The distance is
part of the story.

Melburne → Perth → Melburne

The spelling in my original note was “Melburne,” and we keep it because archaeology should not quietly improve the evidence. 😂

The idea was a 7-day, 6-night caravan journey between Melbourne and Perth, then back again.

That duration was far too short for such an enormous return drive. Its importance was not the practicality of the itinerary. It was the first recovered sign that I liked imagining a journey across a map—and asking how it might work.

Malaysia → Portugal by Slow Train

This plan involved two Malaysian-passport travellers leaving after 10 October to avoid China’s Golden Week peak.

The preferences were clear:

• budget travel;
• slow traditional trains where practical;
• hostels rather than hotels;
• historical attractions first;
• local street food second;
• and time for worthwhile stops and local events.

The European section aimed to cross at least ten countries. The route changed as we investigated borders, trains and worthwhile cities. Those revisions were not failures; they were the planning becoming more honest.

The 50-Litre Reality Check

After drawing a route across continents, I asked whether a 50-litre backpack could hold winter clothing.

That question changed the scale of the problem. A line on a map weighs nothing. A winter jacket does.

The journey became a system of connected constraints: visas, rail timetables, sleeper classes, accommodation, climates, budgets and packing cubes.

We have extensive plans, but this page does not pretend the journey has already happened. For now, it remains an adventure being prepared—one practical question at a time.