Traveling The World At Ground Level

I've blogged about the OzBus before (going through 20 countries in 12 weeks from London to Sydney).  It looks like they aren't the only company offering this kind of adventure travel:

Ozbus, a company offering a long-distance overland service from London to Sydney, began operations last month. The 12-week trip across the world includes activities in 20 different countries and every terrain from deserts to rain forests.

The itinerary includes stops in Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar and Malaysia, although the schedule may change because of political and environmental conditions. Geared toward backpackers (half the nights are spent camping), the trip involves one short flight, from East Timor to Darwin, although Mark Creasey, the company's founder, said he was trying to find space for his group aboard a ship.

The next trip leaves on Sept. 17 and arrives in Sydney on Dec. 9. The cost is £3,750 a person, about $7,350, at $1.99 to the pound. Information: www.oz-bus.com.

Intrepid Travel is an Australian tourism company that is offering a 130-day trip from Singapore to Paris called To the End of the Earth and Back. Once in Singapore, travelers will journey by bus, boat, rickshaws, trains and even elephants through Asia (above) and will take the Trans Mongolian Express from Beijing to Moscow. Travelers will spend one night in a Mongolian ger, a type of tent, and all other nights in hotels or with local families. The trip's price starts at $12,410 a person (plus $1,300 in local payments); www.intrepidtravel.com/endearth.

Dragoman Overland is offering a relatively short trip (25 days) from Mexico City to Antigua, called Temples to Tequila, departing April 23. Travelers will see the temples of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. The trip also includes jungle walks, cave diving and sea kayaking. Accommodations are about 20 percent camping and 80 percent budget hotels. The cost is £221 a week; www.dragoman.com.

I would so love to do this!  Maybe I can figure out a way to combine that into a research project?  After all, traveling is the way to learn social science.