TOP 10 Trips of a lifetime
From epic road trips to legendary rail journeys, a trip of a lifetime could change your life...
1 ROUTE 66 From €2,115 The legendary Mother Road, one of the original highways in the making of America (and in the getting of kicks), Route 66 ran all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles. To travel this route of desperados and dreamers is to experience the likes of Oklahoma, Amarillo and Santa Monica, with a nod to the Grand Canyon en route; if you can’t do it all, make sure you do Arizona. A chance to create your own road movie. THE DEAL Either rent your own car and stay in quirky motels (info from historic66.com). Or rely on the likes of Bon Voyage whose 14-day package, with flights, car and accommodation, costs from €2,115. 2 mirror.co.uk/traveltop10 CAIRO TO CAPE TOWN From €7,445 Overland purpose-built truck journeys are for those who are prepared to tolerate a bit of discomfort in exchange for an epic experience. In Africa, this is the way of stitching together the whole continent, of witnessing all its wildlife and humanity, beauty and savagery. Travel up the Nile, across the Sahara and down the Great Rift Valley where mankind began, into wildlife-rich East Africa, visit the gorillas, and plunge on through the Kalahari. You emerge in the relative sophistication of South Africa, friends for life with your fellow travellers. THE DEAL Overlanding specialist Dragoman does Cairo to Cape Town in 142 days. The basic cost is €7,445, which covers transport, accommodation (mostly camping) and guides. There’s an additional kitty (€5,530) for meals etc. mirror.co.uk/ 3 traveltop10 INTERRAIL From €472 Setting off into Europe with a go-anywhere train ticket has long been one of the default coming-of-age experiences for youngsters finding their feet in the world. It is very safe and sociable, with Interrailers quick to spot likeminded travellers. It allows for spontaneity – “it’s Tuesday, let’s go to Rome” – and it can be very inexpensive, especially if you go clubbing by night and sleep on trains by day. For under-28s, the one-month pass gives unlimited travel for an unbeatable €15 a day. THE DEAL Interrail passes are Youth (under 28), Adult and Senior (over 60) and you can also opt for unlimited or
individualdurations from countries,five days plus upwards.several A 4 one-month mirror.co.uk/traveltop10Youth pass costs €472.
LAND’S O’GROATS END From TO €1,835 JOHN LEJOG, as it is colloquially known, is physically and mentally challenging, and done by tens of thousands of cyclists every year. Many do it for intensely personal reasons, from getting over a crisis to raising money for a loved one, and you only have to read the visitor’s book in the John O’groats Tourist Office to get a sense of the achievement and the emotions involved. THE DEAL There are lots of online resources if you want to go it alone, with sustrans.org.uk a good place to start. Most cyclists take around 14 days. To go organised, Saddle Skedaddle (skedaddle.co.uk) has departures of 12, 16 and 22 days, from €1,835 which includes accommodation, food and back-up vehicles. 5 mirror.co.uk/traveltop10
SAIL ROUND THE WORLD From €40,560 Circumnavigation may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for some people exposure to nature in its rawest, most challenging form can produce a complete spiritual reboot. And you don’t have to be an expert yachtsman, or do the full 40,000 nautical miles. THE DEAL The Clipper Round the World Race with 12 modern yachts recruits fee-paying crew, go to clipperroundtheworld.com. For a less pressured experience visit classic-sailing.co.uk; the tall ship Picton Castle, for example, is embarking in March 2018 on a 425-day voyage which will cost €40,230, but which also offers much cheaper shorter legs. 6 mirror.co.uk/travel top10
CAMINO DE SANTIAGO From
€5 a night The world’s oldest (since the 8th century) and most popular (300,000 a year) longdistance hike is also cheap. There are numerous starting points all over Europe, but the main part (the French Way) runs from St Jean Pied de Port in the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela. It is a route of spiritual introspection, so don’t expect great beauty at every step, and it is so cheap because refugios and albergues are provided at
between €5-€15 a night. THE DEAL The 790km French Way takes a month. Info at Caminoways.com, a company that also cherry-picks shorter sections and can tailormake day-by-day details. 7 mirror.co.uk/traveltop10 CRUISE ACROSS EUROPE From €5,835 River cruising has boomed in recent years. Besides being a brilliantly peaceful way to travel, it also joins the dots of history, with so many key European cities by the waterside. The longest river in Europe, the Danube, runs through no fewer than eight countries on its way from Germany’s Black Forest to the Black Sea, and also connects northwards via the Rhine-main Canal all the way up to the North Sea. Putting the whole thing together is to cut a fascinating slice
right through the belly of European
civilisation. THE DEAL Four times a year, Avalon Waterways offers a 22-night Iconic Rivers of Europe voyage from Amsterdam to the Black Sea. Berths from €5,835pp, including flights, all meals, accommodation and tours. 8 mirror.co.uk/traveltop10 SOUTHEAST ASIA From €1,195 Exotic Thailand and welcoming Malaysia have become the playground of young backpackers, who start in Bangkok, head north to Chiang Mai, south to the islands around Phuket or Koh Samui, and then cross the border to Malaysia. Here the island of Penang, the Cameron Highlands and Kuala Lumpur are next, before ending up in sophisticated Singapore. Overall the route is safe, the food is delicious and cheap, people are lovely, the climate superb. THE DEAL Travelling is easy, so most do this independently. Otherwise G Adventures’ Southeast Asia on a Shoestring itinerary (age group 18-39) covers the route using
trains and buses in 21 days, from €1,195, including accommodation, local transport and some meals. 9 mirror.co.uk/traveltop 10 THE ANNAPURNA CIRCUIT
From €3,130 There is nothing to match long-distance hiking in Nepal. Starting among the villages of the Himalayan foothills, gradually ascending via trails used by porters and mule trains, staying in traditional Tibetan tea houses in mountainscapes like nothing you’ve seen on earth. The challenge will be your mental toughness and ability to deal with altitude sickness crossing the Thorong La mountain
pass at 17,769ft. THE DEAL Mountain Kingdoms has a 22-day itinerary that costs €3,130, including flights, guide, meals and accommodation. Many thousands also do this independently, but be sure of your season: October to November and mid-march to mid-april 10are best. mirror.co.uk/traveltop10
THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY From €1,400
This iconic journey from Europe to Asia, with great camaraderie on board, has three basic routes – one from Moscow to Vladivostock, and two from Moscow to Beijing. The latter is a good way of reaching the Far East, with possibilities for onward travel into China. These journeys take seven days, unless you make stopovers in Siberia for Lake Baikal and in Mongolia for the Gobi desert. THE DEAL Train expert seat61.com gives all the options for independent travel, and recommends trains. Go to realrussia. co.uk for tickets (€595 in a four-berth sleeper). Or can expand it to an 18-day itinerary with stops, hotels etc and all ticketing done by the Russia Experience from €1,400. mirror.co.uk/traveltop10