Let’s Discuss: Can You Drive Around the World?
The invention of the automobile a century ago had revolutionized many things. Traveling is one of them. It encouraged people to explore distant, remote places that they could not think of touring earlier. Motor vehicles had extended the scope of day-traveling, long road trips, and even multi-day tours. Nowadays, it’s not unusual to hop into your favorite car and go on a trip across the country. But can you drive around the world in your motor vehicle?
The plan of driving around the world sounds ambitious. But human beings have always had a taste for doing things that are difficult and impossible. The attempt to travel the world by car is more common than people think.
Is It Possible to Drive Around the World?
This question begets a couple of other questions. It is not possible if you want to stick to motor vehicles. There are some places that you cannot travel across without using other means of transportation.
Driving across the world can happen in two ways. You can buy/sell or at least rent vehicles along the way. This will allow you to cross the oceans without any trouble and skipping the turbulent regions by flying over them.
Another way is to drive the same car all along the way. Even if you don’t want to fly in an airplane, crossing the Pacific and Atlantic will require boarding on freight ships.
How Long Would It Take to Drive Around the World?
There is no definitive answer to that question because the duration of the journey depends on plenty of factors.
The earth is approximately 25,000 miles at its largest. If you imagine a highway straight around the world where you can drive at 50 m/h without taking a break, it will take 21 days (500 hours to be precise) to cover that distance.
However, this is just a hypothetical calculation. It is likely to take 3 to 4 months given that you have to cross borders, arrange visas and other documents, battle bad weather, find gas and food, need rest and sleep, and many more things.
There could be plenty of unexpected obstacles like extreme weather, terrible roads, engine failures, unavailability of fuel, and others. These things can set you back for hours and days.
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In fact, attempting to travel around the world by driving is not a modern trend. The classic from Joules Verne Around the World in Eighty Days proves that people have thought about it a long time ago.
Attempting to do this by car started at the beginning of the twentieth century. A car race from Beijing to Paris was arranged in 1907. Two men from Prague drove across the world in 1936 and it took them 97 days.
Drive Around the World Route
To drive around the world, you cannot plan a route that does not involve crossing a water body like a river, sea, or ocean.
For example, both South and North America don’t have any land borders with Europe or Russia. You can drive through Europe and cross the former Soviet Union region after starting your journey from Spain.
Driving through the USSR will bring you close to Alaska but you will have to cross a sea to reach there. Then, embark on a road journey across Canada to the Atlantic coast. Your last step will be to get back to mainland Europe after crossing the Atlantic by a ship.