An Introduction

About This Blog

How to begin?
I have been delaying the commencement of this blog for quite a while now simply because I had no idea how to begin. I suppose a personal introduction would be appropriate.

I am Joe, London based student and general global citizen. I am just about to go on a trip across a good part of the world. "Oh great!", I hear you say, "another scruffy-tax-dodger-off-to-'find-themselves' blog, just what the internet needs. I suppose part of this is true: I am scruffy, I haven't paid council tax (ever) and I am heading off on my own for a journey which could prove mildly life altering. In this blog, however, I hope to create something that nestles snugly between these egocentric ramblings about my own worldly experiences and a factual guide of the ins-and-outs of getting oneself across the route I intend to take. With any luck this will give an opportunity for people to hear about the channels and technicalities that inevitably have to be overcome in order to get there as well as some reflection on the places I visit and the accommodation, surroundings and activities I sample along the way.

The Route

Put simply, I plan to get from London to Hong Kong using only trains.Hardly a Roald Amundsen effort I know, but the longest trip I'll be taking for a while and I'll be taking the long way there.

I don't intend to take the most direct train route there either, I'm not in a rush and will go as far as my funds take me. Of course I will be keeping a close eye on the bank balance in this blog for the wallet conscious student travellers (as myself) amongst you who might be considering a similar trip.

The final itinerary has not yet been decided, but I do know that Scandinavia is a must. France, Holland and other European countries closer to home do not concern me all that much, I have been to France 2 or 3 times in the last 12 months and want to focus my efforts on the countries I am less likely to be visiting again in the near future. Norway and Finland hold particular interest with me; not least due to my love of black metal (the potential of getting corpse-painted up and holding my guitar aloft a snowy peak is irresistible). Of course later on I will have to choose my stops along the inevitable trans-Siberian route well and then there is the matter of navigating my way through China before I return to more familiar surroundings again. All of this planning, however, comes later.

So it begins...

As it stands, I know next to nothing about how on earth I am going to do this trip and I have about 3 months to find out, get my act together and get out there. As I have mentioned I am pretty certain of several locations I will be visiting and even where I will stay, but the fun (often in retrospect) of travelling is all the in betweens and unexpected things that pop up along the way. Everything I learn: how much money I am spending and any problems I encounter will be resolved and faithfully reported for all to see.