The preparation required for a trip of this nature and magnitude is massive. We have planned this adventure for the best part of three years and realised that you never quite appreciate the scale of the task until you are nearing the end. 

We have separated the different areas of our trip planning into the vehicle, equipment and general.  We hope this part of the website helps other fellow travellers and also provides some insight into the detailed planning required.

It was sad to leave our home and village, but the kids had a special way of saying goodbye...

 
Jessica, Brooke, Luca, Lewis and friend.                               We woke up to this great sign made by Luca.

We’d like to thank our family and friends for all their enthusiasm, support and particularly their hard work before our departure.  You know who you are - however, we’d like to specially mention Ivor Rowe, Lex and Isabel Groves, Andrew Adams and Angela Sheppard, Martin and Kathy Wright, Karen, Paul and Ashley Lea, Robyne and Keith Murfin, Charmaine Joy, John Harrison and Jonathan Rowe. 

We had a festive farewell bash - thanks to everyone who came to wish us well on our way...

Our attempt at a group farewell photo.                                         Sandy with the two Emmas and Nicola.

We both spent the last 6 weeks before our departure working fulltime on the trip.  Our day-to-day life needed to be sorted too - packing up our house and renting it out, finding a new home for our cats (Kilimanjaro and Tokolosh) and saying goodbye to friends and family, which was especially difficult.

Martin, Michael, Kathy, Sandy, Conor, Melissa and Niamh.

Andrew, Keith, Robyne, Charmaine, Sandy, Ashley, Karen, Ivor and Michael.

Andrew, Angela, Isabel and Lex.

Ivor, Sandy and Michael.

Michael, Sandy and Angela getting ready for  a last farewell celebration.