Which is the longest overland journey from your home country?

@maximax8 (31053)
United Kingdom
October 5, 2012 9:24am CST
I live in the United Kingdom. It is an island joined to the rest of Europe by train through a channel tunnel. In the past people had to travel from Dover to Calais by sea. Not anymore because they can travel from London to Paris or Brussels by Euro Star train. The longest journey from my home country would be England to Singapore using the train from Moscow to Beijing then on through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia? How about you?
9 responses
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
5 Oct 12
I think that the longest overland journey would from Denmark to Singapore or from Denmark to the very east of Russia, but I think that would be a very difficult journey. I have heard that it some people have done it in the past and they travelled across Russia in a jeep, but it is not an easy journey because the roads in the Eastern part of Russia are very bad. I think that it would be easier to travel from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar or to Beijing by train and continue the journey through China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia and from Malaysia to Singapore. It would take a long time to travel from Denmark to Singapore overland, but it is definately possible.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Oct 12
I very much like the idea of traveling from Denmark to Singapore overland using the Trans Mongolian train. Yes, visas would be necessary for Russia, Mongolia and China plus Belarus if going through it. I would favor going via Ukraine instead. It is possible to travel from China by ship to South Korea or Japan. Yes, it would be a very long and interesting trip.
• Mexico
6 Oct 12
Sounds like a fun trip, through some great places.
@urbandekay (18278)
5 Oct 12
Good question, how far is that? I just wonder if a longer journey might be possible if you are not reliant on trains. Through Europe, down to Turkey, Syria, Jordon, Israel, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa arriving finally in Cape town. I don't know if such a journey is possible or if it is longer or shorter Or how about across Russia to Uelen, now that would be longer all the best urban
@urbandekay (18278)
7 Oct 12
Well Iraq, could be substituted for Syria though hardly more stable and instead of Sudan, Libya, Niga, Nigeria, hmmm, then there might be a problem but I know that people have driven from Morocco to South Africa so it should be possible all the best urban
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Oct 12
Hi Urban. I will look into what the distances are. Thanks. I know that there is trouble in Syria and Sudan at the moment. I think people have to fly across Sudan. On the map it looks a very long journey and you are right to mention it being worth including other transport like bus and ferry.
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
5 Oct 12
I too live in the United Kingdom and it had not occurred to me that the channel tunnel had actually given access to such a vast distance. I think of it as a gateway to Europe, but of course it does provide a route through Asia as you suggest. Nevertheless, that would certainly be a formidable journey by land. I travelled to Irkutsk in Central Siberia back in the 1970s, which was a long journey even by air. I flew from London to Moscow, then from Moscow to Bratsk just short of Irkutsk. We even had to refuel at Omsk during the soviet flight.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Oct 12
Wow! It is amazing that you traveled by air in 1977 from London to Moscow and then onto Irkutsk. It was a shame the plane had to refuel. In 1997 I flew from Mombasa to London and the plane had to refuel in Cairo. Yes, traveling by land could take between one week to many weeks depending on stopovers. The lake close to Irkutsk would be well worth seeing I imagine. I have always fancied going to Mongolia because it is so off the beaten track.
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
5 Oct 12
ahhh, some place in Canada or Alaska to Terra De Fuego...or close to there because they are islands and I don't know if there are bridges to them, I kind'a doubt it... I actually heard of people doing it, but it wasn't easy! http://adamandvalerie.blogspot.com/
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Oct 12
Many thanks for the exciting link about the man and lady motorcycling all that way through the Americas. It is a shame the road into the national park in Panama just ends and then that jungle can be dangerous. It is possible to go by sea from Panama to Colombia and it would be a safer journey. Yes, a journey like theirs would take months planning, very much time and lots of energy.
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Oct 12
I've never left the USA, I lived in Hawaii for a year and to me that was like another country. I did learn some Cantonese and my son learned some Japanese. When you are immersed in another culture you start to learn the language but its hard to adapt off of their customs since you bring your own. I'd love to visit other countries though.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Oct 12
I totally agree that Hawaii feels like a different country to the mainland of the USA. I know it is very popular with Japanese visitors. It was great that living there one year you learned some Cantonese and your son learned some Japanese. It must be a lovely place to spend one year. I hope you will be able to visit plenty more countries in the future. Good luck.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
5 Oct 12
Well, being in Australia, I cannot leave the country by train but we have some long train journeys in house so to speak seeing as our country is so large. I would love to be able to catch a train right across Europe to Asia, that would be an incredible journey.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Oct 12
Hi Raw Bill. Some people that are super adventurous do manage to travel from Australia to England but it involves getting from Darwin in Australia to Indonesia by sea. Hopping through Indonesia by train, bus and ferry would be easy. Once in Singapore it would be mostly by train via Beijing and Moscow. Yes, it would be an incredible journey. Yes, I can vouch that Australia has some very long train journeys like Perth to Sydney. I went on the train from Cairns to Brisbane and it took 36 hours.
@bhanusb (5709)
• India
5 Oct 12
Hi maxi, I support you. Actually we live in the same land, that is Eurasia. Channel tunnel and train line can make possible to travel whole of Asia and Europe. I'm hopeful once that would be possible. May be that is not far away.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Oct 12
Hi Bhanu. Yes, it is excellent that we live in the same land that is Eurasia. It is wonderful that trains link Europe with Asia. If I took a ferry from Spain to Morocco travel further south would be very challenging. A long journey would be Alaska to Chile however crossing the border at Panama and Colombia would be too dangerous. Some people take a trip in a yacht to bypass that. Thanks for your wonderful response.
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
6 Oct 12
Here in Mexico you can go more south through honduras and Guatamala. Im sure those are the longest travels here. If you go north its 3600 miles to the usa border.
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
6 Oct 12
my country is an archipelago. when we visit our parent's hometown it's a 14-hour bus ride from the city with two stop-overs meals and restroom breaks. we usually travel at night to arrive there in the morning. but it's hard to sleep in a moving bus when the road isn't flat and straight. so for me, i'd rather travel by day so i can appreciate the view outside my window and get there by bedtime so i can sleep properly and be raring to go the next day.