On the blog...
Here on the blog you’ll find (at least some of) our stories from the road, plus itineraries and plenty of first-hand advice that we like to think is useful.
Obvious exceptions like Turkmenistan or Bhutan aside, we travel on our own, sorting out the details as we go. Which works most of the time. Story, guide, or trip-report-hybrid, I write about what really happens to us as a direct result of this kind of independent travel. What we do, the people we meet, and everything else that rolls up together to make a great trip (…or not. But mostly great).
Since we travel by road (or rail, or sea) most of the time, there’s a lot of exactly that here – getting around on local transport in one form or another. And for some of our best self-driving adventures, I’ve laid out our itineraries and how to plan a similar road trip for yourself.
This type of travel inevitably involves more than a few border-crossings. So you’ll find plenty of posts explaining the ins-and-outs of some of the more complicated borders we’ve come across.
If you’re irresistibly drawn to the endless adventures and challenges that come with overland travel, then have a look below. Happy travels:)
How to cross the Petrapole/Benapole border between India and Bangladesh
Here’s what you need to know to travel by road from India to Bangladesh and vice versa.
Central Asia travel guide: our itinerary for a month in the ‘stans
This is a guide to inspire and help you plan an independent trip in Central Asia. It follows our route with information about border crossings, trains, and things to do along the way.
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.
Crossing the border from Cameroon (Kye-Ossi) to Gabon (Bitam)
Here’s what you can expect when you travel by road – on public transport, no less – between Cameroon and Gabon. Hint: bring a LOT of passport copies, and watch out for the ‘Man with glasses’.
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.
Crossing the border from Botswana to Zambia
This post is a report about our experience crossing from Botswana to Zambia at the Kazungula border. The border crossing in question is very straightforward, so this is a quick rundown on how to get there and what to expect.
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.
Crossing the border between Angola (Santa Clara) and Namibia (Oshikango)
Coming from Angola there are a few crossing points to Namibia. According to our friend Maputo you can cross wherever you’d like, but he’s about ten years old and honestly, he’s way more relaxed about that type of thing than we are. I’d stick to legitimate crossings.
Crossing the border between DR Congo (Lufu) and Angola (Luvo)
After being all but closed to outsiders for many years, and implementing a highly restrictive visa policy after that, Angola is now visa-free for many nationalities. Crossing the border from DRC is easy. Delightful, even, in comparison with the bus trip from Kinshasa to Matadi that we undertook first.