Overland Made Easy
Posted Sunday, September 16, 2007, 11:51 PM by Lonely Planet
The first OzBus London to Sydney overland trip has just hit the road. Haven't heard about it? OzBus - in return for 3750 of your hard-earned pounds sterling - will pop you in a bus with around 35 other people and take you on a 12-week drive from London through Europe and Asia to Timor, where you'll jump on a plane to Darwin for the drive down to Sydney. It's old-skool as.
Of course, many independent travellers are turning up their noses at what is, essentially, an organised tour. And why not? They and their progenitors have been legging it overland since the 1960s without the help of a bloke with a microphone pointing out the sites. Despite the media-generated excitement about this 'world first travel experience', for some people taking such a short overland trip is about as adventurous as a week on Ko Pha Ngan. And of course there's the cost: you won't have to go far to find someone who'll tell you 45 pounds a day for transport, food and a camping spot is a heinous rip-off and they could do it for less than three.
But you know what? I reckon it's great. Sure, there are plenty among us who are hardcore enough to do this trip themselves. But there are also plenty among us who find the whole thing just too hard, and end up opting for the plane even though we'd rather save the emissions and see the world close-up. OzBus is saying it's possible, it's fun and anyone can do it. Anything that encourages travellers to take it slowly, meet the locals and enjoy the trip rather than pelting their way to the destination; anything that makes travel a journey that you have to plan for and live over a sizeable chunk of your life, rather than a short-break that you've forgotten before you've even paid off the credit card, has got to be a good thing.
- Jane Rawson
Labels: Asia and Pacific, Europe, London, Middle East, Sustainable and responsible tourism, Travelsnitch
Join the Discussion:
4 Comments:
Personally the thought of being bussed across half of the world with a load of Aussie & British backpackers sounds like nothing short of hell. That said - it's an amazing journey and I think it's fantastic that this company is encouraging people to embrace overlanding.
Watch out for Cruise.com... We bought a cruise from them that did not exist. I stuck with airfare and hotel for 3 people.
After hours on the phone and being bounced from"customer service" supervisor to supervisor...They refuse to take responsibility.
I am a travel consultant for a living and have never experienced such treatment.
Please be careful.
Actually I am chick with a microphone..Its also a chick behind the wheel, and there arent that many "backpackers" on board. We are having a fabulous adventure though.
I think this is a really good idea. It's a great way of ensuring you see all the best bits of the countries you visit and you get to meet fellow travellers as well.
Post a Comment
« Read more on the blog homepage