Travel News

Around the World Voyage Without a Plane … Part Two

Locations in this article:  Athens, Greece Beijing, China Chicago, IL Los Angeles, CA Moscow, Russia Paris, France Rome, Italy Tokyo, Japan

World At HandsLast week we told you how you can embark on the journey of a lifetime: An Around the World Voyage … Without a Plane, Part One.

We told you how to travel, sans airplane, from the West Coast to the Far East, then took you across Asia and past the Ural Mountains to Europe and into Moscow.

So here we pick up again with an adventure that briefly brings you back to Asia and then back to Europe, and finally, home again.

From Europe Back to Asia and Back to Europe Again

It goes without saying that Moscow has a great deal to offer. Don’t miss the Kremlin, Red Square, and Saint Basil’s Cathedral. When you’ve had all the fun there is to have in the former Soviet capital, catch the twice-daily train to Sochi, a sub-tropical beach resort which is about 1,500 miles from Moscow, but feels a world apart.

From Sochi, you’ll travel by ferry to Trabzon, Turkey. You’re now back in Asia!

Sumela Monastery 2If you’re in the mood for a side trip, check out the stunning Sumela Monastery, a 1,400-year-old structure perched impossibly on a cliff face about 30 miles from Trabzon.

Next, take the night train to Istanbul, a city that straddles both Asia and Europe. The dividing line between the two continents runs smack through the middle of town. Be sure to check out a good travel guide, like our Off the Brochure series, since Istanbul has an incredibly rich history and thus an awful lot of stuff to see.

Your next destination is Thessaloniki, Greece, accessible via overnight train from Istanbul. After all that traveling, you’ve finally arrived in Western Europe. Relax for a couple days on the beach in Corfu, a picturesque island about 14 hours by bus from Thessaloniki. Do consider a quick side trip into nearby Albania, a quirky, inexpensive post-Communist spot.

From Corfu, there’s a daily ferry to Bari, Italy. Take some time to explore this distinctly non-touristy port town if you like, or continue directly on to Rome by train. Now that you’re in the Western world, everything is connected by train and traveling around gets a lot easier.

Rome StatueRome! You’re in Rome! You’ve made it so far! You’ve seen islands, grasslands, neon lights, palm trees, yurts – you’ve pretty much seen it all, but not quite.

Get ready to experience one of the most exciting, historically rich, and outright awesome cities in Europe. Be sure to drop by Catholic HQ and ask Saint Christopher (the patron saint of safe travel) to watch out for your safety throughout the rest of your journey, which definitely isn’t over.

The next stop on this nearly never-ending itinerary is Nice, France, easily accessible by train from Rome. What is there to do in Nice? Well, if you’re into French art, stop by the museums dedicated to Matisse and Chagall, or check out the lovely beaches of the French Riviera.

When you’ve run out of exciting things to do, take the train to Marseille, France’s biggest port city. Before jetting out of town, be sure to check out the famous fish market.

Your next stop is Fos-sur-Mer, an industrial port city just a brief train ride from Marseille.

You guessed it: it’s time for another long, long journey via ocean freighter. While you’re waiting at the docks, look out at the glimmering ocean. On the other side of that ocean, beyond the impassible horizon, lie both your starting point and your destination.

Now look behind you. If you could crane your neck far enough to exceed the earth’s curvature, if you could peer beyond the unending crescent of land and ocean you’ve traversed, you’d see exactly the same thing.

Returning to Your Starting Point

Old MontrealIn about 12 days, the freighter will deposit you in Montreal. Even though you’ve spent nearly two weeks sailing away from it, you’re still in the French-speaking world. Run for the Amtrak station. We’re sure the staff will help you buy your ticket in English if you’re persistent. Of course, you’ve probably gotten pretty good at getting your demands across by hand gestures at this point.

You’ll make a brief connection in Schenectady, New York, and then it’s on to Chicago, where you’ll likely have a few hours to kill before the Southwest Chief leaves for Los Angeles. You’ve got a nearly four-day-long train journey ahead of you, although that’s small potatoes to you at this point. Be sure to brag to everyone aboard the train about the amazing journey you have nearly completed. Offer to sign autographs.

Hopefully, you haven’t succumbed to homesickness. Though everything looks different now, the real world is still functioning as it always has and it will be happy to welcome you back. It will be wonderful to be back, but in a few weeks you will probably want to do it all again.

Remember what it was like to know that both your destination and your starting point were before you. And next time you want to get away from the daily grind, you will have to come up with something even better. That will be challenging.

Estimated Cost

Suitcase MoneySo we’ve told you exactly how to get there; now you must be wondering how much all of it will cost. Use the rough budget below as your guide. Exact prices for each bus, train, and ferry are not listed since prices can vary depending on the season, the currency exchange rate, and the class of accommodation or transport you choose.

We’re assuming that, in your days on land, you’ll eat at average restaurants and stay at average hotels, and that occasionally you’ll run into unexpected expenses or will be taken in by some widget and splurge on it. Remember that many nights will be spent on trains or ferries. You’ll be able to significantly reduce your expenses through research, resolve and general resourcefulness.

Ocean freighter from Los Angeles to Tokyo: $1,700
Ocean freighter from Fos-sur-Mer to Montreal: $1,500
Combined rough cost of all ferries, trains, and buses: $2,200
65 days on land at $70 per day: $4,550
Being woken up by the snores of longshoremen: Priceless

Alternate Routes

There are many ways this trip could be simplified. The most direct west-to-east-to-west itinerary would have taken you from the US to somewhere in China and then on to Moscow via Beijing. From Moscow, you could have traveled by train to a sea port in Spain, France, or the UK, and from there boarded an ocean freighter for the US or Canada, at which point you could use either Amtrak or Greyhound to return to your starting point.

If there’s a destination you’d like to see that isn’t on the list, odds are you can work it into your own round-the-world itinerary with a bit of creativity.

Terracotta SoldiersFor instance, if you want to see more of China, there is an alternative to the Trans-Siberian route from Beijing to Moscow. You can make your way to the ancient Chinese capital of Xian (don’t miss the famous terra-cotta warriors!), from which you can take a train to Moscow via western China and Kazakhstan, never venturing into Mongolia or Siberia.

Another interesting alternate route would take you through China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and finally Turkey, at which point you would rejoin the main itinerary presented above. However, this route forces you to rely on an unscheduled ferry from Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan to Baku, Azerbaijan, and also requires you to obtain a large number of visas in Central Asia.

Still, this is certainly the most exotic of the routes presented here, and it offers the appeal of taking you to some truly unseen places. If this route interests you, be sure to investigate the current political situation before making your final decision, since this region is consistently in turmoil.

The main itinerary necessarily skips over a couple fantastic destinations because visiting them would have involved a lot of backtracking. Still, if you want to see Paris or Athens, they’re not too far off course.

Good luck on your amazing, mind-opening, exotic, routine-blasting round-the-world journey.

A Note About Web Links

Throughout the text of this article, we’ve inserted web links to a large number of sites which provide information about the various buses, ferries, and trains used in our itinerary. Often, these are unofficial websites created by travel agencies or private individuals.

We’ve sometimes chosen to link to such sites even when official sites exist, usually because the official sites were uninformative, or were not presented in English. Always double-check departure times, locations, and prices, and if you’re able to buy your ticket in advance, do so. Some companies may have an English-speaking representative available to assist you on the phone.

More Useful Links

  • China Train Ticket – These folks will sell you domestic Chinese train tickets before you arrive in the country, which can be a godsend, since buying them in China is known to be a headache.
  • Consular Information Sheets from the US Dept. of State – Useful info on visas and travel safety for pretty much any country you would want to visit.
  • Greyhound – Bus company that offers an alternative to Amtrak for travel within North America.
  • Project Visa – Aims to compile visa and embassy information for all countries. If you’re not a US citizen, this may help you determine which visas you need to obtain ahead of time.
  • Seat 61 – An extremely useful guide to worldwide train travel.

Additional Resources on PeterGreenberg.com:

By Mike Day for PeterGreenberg.com.

Previously By Mike Day:

Fighting for Your Vacation

Bound for Beijing: A Guide to 2008 Olympic Travel

Lost in Online Translation

Signs in China: A Guide to Understanding Common “Engrish” Expressions