Where to find an inspirational travel journey or route
My first overland travel map was as rough as you see it now to the right. It was a long time ago and I was inspired by the idea of going overland in a near straight line from West to East. The idea was as simple as that. A beginning.
My actual overland travel map ended up not so different in terms of direction - My huge overland travel map.
Where do you want to go?
All journeys have a beginning and an end. This is at least a start. Know where you want to start from or at least end up at the end of the journey. We'll work on the practicalities later.
For me, it would involve starting in Sintra (Portugal) and heading across Europe into Russia via the trans-Siberian and over to the far east of Russia (Magadan).
The trip was fine, the problem was the end destination. East Russia. To get to the furthest east one would need to have a fixer and/or speak great Russian. Not to mention own a 4x4 for the terror roads, or lack of them. There was also that little thing called life that got in the way... It wasn't the best route to find a home, but it was a start. This is my point. You should have a rough idea of where you want to start. After that, everything falls into place.
Did the COVID-19 Pandemic shutdown overland travel? Like with airport arrivals, yes, overland borders also closed. However, for many, as borders opened up again overland travel presented less hassle when crossing if you have the appropriate paperwork, especially for the fully vaccinated. In 2023, all overland borders that were previously closed due to the pandemic are open again with China being one of the largest exceptions.
What happens if you don't know where to start? That's even easier to figure out!
The answer is simple. Where are you sitting now?
For me, I would change my own overall eventual overland route with a different overland plan. More on how to plan an overland travel journey.
Do see more about overland travel in the following pages.
