jungle and deserts of this planet, I can count myself a millionaire in experiences: every tour has been a wild adventure. For me Overcross is the best drug there is, I stayed hooked and became dopamine dealer No. 1.
It all started with a single trip that was meant to be a holiday and turned into a company instead. Out of the wish to share the feeling of that first big ride, Overcross was born, an operator for people who don't want to travel past the world, but straight through it.
Europe I have covered by car and by motorcycle. The motorcycle journeys that left the deepest mark on me were Kyrgyzstan in Asia, the crossing of the African continent on the western route and then again on the eastern route, one of my very first big rides right across the USA, and my travels in Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama and Peru.
Among the adventures without a motorcycle are the crossing of the Congo on the Congo River, the crossing of India, the crossing of Oman, Egypt and Libya, as well as the USA, Japan and China. I have been on the road since 1996 and at some point I stopped counting: the countries, the flights, the kilometres on the bike and in the car.
In the field of experience travel I was lucky enough to see Africa from the overland 4x4 truck that my partner, who has since passed away, ran successfully for 30 years. And yes, the luxury trips in business class and in the best 5 star hotels in the world were an experience. Compared with the 1000 star hotels of an adventure journey, though, they are almost interchangeable.
Alongside organising trips I have had the privilege of working for film companies. In Tunisia and Libya I supported and organised productions, among them the Stauffenberg documentary and the Great Man Made River Project in Libya. In various countries I have also run training for special forces across different climate zones. Organising and delivering those courses ranks, together with the Trans Africa tour, among my absolute highlights.
Today there's a piece of me in almost every tour: a route I've ridden myself, a partner I trust, a camp where I've sat by the fire. I plan, test, turn the wrench and lend a hand. And when a guest climbs off the bike at the end, exhausted and grinning, I remember exactly why I do all this.
Looking ahead, my main focus is on organising trips. I want to get the coming generation excited about motorcycle travel and offroad travel, and I want to train guides. Not to some certificate, but to a certain professionalism: being able to organise and lead a tour and to create real value for the country and its people.
My main expertise lies on the African continent, in parts of Asia and of course in Europe. What makes me proud is that we have been able to travel for 30 years, and that we have given many thousands of participants a memory to carry through life, one they have not forgotten in decades and still value today.
Rides for
The kinds of trip Joe Küster leads.
Where Joe Küster rides
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What guests say about Joe Küster
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Mit Joe zu reisen heißt, in besten Händen zu sein. Er kennt jede Piste, jeden Händler und jede Abkürzung – und behält auch dann die Ruhe, wenn gleich zwei Motorräder streiken. Das war die beste Reise meines Lebens, ganz ohne Übertreibung.
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Joe schafft es, eine Gruppe wildfremder Menschen in zwei Wochen zu einer kleinen Familie zu machen. Seine Begeisterung ist ansteckend und seine Organisation lückenlos. Ich habe am letzten Abend schon das nächste Abenteuer gebucht.
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Man merkt sofort, dass hier jemand die Strecke selbst gefahren ist. Kein Punkt im Programm war Zufall, und trotzdem blieb Platz für Spontanes. Danke, Joe, für zwei Wochen, die ich so schnell nicht vergesse.
Why we at Overcross trust Joe Küster
Joe is Overcross, the idea, the drive, and often the person still redrawing a route at three in the morning because the weather has turned. We trust him because he has ridden every route he sells, and because he'll cancel a tour before he breaks a promise. Ride with Joe and you travel with the person who invented Overcross.
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