WhirledAway
Overland adventuring
Hi, I'm Sarah.
I’m a long-time traveler and part-time wanderer, with a love of remote places and empty spaces. I’ve got a borderline obsession with borders and will go to great lengths and a lot of personal discomfort to travel overland as much as possible.
For me the journey itself is not just a means to an end. It’s the actual traveling part of travel, that really counts. And that’s what this blog is all about: real, overland travel in unusual places.
Head over to the About page to find out more, or get in touch with me!
Hi, I'm Sarah.
I’m a long-time traveler and part-time wanderer, with a love of remote places and empty spaces. I’ve got a borderline obsession with borders and will go to great lengths and a lot of personal discomfort to travel overland as much as possible.
For me the journey itself is not just a means to an end. It’s the actual traveling part of travel, that really counts.
And that’s what this blog is all about: real, overland travel in unusual places.
Head over to the About page to find out more, or get in touch with me!
Stories from the road
...less traveled
A tale of two borders: China to Pakistan via Xinjiang
Travelling by road from Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan through Xinjiang in western China: checkpoints, surveillance, checkpoints, questions, and more checkpoints.
Islamabad and Peshawar, one way or another
We travelled by road in Pakistan from Gilgit to Islamabad on the night bus in the mountains. Then we carried on to Peshawar – for a total change of scenery.
Noble silence: a three day meditation retreat in Ladakh
What could be better than three days of total quiet? Here’s my take on what it’s like to attend a three-day silent meditation retreat in Ladakh, plus info on where to sign up, accommodation, costs and transportation.
Guides and itineraries
Since I’m a nerd and I take a lot of notes which I then enjoy organizing, I’ve also put together travel guides and itineraries.
And I’m a border-fetishist (is that a thing?). So you’ll find plenty of posts where I attempt to explain the intricacies of some of the more complicated borders I’ve come across.
Because sometimes it’s nice to actually know a few things in advance.
Traveling the Tanzanian coast: by road from north to south
It’s easy to get off-the-beaten-path in Tanzania – just travel along the coast by road. From top to bottom – Kenya to Mozambique – here’s our route.
Crossing the border from Gabon (Ndende) to Republic of Congo (Dolisie)
Here’s what you can expect when you travel by road – on public transport, no less – between Gabon and Republic of Congo. Buckle up, buttercup. Just kidding, you won’t find a seatbelt.
Crossing the border between DR Congo (Lufu) and Angola (Luvo)
After being all but closed to outsiders for many years, and implementing a highly restrictive visa policy after that, Angola is now visa-free for many nationalities. Crossing the border from DRC is easy. Delightful, even, in comparison with the bus trip from Kinshasa to Matadi that we undertook first.
Going the extra mile...
I like traveling by road from one country to the next – overland travel, which you’ll probably notice is the main focus of this blog. This obsession has led to me spending an abnormal amount of time on buses, bush taxis, motorbikes, rickshaws, night trains, cargo ships…you name it.
As the saying goes, ‘Suffering is half the fun’…no wait, that’s not it.
Taking the ferry from Egypt (Safaga) to Saudi Arabia (Duba)
A couple of locals we talked to in Cairo and Alexandria hinted at there being ferries to Saudi Arabia from Hurghada or other places in Egypt, but no one knew much about it. Any sort of ticketing or travel agent we asked said no such thing existed and tried to sell us flights to Riyadh. That only strengthened our resolve and we were determined, Insh’Allah, to arrive in Saudi Arabia by ferry.
Riding the TAZARA train: cross-border from Zambia to Tanzania
This post is about our experience aboard the TAZARA train, traveling from Zambia (New Kapiri Mposhi) to Tanzania (Dar es Salaam). It’s a guide to whatever you need to know to take the same journey, and what awaits you along the way. And – if you’re in the neighbourhood, then you should definitely take this journey.
Extreme journeys: riding Mauritania’s iron ore train
I hauled myself up the ladder with a bit of extra momentum, and landed on a pile of scratchy black powder. Oyv climbed up too and we stood on top of the heap of iron ore in wagon six. The train rumbled to life underneath us and slowly pulled away. Gradually it picked up speed, and we chugged towards the coast. Sixteen hours overnight through the Sahara, all alone under the stars, on top of a train.
Roadtripping
Much as I’m all for public transport….there’s definitely something to be said for having your own wheels.
Some favourites: wild camping in Mongolia, a spin in Southern Africa, adventures in the sand in Oman, and the Pamir highway from end-to-end. Under the Destinations in question you can find stories and our detailed guides with all the planning that went into these trips.
Roadtripping in Mongolia: an off-road adventure
Maybe it’s just me, but the first word that comes to mind when I think of Mongolia is ‘hordes’. But for a place once famously home to all sorts of hordes, it’s pretty empty now. Actually, it’s the least densely populated country on earth. The Gobi desert, the endless steppe, the taiga – all that vast emptiness – waiting to be explored.
Self-driving roadtrip and camping in Oman – itinerary and planning
If you like road trips then this one’s got it all. Thinking about taking it on? Or maybe you’re thinking ‘what’s a wadi?’ In this post I’ve outlined our 12-day self-driving itinerary, and lots of info to help you plan your own road trip in Oman. And where to find all the best wadis, of course.
Home is where the car is: a roadtrip in Southern Africa
From meerkats to lions and everything in between – puff adders come to mind – roadtripping and camping in southern Africa is next-level. It took us exactly one camp cooking session and a single night in the roof tent to start considering stealing the truck ourselves and becoming vanlifers.
Destinations
Head on over to Destinations to find all the countries I’ve written about (so far). Or just pick a region here.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll find some inspiration for that next big trip.