When?
April 2014 – July 2014
It’s exciting and daunting to have only minimal parts of this trip set in stone. What I do know is that I won’t be leaving any later than the end of September – because I’m not sure that the horizon covered with snow as I travel through northern Russia is my bag, baby; and i’m hoping to pack as light as possible (no sleeping bag). I’m a pretty warm-blooded creature with a propensity for cold feet.
How Long?
80-100 days.
But, really how long is a piece of string? – i could string this out over a year or more, but i don’t have any plans to do so. The other factor will be surviving and thriving financially on the railway tracks! The other major factor is the time needed to apply for visas.
How?
What do I mean by overland? Actually, what I mean for this trip is travelling by means of Train or Ferry/boat, as much as that’s possible. There’s a couple of places where neither will be possible – but it’s only going to the actual non-existence of these means of transport or safety considerations of a pretty extreme kind (or something that is truly out of the budget or untenable) that will incite a deviation from this plan!
Okay, so first thing’s first -It’s a really long way! Have you ever looked at it on a map?
It’s roughly 16974 kilometres or 10551 miles from point A to point B. Usually I fly, and the map looks something like this:
There are lots of different paths to take. And some decisions need to be made. This is the rough itinerary that I have at the moment. This page will give more details of my plan and maps of each stage.
The other factor will be surviving and thriving financially on the railway tracks!
The other major factor is the time needed to apply for visas.
How can you afford this?
Great question. I may publish a budget at some point. Let’s just say, that this isn’t as expensive as you might think. I’m a pretty experienced traveller and I know what I will and won’t live without and what I can and can’t live without. I won’t have rent to pay or other utilities and my train tickets will also often include overnight accommodation. That and I currently live in one of the most expensive towns in the United Kingdom. Pretty much anywhere will be cheaper than this. Oh, and I’m taking writing jobs and saving like a mad woman! My hope is that between writing commissions and a job I can take on the road with me this is doable!
Where you come in!
I’d love any ideas, feedback, suggestions or thoughts you might have. This is sort of a ‘choose your own adventure’ so on the facebook page I’ll be asking questions about where you think I should go on this trip. Your comments, advice and links to other resources that might be useful will be most welcome on the posts I’ll be putting up each Saturday about the whole Overland to Oz adventure. The planning is just as much part of the adventure as the actual trip!
Listening. Observing. Participating. Writing. Photographing. Reflecting.
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Traveller. Scholar. Photographer. Writer. Dreamer. Teacher. Overland to Oz is a crazy adventure marked with photos and word and inspired by the incredible women in Anna’s family, especially her late grandmother, whom she knew as Nan-Nan.
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