Barbara Alex Toy (1908-2001) was born in Australia and moved to England in 1935, working in theatre and film. In 1950, after a bet, she embarked on her first solo expedition, driving a Land Rover (which she named Pollyanna) from Tangier to Baghdad, which launched her career as a travel writer and overlanding pioneer. A Royal Geographical Society Fellow, she completed her second circumnavigation of the world at the age of 81.