Can we have a thread about crazy journeys? I really like the

>>1176417
>Panamerican roadtrip,

But...but.... muh ... Gap... is... CLOSED!

>>1176433
Ferry

Funny, because I was actually planning on going with someone from /trv/ to Mauritania to do just that, but I couldn't afford the flight to Morocco.

I've always dreamt of a long trip where I go from New Zealand to Iceland overland/oversea, without talking a plane (to the best of my ability) and going by bike/hitchhiking/train/boat

New Zealand
(problem 1: no boat to Oz)
Australia
(problem 2: no boat to PNG)
Papua New Guinea
(p3: no infrastructure - have to use small plane, maybe go to Indonesia instead? but no boat)
Indonesia (maybe East Timor?)
(p4: no boat to Singapore)
Singapore
Malaysia
Thailand (stay there for a bit because it's cheap)
-can't go overland through Myanmar but maybe visit?)
Laos
China
-I've seen many blogs where people ride their bikes through Tibet illegally. I doubt if I could do it, but one can dream)
Tibet
-decisions. I want to go to India really badly but then I must go through Pakistan/Afghanistan. Might just go to Ürümqi, China to Kyrgyzstan-
Nepal
India
-here lies the Pakistan/Afghanistan problem-
Pakistan*
Afghanistan*
-I've always wanted to ride my bike through the Tamir Highway in Tajikistan-
Tajikistan*
Kyrgyzstan (seems the safest, also no visa)
Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan (also a must-go for me)
-ride ferry across Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan-
Azerbaijan
Armenia
Georgia
Turkey
Greece
Albania
Montenegro
Bosnia
Croatia
Slovenia
Italy
Austria
Liechtenstein (kek)
Switzerland
France
Belgium
-there are cargo boats to Iceland in Belgium, Netherlands or United Kingdom-
Netherlands*
United Kingdom*
Iceland


I know this is ridiculous, but I spend a lot of time daydreaming about it.

>>1176482
I think your problem is that you want to do EVERYTHING. You should either cut your trip down or do separate smaller trips. Perhaps when you do this, it will look more like a reality than a daydream.

NZ is great for hitchhiking but going from there to Singapore without planes is just...not going to happen sorry.

Australia and Indonesia should be separate trips.

Start in Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand. I think Thailand would be better desu.

Thailand
Laos
China
I don't think it's worth going to a Chinese prison for sneaking into Tibet. Urumqi seems pretty cool.

Kyrgyzstan
You say you want to go to Tajikistan so why are you going up to Kazakhstan?

India should be a separate trip desu.

Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan (I've heard some bad things about the Caspian ferry. Iran isn't bad. They are very hospitable there so why not just go through there?)
Iran
You could go up to the Caucusus and then go through Turkey.
Turkey
Greece
Balkans
bla bla bla
The rest should be no problem.
But the whole cargo ship meme needs to stop. I don't think that's even a thing anymore. Sorry.

>>1176433
>Panamerican roadtrip

By bus is easier.
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Colombia_to_Patagonia_overland

>>1176482
I'm the Mauritania guy; I remember you. Seems like you and I daydream about very similar things.
I post here about once a year looking for travel buddies; I hope you and I get a chance to meet up some day.

>>1176482
Went from Iran to China mostly overland. Had a Turkmen transit visa rejected so had to fly from Herat to Kabul since all roads from Herat besides the road that lead to Turkmenistan had too much banditry or Taliban activity for even the locals the travel on confidently. Also decided to spend a few extra days in Kyrgyzstan climbing a mountain instead of catching the minibus up to Almaty and getting to train to china so I flew that leg as well worth it the mountain lake views were spectacular. My initial dream was to Start in Libya and do North Africa, Syria and eventually make it to Iran but that died with the Arab spring.

>>1176501
Gavin?

>>1176509
Why did they reject your visa?

It sucks that we can't follow the classic Hippie Trail anymore.

Do you have a blog or something? because I'd love to read and see pics if you have anything.

Honestly I feel like the biggest problem at least for me is time.

By now I feel comfortable even in the most "dangerous" environments, I don't plan ahead most of my jouneys and simply go with the flow. My dream would be a tour through the pacific going something like this:

Start in Japan, visit Kure, Sasebo, maybe Yokosuka
Head south towards the northern Mariannas and Guam
Continue south to Truk
Further south to PNG, starting from Rabaul crossing the country to Port Moresby
From there to the Solomons with Savo, Guadalcanal and Santa Cruz
Further to Majuro, Kwajalein and maybe Bikini
The to Wake and finally Midway

I've been at all of these places except for Kwajalein, Wake and Midway, because they won't let me. But a tour like that would be my ultimate goal in life. Financially it wouldn't be a problem but I just can't get any holiday long enough. The absolute maximum allowed is 4 weeks which just isn't enough. Plus the problem of the last 3 places not being open to non US citizens.

>>1176482

This actually isn't too unrealistic.

I met a 40-year old Australian engineer in Georgia back in 2013. He'd gotten a divorce several years before, saved up some money, and quit his job. When we met, he'd hitchhiked from Australia to Papua New Guinea, through Indonesia, and across Asia into Russia and then down into Georgia. He passed through a handful of Central Asian countries including Afghanistan, which he described as "boring."

I think he considered going through Turkey but wanted to go back to Russia and then pass through Europe that way. His goal was Portugal.

Also worth mentioning that he was completely sick of hitchhiking by the time we met. He said he wanted his trip to be over. Even if he was enjoying himself, he'd have preferred a different way to get around. Since hitchhiking to Portugal was his challenge, he didn't want to give up when he was so close.

>>1176513
I've been fascinated with the idea of re-imagining the hippie trail in the current political environment. My idea involves crossing the Caspian by boat, and crossing into China only to get around Afghanistan.

>>1176513
>we can't follow the classic Hippie Trail
>>1176721

Now, I'll preface this by saying I've read hardly anything about Southern Pakistan, but isn't it basically one of the most peaceful (relative, of course) regions of the P'stan? If you just chrtered a trustworthy bus from the Iranian border to the Indian border post, wouldn't you be *basically* alright? Or are abductions that much of a problem?

>>1176740
I've heard the opposite. North isn't considered dangerous except for a few select regions. The major difficulty is that much like Iran, Americans are required to have a guide.
I would happily travel to Pakistan with no fear of danger.

>>1176740
>I've read hardly anything about Southern Pakistan
then read about it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balochistan,_Pakistan

It wasn't part of British India like most of the country. It's composed of tribes of an ethnic minority, and highly autonomous. It's ruled by a blurred line of tribal leaders and the taliban. Unless a local strongman invites you, don't go.

Two days ago, out of pure instinctiveness, I bought an error fare ticket. This is my plan:

road trip by bus from Milan, Italy to Lisbon, Portugal passing through Marseilles, France and Barcelona, Spain.
take the plane in Lisbon
land in Mozambique and spend 10 days travelling there
go back to Lisbon
another roadtrip

I have never been to sub-saharan Africa and for some reason I'm thinking this will be the time of my life

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>>1176774
No, my friend, Pakistan is dangerous, i think that's the place where i've decided to drop the real travelling meme and switch to more sane countries

>>1176417
I travelled on that Nouadibou - Zouerate iron ore train in 2004. I jumped on the train in Choum in the middle of the night like plenty other people, all locals of course. The carriers were of course empty and I shared my carrier with two locals. It was cold (it was January) but beautiful stars in the sky. The locals burnt som plastic trash to keep warm. The train is slow and noisy and shakes and rocks like a rodeo horse.
Choum was a shithole but Zouerate is a very friendly place. From there I went back to Nouadibou on the now even slower train (because full of ore).
Overall experience: Sahara is a great and mesmerizing place. Agadez and Timbuktu are of course worth the visit but in general anywhere is beautiful.

>>1176829
Pls explain why the entire country should be considered dangerous? As far as I understand it's similar to Iran in the mind-blowing hospitality of the people despite the insane government. I've read plenty of travel blogs about people traveling solo through the country.
I take your clam seriously, you just don't provide any detail.

Traveling over so many countries and such long distances honestly sounds pretty exhausting to me. The stress of being in a new place every night, navigating the cultural landscape and otherwise, driving/etc daily, just sucks after a while.

Personally I'd really like to do some big motorocycle road trips. India-Myanmar-Thailand is now possible and would be just about the limit of what I think would still be fun.

>>1176826
Hah, I've seen that same error fare.
Good luck with the trip, hope they won't cancel your order.

>>1176826
Shit, that's awesome. Mozambique looks spectacular.

>>1177029

I have an e-ticket and I already paid the right amount with my credit card so yeah, this trip is on!

>>1177134

It definitely is. I'm a bit worried about safety and lack of information but adventure makes up for it!

>>1176836
Hey dude, going to maurtania now, you know of some ironoretrains going south, south east maybe from the capital?

And to everyone, if someone want's to join maurtania with me from the 22. 11 -22. 12 - in a month let me know here and i'll leave contactinfo
For questions and general intrest, i can also leave some contactinfo. 4chan is kinda blocked in morokko, but it works in some cafe's.

In morokko now btw

>>1177771
I would love to do this, but I have obligations at the moment.

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>>1176417
>Drove to Panama along the Pacific, drove back along the Atlantic
>Bought motorcycle in Wales for 500 pounds, rode it to Morocco and around the Med, selling it in Greece, to backpack across Europe on foot.
>East to West US Road Trip
>Surfing trips to Baja California
>Deployed across Southeast Asia to Korea, Thailand, Nepal, Phillipines
>Stayed with parents in Okinawa for a season
>Flying back to Playa del Carmen this winter to slay some mexipussy

I now do analytics for a fortune 500 so I can't travel much anymore, but I'm looking forward to going to New Zealand and find a Kiwi to make babies with.

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>>1177899
Kept a camera with me the whole way. Finding what your tolerance is for picture-taking makes travel so much more worthwhile. Every trip that you do with someone, take the time to build a picture album and send it to them as a surprise present after it's over. Lightroom is really good and easy with this.

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>>1177900
Clicked to /trv/ on a whim for the first time on 4chan after like 4 years. This isn't a bad board, all things considered. Kinda neat, seeing other people's ideas about what travel is.

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>>1177901
Posting pictures is kind of a pain, so I'll only put up a couple since OP asked.

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>>1177902
Does anyone know anything about sailing in the puget sound? Just moved to seattle and trying to get back out in thew ater.

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>>1177903
Mexico is so freaking great, btw.

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>>1177904
Not gonna really put anymore up I think. Learned to love cigars, right when it counted.

>>1176482
This might kill the vibe a bit for you, but you could start the journey, and either see how far you get or only go one particular part of the journey before returning home. When you get home, record how far you got on the map. Then next time you have an opportunity, go and start at where you left off.

So basically do it in stages. You can also skip certain parts between stages if there isn't a way you can get there without flying or something.

Just food for thought.

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about to buy A ticket to Amsterdam and just wander from the 20th of Dec until the 31st of Jan. Will be spending my birthday there. I have aquantinces in France and Amsterdam . Will only be bringing a backpack and duffel bag with skateboard. Any advice? I'm open to changes and really do just want an adventure

>>1177769
hahaha there's only 1 (one) iron ore train, just google it, you either take it or you don't.

>>1177959
Drop a message here if you want to go for a beer in Leiden

>>1178059
Any advice? Should I commit to it ? Snapchat? Or throwaway email?

>>1177904
This is a nice picture. Oaxaca?

>>1177899
> >Bought motorcycle in Wales for 500 pounds, rode it to Morocco and around the Med, selling it in Greece, to backpack across Europe on foot.

been thinking to drive around european coast on a bike. How easy is it, any tips/pointers, etc?

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>>1178335
Jalisco, west of Guadalajara. Good guess, but the shorties in Oaxaca are cuter than in Jalisco for the most part.

>>1178344
Depends on your ability to logistically plan. I didn't have a chip card, and apparently all of France closes for weeks at a time. Seriously, over 1,500 miles and I saw 3 people, total, outside of their cars, and two of them were old ladies scurrying away like spiders. Only until Nice did I see some people. Getting gas was a pain in the ass, I felt like a scrub trying to beg for gas with cash.

The trip is very approachable, you just need to know your comfort levels. If you're ok finding a spot to sleep on the side of a road somewhere, it's great. If you're constantly hurrying to oh god make it to the airbnb you've scheduled, you're in for a stressful time. Know the bike, or at least have a comprehensive manual and a can-do attitude with the right tools at hand. Learn some local language. Sketch out your route ahead of time, add 50% buffer time for general shenanigans. If you're not feeling a place, bounce immediately and don't take chances. There's always something better down the road. Don't let people scam you, but don't expect them do so. Watch some videos before you leave about dealing with people in third world countries, dealing with passive aggressive people, etc. Don't be a pussy. Be ok with being hurt by things along the way. Don't push the bike, you're in it for a long ride.

>>1178692
language, comfort level will be no issue. Problem will be knowing my bike. I'm planning to do it on a shitty bike that costs like 1000€ 2nd hand.

>>1178890
In that case, take a look at what kind of bike you're getting, and what the top 10 most common failures you'll come across are. Some things can be relatively easily fixed if you have the right parts -- for example, a little cable would have allowed me to fix my speedometer after it snapped 500 miles in. A spare clutch cable wouldn't be bad to bring along. Definitely inspect the chain and the tires thoroughly, and take good care of them all during the trip. prepare to have to replace them all at some point. The import restrictions on the purchase can be a pain...I bought mine in wales and the UK were a bunch of screwy bureaucrats who wanted tags, license, insurance, etc., and it was such a hassle that it almost wasn't worth it (my friend kept getting bothered about the title a year or two after I'd already sold the bikes in greece, and exported them). The paperwork is what will really get you.

>>1177771
Have you ridden the train before? Are you planning to this trip?

>>1179438
> import restrictions on the purchase can be a pain..
I live in Belgian so I pretty much don't have any problems.

Thanks for the advice, I'll check out most common and easiest bikes to maintain

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Next summer I plan to visit every country in Europe. But because Russia and Belarus require me to have visas in order to visit I've decided to do a twist and start from Asia.

I'd take the trans-Siberian railway from Vladivostok to Moscow with a detour to Mongolia for a few days. From there I would go to westward to Moscow and exit into Finnland. I'd go south before stopping in Lithuania and staying with a friend until it's time for me to enter Belarus on my pre-determined visa date. After Belarus I'd go south and visit a friend in Kiev before starting a normal backpacking trip across the rest of Europe before finally finishing in Berlin.

After careful consideration, this is what my list of stops contain so far. In order from beginning to end;
Vladivostok
Ulan-Ude (Transfer only)
Ulaanbaatar
Ulan-Ude (Transfer only)
Irkutsk
Siberian City (?)
Moscow
St Petersburg
Helsinki
Tallinn
Riga
Kaunas (Friend)
Vilnius
Minsk
Kiev + Chernobyl (Friend)
Chisinau
Brasov
Bucharest
Sofia
Burgas
Istanbul
Thessaloniki
Athens
Skopje
Prishtina
Tirana
Podgorica
Kotor
Dubrovnik
Sarajevo
Belgrade
Novi Sad
Zagreb
Pula
Trieste
Ljubljana
Venice
San Marino
Rome
Vatican City
Milan
Zürich
Bern
Geneva
Monaco
Southern French City
Andorra
Barcelona
Madrid
Porto
Lisbon
(Fly to Dublin)
Dublin
Belfast
(Fly to Scotland)
Scotland
(Fly to Oslo)
Oslo
Stockholm
Copenhagen
Berlin

I plan on beginning this trip in May and ending sometime in late summer. My uni doesn't begin until October but I plan to finish sometime in August. I expect to pay around $10,000 for the few months of travel. $2000 for hostels, $1500 for food + beer, $1000 for all four flights, $1000 on the trans-Sib railway, $3000 for transportation in Europe, $1500 for misc costs.

I've made a rough sketch of my trip. The red line is the path I'd take and the blue dots are locations I'd stop in. I'm still open to change. Some countries aren't added because I've visited them already.

What do you guys think? How realistic is this? Soloing m21

>>1179599
>What do you guys think?
I don't think you're visiting every country in Europe, for a start.

>>1179645
>I don't think you're visiting every country in Europe, for a start.

>Some countries aren't added because I've visited them already.

>>1179646
>actually reading full 4chan posts

Anyway. I'm not really sure why you'd go to Ulanbaatar. The city isn't all that interesting (from what I've read here on /trv/, so hey). As to the Balkan leg of your trip, IMO you're backtracking slightly too much, and I didn't find Zagreb all that cool. You're skipping the nicest part of the country, which is the Dalmatian coast. Though Istria 's aight.

And I think your Oslo-Berlin stretch is rushing it. Chill by a lakeside in Sweden, visit some Hanza cities in northern Germany, that kind of deal. Kind of thing.

>>1179651
Only reason I'd go to Ulaanbaatar is because who knows when the next time I'll have the chance to visit Mongolia is? I wouldn't necessarily visit for the city but rather to experience the landscapes, people, and to take a look at their nomadic way of life. I looked up some videos on Youtube from other's that went to Mongolia via the railway and it looked incredibly interesting.

And I understand what you mean by the Balkan stretch being overloaded. Only problem is that there are so many countries densely packed and I don't want to skip any of them. It'd be 1-2 days in the lesser capitals and then a day in cities I deem worth visiting, like Kotor in Montenegro. I've been to Serbia and Romania before but I see them as gateway locations where I need to stop for a night before continuing.

You're probably right about me missing out on the Dalmation coast. It's still a rough draft so I may cut out Serbia and go from Kotor to Dubrovnik to Sarajevo to Split and then up the coast to either Zagreb or Pula. I still need to check into Zagreb and see if it's worth visiting.

The Oslo-Berlin stretch is indeed a rush. I'm from Germany so I've seen just about everything worth seeing in this country. I've also already been to Norway and Denmark multiple times. The only reason I'm going to Scandinavia is for Sweden. I included Oslo because I expect to fly with Norwegian air from Scotland but if it's cheap and possible I may just fly straight to Stockholm instead.

>>1179651
> I'm not really sure why you'd go to Ulanbaatar. The city isn't all that interesting

why not go if you're there anyways?


>>1179599
> Southern French City

Do Montpellier and/or Avignon.
I'd skip Orange, or maybe pass through just to see it.
Don't forget to see the Pont Du Gard. It's great and you can swim there

>>1178692

Your photos are very nice. What did your bring for photography equipment?

I'm brazilian and i wanna go to North Korea.
How? I have NO IDEA.

>>1179765
>google nk tour agencies
>get in contact with them
>fork out nearly $2000
>have them fill our your visa and itinerary
>fly to beijing
>???
>profit

>>1179661
>I wouldn't necessarily visit for the city but rather to experience the landscapes, people, and to take a look at their nomadic way of life.

Then you need to get out of Ulaanbaatar, and for that you need a local driver/guide. There is no such thing as independent travel in Mongolia, there is absolutely zero tourist infrastructure outside of Ulaanbaatar.

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>>1179765
>>1179878

Google is your friend. Did it last year and paid around 1300k for ten days. There's shorter and less expensive trips though

>>1179996
*1300£ not k.

>>1179993
I don't think anyone travels like that.

When you cross the world and visit a new country, you don't only visit the capital for a day. That's like an American who has never been to Europe before and flying to Greece just to see Athens and not once visit the coast or islands. Of course I'm going to get out of the city. The whole reason is for the countryside. Only reason I said Ulaanbaatar is because I didn't want to just say "Mongolia" and hell if I know the name of the surrounding region. Ulaanbaatar is just the base of operations.

And I've already found excursions detailing trekking, horse riding, sleeping in yurts, and meeting villagers.

>>1180120
You completely misunderstood. You can't just do anything outside Ulaanbaatar by yourself. You implied it's just like any other country where it's easy to fuck off wherever you want on your own.

Yes, you need to book excursions. It's the only way to see the country.

>>1180127
>You completely misunderstood. You can't just do anything outside Ulaanbaatar by yourself. You implied it's just like any other country where it's easy to fuck off wherever you want on your own.
That's why I said excursions. I know what you mean so I wanted to say that I'm not coming all the way to Mongolia to be stuck in one city. Of course I'll get out somehow.

>>1178059
fellow Leidenaar here, uni student?