Over the Threshold

The last two Windy 500 trips have certainly been eventful. Enormous fun, with a great bunch of people, fantastic sights and experiences right across the Continent. From the Tatras Mountains in Slovakia, the hot springs in Hungary, the wild camping on the Transfagasaran Highway and the sweltering heat of Greece in June. Venice, Prague, Amsterdam and a few back roads in between, then last years jaunt through the fjords on Norway and Sweden. Brilliant, brilliant experiences. So, what next ?

Ngoro Ngoro Crater, Sweden

Belgium.  

The germs of the idea for this latest escapade came about several years back, unsurprisingly after a few drinks. Jo and I were at a colleagues wedding in Dorchester and, not knowing many people, we were talking amongst ourselves. Travel mainly. Adventure tourism. Taking groups of people on the sort of trips that we loved to do. Perhaps not in the squalid conditions that we had put up with previously in the name of saving a few quid (I mean, if you pay $5 for a room in Costa Rica do you really expect it not to be in a swamp ?).

I've organised group trips to foreign parts before. In 2007 I took 14 people (well, 15 including the foetus Jo was carrying) to Borneo, via Hong Kong. Add on the planning of our 3 month career break in Central America and backpacking honeymoon in Tanzania, not to mention smaller trips to Morocco, Thailand and Cambodia. Surely planning a foreign trip for a group shouldn't be much of a problem. Unless of course I deliberately try to make it more of a challenge by making it a mystery tour....

Bromley. We aren't going there.

The real challenge was getting people to trust me as a fledgling tour organiser. I've not done this sort of thing on a professional basis before. Also, getting people to trust me to book everything, from flights, transport and accommodation, without them even knowing where in the World we are going ! So, in true Windy tradition, we set off in 2 weeks for the airport. 14 of us in total and most don't even know which continent they will land in, let alone which country or countries we shall be visiting.


Getting people inoculated has taken some thought. Hopefully they didn't look at the sealed letters and hopefully the medical practitioners weren't leaky. I think we are ok. Some will have an opportunity tonight to ply me with alcohol and try to extract information. I won't break though....

Jezebel (or as she was rechristened in Scandinavia "That Sodding Van") is remaining at home. I have replaced her on this trip with a new rucksack. I haven't packed yet. Plenty of time. I'll probably do it in a mad panic with 20 minutes to go. It's more fun that way.

Skegness. Nope, probably not there either.

We have the usual mixed bag of merry travelers on this first Windy goes Global. Jo is even bringing her foetus again if we can drag him away from the T.V. All (hopefully) are now fully protected against everything from malaria and typhoid to hepatitis, nappy rash and mange. All with keen sense of adventure and passports to hand, ready to be led over the threshold of Europe and out in the wild unknown lands beyond. Saddle up my brave Windy adventurers, let's go and see the World !