London to Mongolia in a Nissan Micra (and a Mark II VW Polo).
Easter 2007 I was stone cold sober in a pub in my home town when a mate of mine from childhood announced he was entering the Mongol Rally, a 10,000 mile drive from London to Ulaanbaatar with the extra bit at the start since he lives in N. Ireland.

"Aye, sounds amazing," I said. "If you get a place and if you need a teammate, just give me a shout." I went back to eating my Tayto Cheese n' Onion and thought no more of it.

A month later I got a phonecall to see if I'd join the team. Much to the chagrin of my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend I accepted immediately. My parents were somewhat horrified but agreed that since I was 31 years old they couldn't really stop me.

And so we went. And it changed my life. And I want to list all the amazing, mad, spectacular and gobsmackingly nuts things I experienced but I barely know where to begin. I've posted here before about DIY car repairs, writing off a bus in Omsk, pushing a Mini over a mountain, sunrise in the Altai mountains, landslides and hailstorms, Ladas full of Chechens, and bribing Ukrainian policemen. The profound sense of liberation that I felt on the journey I am attributing to the freedom of peeing in the wildnerness.

I flew back to London two months later and had a breakdown in Tesco when I realised I could buy more than one type of noodle.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 15 Jul 2011, 22:47, 4 replies)

I celebrate anyone who has the balls to just go "fuck it" and be off. Inspiring and lovely story.

(boozehound is drinking your bar dry, Sat 16 Jul 2011, 8:39, closed)

That's the unemployed for you:
getting rich off tax payers, and taking interesting holidays whenever it suits them.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Sat 16 Jul 2011, 19:56, closed)

I'm setting off next week :)
Thanks again for the advice!
( Aardvark and so at last, I understood, Sat 16 Jul 2011, 17:33, closed)

Mmmmm Tayto
(willydoc, Sun 17 Jul 2011, 1:21, closed)