Hotels
Undoubtedly the most dramatic journey you can ever undertake, circumnavigating the world in 80 days, following in the footsteps of fiction's Phileas Fogg, created by 19th-century author Jules Verne, and M TV globetrotter Michael Palin. This is definitely not a matter of booking long-distance flights that get you back to your starting point in a few days. Instead, you must follow Phileas Fogg's 45,000 km (28,000 mi) route as closely as possible, using only transport methods available in Jules Verne's time.
The journey starts outside the Reform Club in London's pall Mall. To follow Palin's route, take a train to Folkestone, ferry to France and I train to Venice via the Alps, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria. From there, a boat through the Corinth Canal takes in Greece, Crete and Egypt.
After boat-hopping down the Persian Gulf, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, a week on a traditional sailing, , dhow brings you to Mumbai (Bombay), from whence a train across India leads to a sea passage to Singapore and on to Hong Kong. A railway marathon across China to Shanghai is followed by a ferry to Japan, and then a monotonous crossing of the Pacific on a container ship. The journey across the USA is by train. From New York another ship will return you to England and journey's end - Palin made it with a few hours to spare.
There's ample scope for planning an individual itinerary packed with plenty of interesting stops and fascinating sights. Though the basic methods of transport are boat and train, half the fun is finding alternative means of progress. For example, Phileas Fogg travelled by elephant and sledge, whilst Palin rode a camel and took a hot-air balloon trip. Not many have done it, because this really is the epic journey of a lifetime!
HOW
Various!
WHEN TO GO
Any time you can arrange a very long vacation
TIME IT TAKES
80 days (if you don't fall behind Schedule
HIGHLIGHTS
Venice - use a precious day to explore this special city, once a stop on another great journey – the 8,OOO-km (5,OOO-mi) Silk Road linking the Orient with the Mediterranean.
Undoubtedly the most dramatic journey you can ever undertake, circumnavigating the world in 80 days, following in the footsteps of fiction's Phileas Fogg, created by 19th-century author Jules Verne, and M TV globetrotter Michael Palin. This is definitely not a matter of booking long-distance flights that get you back to your starting point in a few days. Instead, you must follow Phileas Fogg's 45,000 km (28,000 mi) route as closely as possible, using only transport methods available in Jules Verne's time.
The journey starts outside the Reform Club in London's pall Mall. To follow Palin's route, take a train to Folkestone, ferry to France and I train to Venice via the Alps, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria. From there, a boat through the Corinth Canal takes in Greece, Crete and Egypt.
After boat-hopping down the Persian Gulf, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, a week on a traditional sailing, , dhow brings you to Mumbai (Bombay), from whence a train across India leads to a sea passage to Singapore and on to Hong Kong. A railway marathon across China to Shanghai is followed by a ferry to Japan, and then a monotonous crossing of the Pacific on a container ship. The journey across the USA is by train. From New York another ship will return you to England and journey's end - Palin made it with a few hours to spare.
There's ample scope for planning an individual itinerary packed with plenty of interesting stops and fascinating sights. Though the basic methods of transport are boat and train, half the fun is finding alternative means of progress. For example, Phileas Fogg travelled by elephant and sledge, whilst Palin rode a camel and took a hot-air balloon trip. Not many have done it, because this really is the epic journey of a lifetime!
HOW
Various!
WHEN TO GO
Any time you can arrange a very long vacation
TIME IT TAKES
80 days (if you don't fall behind Schedule
HIGHLIGHTS
Venice - use a precious day to explore this special city, once a stop on another great journey – the 8,OOO-km (5,OOO-mi) Silk Road linking the Orient with the Mediterranean.
