Planning

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Ok, less than 4 months to go now and after planning since late November we think we've researched and know everything we need to sort out. The problem now is actually doing it. Researching bit by bit we've come to realise and accept that parts of the trip are going to be incredibly challenging. We just hope Adelle up in Blackpool has been doing the same otherwise she's going to be in for a huge shock when we reveal it to her all in one go!

Things that need to be sorted still are; Finances - i haven't got any money! I'm working a second job on weekends as a delivery driver for Perfect Pizza to bring in extra cash, but i still think i'm going to be short at the moment. Vehicle - We're looking to buy the car in the next few weeks, none of us know anything about cars but we're settled on a 4x4 in the price range of £2,500 - £4,000. Getting the car soon is important because then we can look into insuring it, and we need a license plate for applying for some of our visas. Visas - We can't apply for these until 3 months before we are due to be in each country so for now we've just got to sit and wait. Incidentally, i still need to sort my passport out as i accidentally washed my last one. Maps - We've mapped out a rough route but will need more detailed ones once we are on route, although we've heard that it will be cheaper to buy the neccessary maps once we arrive in each country. Jabs - Nance is of getting her jabs as i write this so i'm waiting to see what sort of condition she turns up in this afternoon, but i've not got mine until the end of the month, until then i don't know exactly which jabs i will need.

Problems we are facing at the moment, are getting into Russia with ease, we think we are going to need an invitation and it could be tight timewise for us to get through the country in 30 days. Mongolia doesn't seem to have any roads so this could prove tricky and China has plenty of roads but we are not allowed to drive on them. We are currently looking at getting a guide to drive with us and sort out our neccessary paperwork for us but the cheapest quotes so far have been about £1,200 each. I'm going to need a third job!

Other things we need to start looking at in more detail are exactly what sort of equipment we need to take with us although a lot of this will depend on finances. We are going to need to fit in clothes that will be suitable for weather ranging from -40 degress to + 40 degrees all in one backpack! We also want to take food supplies with us for days when we are out in the wilderness and cannot get to any services.

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Comments

[Jen]

China
OMG! I can't believe you can't drive in China - that's crazy. That's really going to add an unnecessary expense to your trip, what a pain.