When I bought my GPW a few years back it had been a long time ambition to own one and also to take that vehicle to Normandy and visit the beaches to pay my respects. I did a few local shows after giving the jeep a complete service and then decided to go for it. Obviously I took spares such as coil, points, condenser, rotor arm, etc and a decent amount of tools, oil, brake fluid, anti freeze etc.
My wife and I set off on our own not in a group and firstly made our way to the Somme to visit the First World War sites before driving nearly seven hours solid in a day to Pegasus Bridge and beyond. The jeep ran like a clock with only one problem in the whole 10 days when a wire chafed through on the bulkhead. This was a wire the previous owner had fitted to enable the brake lights to work without them having to be turned on each time as they were originally. He had poked the wire through a bare hole (no grommet) ! I soon sorted that and were on our way, so the only problem I had was man made NOT the jeeps fault. I didn't need any oil or for that matter 99% of my tools so long trips no longer hold any fear for me. In fact to be honest when I look back I surprised myself by just going for it but I am of the belief if a jeep was good enough when the bullets were flying it's good enough for anything. I certainly do not think any WELL MAINTAINED older vehicle is incapable of making longer journeys if treated with respect and driven with the understanding of their capabilities.
I would drive my jeep anywhere safe in the knowledge that unlike modern electronic laden modern stuff I can fix it should the need arise so my advice to anyone unsure of the viability of using their MV day to day is go for it what's the worst that can happen ? Life is for living not for worrying