In light of finally getting the ball rolling on gathering up the necessary Visas, (and the fact that I’m leaving in about 2.5 months) I thought I’d share a bit more about my trip for this fall.


As of right now the plan is as follows:
Fly San Fran –> Helsinki (sometime btwn Sept 20-24)
Helskini –> St Petersburg
Start the Trans-SIberian Railroad ( Trans-Mongolian Line)
Play around in Mongolia before heading to Beijing
Beijing –> Shanghai
Fly Shanghai –> Seoul & visit Theresa (she’s teaching English)!
Seoul –> Osaka

Osaka –> Tokyo
Tokyo –> San Fran (in late Nov)

My brother will be joining me on this little jaunt around the world and we’re still figuring out our exact stops along the railroad (unlike a Eurail Pass scenario, you must pre-destermine your stops along the Trans-Sib and essentially purchase legs of the trip – no jumping on and off at will).

The thing that I love about planning a trip like this is that you start with just a rough idea.  Of places you’ve heard about or have dreamed about visiting.  Of things you’ve always wanted to try or experience.  And then you start to research everything. 


And the more you research, the more things and places you find that sound amazing.  Your initial rough idea starts to look a bit inadequate as you fine-tune your route and the final trip may look very different from the idea you started out with.  But the final trip will be the ideal trip for you.

Needless to say, I am VERY excited about this little adventure!!  My sister and I talked about traveling the Tran-Sib years ago and I am so happy that I’m finally doing it – and with my brother no less!