After much postponing, I booked the Silk Road Grand Caravan through Sundowners (out of Australia). Now there's 4 days to go, and I am dithering over last minute items. Do I need/have room for: a new smaller brighter flashlight, a smaller umbrella, a mug with lid, a towel and should it be new micro fibre, just an old terry rag from home, or maybe 1 or 2 old linen tea towels, a dual voltage charger for my kindle instead of relying on doing it through my laptop? a back-up Australian plug adaptor ….
The Plane Ticket
Carolyn at Mondo Travel pieced together an excellent RTW ticket.
Vancouver to Beijing -- Air China
Istanbul to Frankfurt -- Turkish Airlines
Germany to Iceland to Vancouver -- Icelandic Air
Hence the 2-day stopover in Iceland (add $1,000 to budget for the hotel/tour package that).
Getting the Visas
The visa logistics have been complex and expensive but with help from the wonderful Tunde at SIAT, I have all my visas. After much back and forth and changing of information, it turns out I only need 3 visas in advance. Uzbekistan, Iran, and China. I am taking 6 extra passport photos just in case.
Packing
I am going to 10 countries, and the weather will be cold (Ireshtum Pass, Iceland), hot (China, Iran) and everything in between. Through much of the trip, it will be difficult to get basic OTC meds, toilet paper, etc. There are at least 7 nights on trains (sharing cabins, minimal facilities). Also, I need to be completely shrouded for the Iran portion of the trip.
I am taking my trusty Briggs & Riley 20-inch wide body. I checked out rolling back-packs, but really they are not much bigger than my carry-on or they are as big as my medium Briggs & Riley suitcase. It will be perfect for the train as there is not much space for luggage and I will be able to carry it or roll it across borders if I have to.
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