So where am I going, and how?!

My route around the world - Red = flights, Blue = overland

In May 2011, I travelled to Thailand for two weeks and joined the backpacking trail around some of the islands. It gave me a taste for it – I’d not done the proper ‘year out, travelling thing’ as i’ve always been focussed on my career, and the time felt right to give it a go towards the end of 2011.

However, I wanted to do something a bit different, rather than joining all the other gap yearists on a flight to South East Asia and being sucked into the usual backpacker circuit of Oz and New Zealand. I needed something that would be a bit of a challenge – and at the beginning of the summer, I had the brainwave of travelling over land, across this wonderful planet of ours rather than flying over it and missing everything below.

I read up about the trans-Siberian railway, and the idea stuck. I’d fly to Moscow, then go by train to China – off the beaten track and something to remember it by!

The plan….subject to change of course!! (helpful for friends/fellow backpackers to plan meet-ups!)

October 17 2011: Fly to Moscow

October – November 2011: Trans-Siberian railway from Moscow, stopping at Irkutsk, Mongolia and then Beijing.

November 1 – 9 2011: Beijing to Shanghai, China

November 9 2011: Fly to Bangkok, Thailand

November – December 2011:Tour of South East Asia, taking in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

December 22 2011: Fly to Sydney, Australia.

December 2011 – March 2012: Touring Australia

March – April 2012: Fly to New Zealand

April 2012: Fly to Fiji

May – June 2012: Fly to Los Angeles and tour western USA.

June 2012: Fly to New York, visit a friend, and then fly back to the UK.