Welcome to the TravelPod forums

[wakingdream]

Just worry if I am up to the challenges that overlanding will bring

Yeah, Rich is right, you'll be great, no worries. You're just concerned now but soon enough you'll be traveling around like a breeze! Have fun!

[opalchelle]

Thanks guys for the confidence boost

[wakingdream]

Hey, no worries! I hardly think there were many of us 'travelin' types' that blasted off from home without a doubt in our minds.

[rbisset]

To be honest I was S*$#ting myself when I was at Heathrow about to board a plane to Japan and not return for 12 months! The second I stepped on the plane something clicked and I switched from nervous to excited

[Paul]

Hi Opalchelle - don't forget you will get lots / most info when you are there, "on the ground" from locals and fellow travellers. So do as much homework as you can but make the rest up as you go.

[wakingdream]

To be honest I was S*$#ting myself when I was at Heathrow about to board a plane to Japan and not return for 12 months!

I was pretty nervous too on my first long haul solo trip. I was the same as you tho Rich, once I got on the plane everything just felt completely right.

[sianandjim]

Just noticed the request for cool overland routes. We've just completed the trip of a lifetime - a lot of it overland. We travelled from London through Europe on the train to Istanbul, then via Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China (including Tibet), Nepal and India.

From Delhi we flew to Japan for our second overland leg - ferry from Fukuoka to Korea, from there we took a boat to China, travelled down to Vietnam, into Laos and then Thailand. Towards the end of our trip we resorted to a few flights (not easy to get to Brazil so quickly otherwise!).

Overlanding is so much fun - much less stressful, very adventurous, more exciting - you see so much more and perhaps best of all it's greener!

Definitely the way to go!

[Paul]

Sounds like a great trip

[dz313]

I travelled from Bangkok to London overland. If you were to start in London I would recommend the following route:

London --> Amsterdam by ferry and train

Trains through Europe to Moscow (Amsterdam --> Berlin --> Wroclaw --> Krakow --> Warsaw ---> Vilnius --> Riga --> Tallinn ---> St Petersburg --> Moscow.

Trans-Mongolian Railway to Beijing (including stops at Irkutsk for Lake Baikal and UlanBaator).

Tavel through China, eventually finishing in Kunming. From there you can take an overnight bus to Lao Cai in the North of Vietnam.

Travel the "SE Asia Loop" (Vietnam North - South, Cambodia South to North, Laos South to North, Thailand North to South).

Continue by train to Kuala Lumpur.

Take a flight from KL to Yangon in Burma (its not currently possible to travel to Burma overland).

This would be my ideal dream trip if I hadn't done most of it already.

I used the main in seat 61 website to plan my trip. Laods of good information about overland routes.

[vic43ulau]

I'd keep going into Iran and the rest of the Stans.