WhirledAway
Overland adventuring
Hi, I'm Sarah.
I’m a long-time traveler and part-time wanderer, with a love of remote places and empty spaces. I’ve got a borderline obsession with borders and will go to great lengths and a lot of personal discomfort to travel overland as much as possible. By myself or with my husband Oyv (and sometimes my sister), I go for off-the-beaten-path destinations every time I get the chance.
For me the journey itself is not just a means to an end. It’s the actual traveling part of travel, that really counts. And that’s what this blog is all about: real, overland travel in unusual places.
Head over to the About page to find out more, or get in touch with me!
Hi, I'm Sarah.
I’m a long-time traveler and part-time wanderer, with a love of remote places and empty spaces. For me the journey itself is not just a means to an end. It’s the actual traveling part of travel, that really counts. And that’s what this blog is all about: real, overland travel in unusual places.
Head over to the About page to find out more, or get in touch with me!
Stories from the road
...less traveled
Travel in Turkmenistan: from a city of marble to the Gates of Hell
Everyone knows it’s not easy to get into Turkmenistan. Ok, a lot of people probably haven’t heard of Turkmenistan. But once you do, you mainly hear how hard it is to visit. Starting our pre-travel research, I read: ‘The country is known for its autocratic government and large gas reserves’. Sounds fascinating, right? Well, having got the visa, we can say that yes, it definitely is.
Angola to Namibia: around the fence with a child-fixer
Determined to salvage the day, it seemed Milton had hired a fixer. ‘This is Maputo. He knows another way’ he said, and pointed at the ten year old boy now standing next to him. We didn’t know what to say. What we did know was that we definitely had to see what this was all about. So we piled back into Milton’s sedan, this time with a child-fixer up front muttering in Portuguese.
Roadtripping in Mongolia: an off-road adventure
Maybe it’s just me, but the first word that comes to mind when I think of Mongolia is ‘hordes’. But for a place once famously home to all sorts of hordes, it’s pretty empty now. Actually, it’s the least densely populated country on earth. The Gobi desert, the endless steppe, the taiga – all that vast emptiness – waiting to be explored.
Guides and itineraries
Since I’m a nerd and I take a lot of notes which I then enjoy organizing, I’ve also put together travel guides and itineraries.
And I’m a border-fetishist (is that a thing?). So you’ll find plenty of posts where I attempt to explain the intricacies of some of the more complicated borders I’ve come across.
Because sometimes it’s nice to actually know a few things in advance.
Saudi Arabia travel guide and itinerary
This post is a trip report. It’s the itinerary we made for the eighteen days we spent in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, plus a bit of other info about how we got there in the first place, our route, traveling around, and lessons learned along the way.
Algeria travel guide and itinerary
Everyone going to Algeria – ourselves included – seems to have more than a few questions surrounding visas, money, transport, and guides. To save you some of the same difficulties we’re reporting our experience here, along with our eleven day itinerary for independent travel in northern Algeria, and Ghardaia.
Extreme journeys: riding Mauritania’s iron ore train
I hauled myself up the ladder with a bit of extra momentum, and landed on a pile of scratchy black powder. Oyv climbed up too and we stood on top of the heap of iron ore in wagon six. The train rumbled to life underneath us and slowly pulled away. Gradually it picked up speed, and we chugged towards the coast. Sixteen hours overnight through the Sahara, all alone under the stars, on top of a train.
Going the extra mile...
I like traveling by road from one country to the next – overland travel, which is the main focus of this blog. This obsession has led to me spending an abnormal amount of time on buses, bush taxis, motorbikes, rickshaws, night trains, cargo ships…you name it.
As the saying goes, ‘Suffering is half the fun’…no wait, that’s not it.
Extreme journeys: riding Mauritania’s iron ore train
I hauled myself up the ladder with a bit of extra momentum, and landed on a pile of scratchy black powder. Oyv climbed up too and we stood on top of the heap of iron ore in wagon six. The train rumbled to life underneath us and slowly pulled away. Gradually it picked up speed, and we chugged towards the coast. Sixteen hours overnight through the Sahara, all alone under the stars, on top of a train.
Taking the ferry from Egypt (Safaga) to Saudi Arabia (Duba)
A couple of locals we talked to in Cairo and Alexandria hinted at there being ferries to Saudi Arabia from Hurghada or other places in Egypt, but no one knew much about it. Any sort of ticketing or travel agent we asked said no such thing existed and tried to sell us flights to Riyadh. That only strengthened our resolve and we were determined, Insh’Allah, to arrive in Saudi Arabia by ferry.
Taking the ferry from South Korea (Busan) to Japan (Fukuoka)
I highly recommend the overnight ferry, if you’re travelling from South Korea to Japan (or vice-versa). A smooth trip, a comfortable night’s sleep, and a bathhouse onboard. And if you aren’t that tired, there’s always karaoke.
Roadtripping
Much as I’m all for public transport….there’s definitely something to be said for having your own wheels.
Under the countries in question you can find our detailed guides with all the planning that went into these.
Roadtripping in Mongolia: an off-road adventure
Maybe it’s just me, but the first word that comes to mind when I think of Mongolia is ‘hordes’. But for a place once famously home to all sorts of hordes, it’s pretty empty now. Actually, it’s the least densely populated country on earth. The Gobi desert, the endless steppe, the taiga – all that vast emptiness – waiting to be explored.
Home is where the car is: a roadtrip in Southern Africa
From meerkats to lions and everything in between – puff adders come to mind – roadtripping and camping in southern Africa is next-level. It took us exactly one camp cooking session and a single night in the roof tent to start considering stealing the truck ourselves and becoming vanlifers.
An Epic Road Trip: Adventures on the Pamir Highway
Self-driving the Pamir Highway: one of the world’s ultimate roadtrips. Wondering what you’ll find along the way? Here’s what we did in an eight-day trip.
Destinations
Head on over to Destinations to find all the countries I’ve written about (so far). Or just pick a region here.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll find some inspiration for that next big trip.