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Something all travel enthusiasts will enjoy

This is far from luxury travel but I thought I would share it anyway because it makes for some fun and interesting viewing.   It doesn’t really need much of an introduction – it’s a personal journey across China, made on foot.   Enjoy.  

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.

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9 Comments

  1. I disagree. The time, the health, the mind to appreciate and the eyes to see everything in that journey is true luxury. It probably will not come as a surprise, but I if I had a choice between, 4 weeks a year for the rest of my life in Luxury Hotels, Resorts, Cruise liners and and Airliners and Christoph’s walk, I know I’d go for the walk.
    Even he had business commitments that caused him to fly back on occasions. The personal issues is a different matter though, we all would need to be with our family and friends in an emergency.

  2. Good point, John. It would be interesting to hear about other people’s overland journeys.

    I think the longest one I’ve ever done overland in one go was Istanbul -> Suleimaniya (about 1,050 miles?). And it wasn’t for pleasure, just a relentless case of getting from A to B for work.

    (London – Istanbul by air)
    Istanbul to Ankara by train
    Ankara to Diyarbakir by bus (16 hours, with brief stops for toilet and food)
    Diyarbakir – Turkish border – into Iraq by jeep.

    Of course we could have flown into Diyarbakir or nearby Batman but the boss ruled out that option. He wanted the team to go in pairs and take different routes at different times, and meet up in Diyabakir so we just had to make our own way by whatever means we could. My travelling companion and I made good time and did it in a couple of days.

  3. Yes, good point, John… I see what you are saying although it wouldn’t be what many consider to be ‘luxury’ in the conventional sense.

    I think one of my longest overland trips, Kay, was a trip from the UK to Morocco. It was done over 4 to 5 days, though, so not too arduous.

    In my student days, I tried to save myself a few £s on an airfare by taking a coach from London to Copenhagen (it was cheap, and before the budget airlines were the force that they are now). That wasn’t an experience I’d wish to repeat in a hurry.

    As for not shaving, I did that for approximately 2 months once, when spending time in Greenland. It aged me by about 10 years!

  4. Before budget airlines, yes, I remember.

    The overland trip I was on about was also pre-Internet by a long way so it was very hard to get information. Once we got to Istanbul, we just had to get on with it as best we could. It was kinda fun, though. And I didn’t shave the whole time either. ;-)

  5. What an amazing video. I bet he met some truly amazing people and saw some amazing things along the way. It really is incredible how much his appearance changes.

  6. One of my best overland trips was in Australia but unfortunately it wasn’t that luxurious but was a fabulous trip all the same and has some great memories for me. If you have the time, travelling overland can be one of the most rewarding experiences – you get to see so many different places you would never otherwise see and meet so many people both local and travelling that really add to any trip. I have since gone back and done bits of my australia trip and while they are never quite the same and i am now a bit older and able to stay in better places it brings back all the best memories for me of travelling and some very dear friends. happy days!

  7. Irene – while luxury travel is fun, there truly is nothing like the good old days of a backpack, and the goal of how to eat as cheap as possible so you can afford more booze.

  8. Very nice video!
    I have been travelling from Venice to Beijing on a Vespa (yes, a 125cc scooter)!
    Once in a while I could enjoy lux during that 6 months trip, and I needed it!
    Most of the times it was not so.
    But the combination of travel adventure and luxury moments is great.
    We all are not monothematic travellers!
    Ciao

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