Jemma and James are trading in their routine for a two-year road trip, leaving Porthcawl on August 24 with a ferry to France and a route that could stretch 15,000 miles across Europe and Central Asia to China.
The couple, who expect the journey to last between 18 months and two years, have spent months turning a van into an off-road home. Their planned route could take them through Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan before, if everything falls into place, reaching China.
A long-held dream
Their love of van life began six years ago when they bought their first campervan. Jemma, who has just finished working as a teacher, said: “We’ve been really passionate about van life for the past six years now, since we first had our campervan. We’re both really busy with our working lives and then every weekend is a holiday. We just love that escapism.”
They used school holidays to explore Europe, but always found it hard to return. “Fortunately James was able to take off the same time as me,” Jemma said. “During the school holidays we would go all around Europe having the time of our lives. It would always be a bit depressing coming back afterwards and having to go to work.”
Taking the leap
The pair always planned a bigger adventure, but did not want to wait until retirement. “We hatched a plan that we would take some time off at some point to go on a huge adventure,” Jemma said. “We sat down and had a conversation reflecting, and just said we don’t know what’s around the corner. Let’s just do it now while we’ve got the opportunity and then we can resume real life afterwards and get back to our careers.”
After experiencing personal loss, their priorities shifted. “We’ve learnt the hard way that life is short and you really don’t know what time you’ve got,” Jemma said. “When you lose people you love it changes you as a person and you prioritise different things.”
On the Silk Road
The journey is inspired by the ancient Silk Road, the historic network of trade routes connecting East and West. “The main purpose of the journey is because I’ve always wanted to do the ancient Great Silk Road,” Jemma said. “We watched other people’s YouTube videos and it looks phenomenal. The scenery looks so breath-taking.”
James, originally from the Rhondda Valleys, is particularly excited about tackling parts of the Pamir Highway, one of the world’s most remote and dramatic roads. “We’ve done lots of research and we believe we can do parts of that,” he said. “So that’s the goal and challenge. Hopefully that would end up in us getting to China.” If they make it that far, they hope to join an overlanding group for the final stage into China.
Building the expedition van
Their home for the trip has been more than a year in the making. They swapped their Volkswagen Transporter for a larger Volkswagen Crafter, with James converting the former white van into a fully equipped expedition vehicle. “We knew we wanted to go bigger so we could spend more time comfortably in it, so we saved and saved and saved,” Jemma said. “We worked our socks off, watching YouTube videos and learning how to modify it and improve it and make it capable of travelling thousands of miles safely with us inside.”
The four-wheel-drive van has been lifted for higher ground clearance and fitted with traction boards, a recovery shovel, skid plates, a snorkel, a rear wheel carrier, locker and ladder. James explained: “I’ve put traction boards on the side so we can recover ourselves, a recovery shovel, lots of bits and pieces like that. We’ve lifted the vehicle so the suspension is higher and we have more ground clearance. We’ve fitted an ARB compressor so we can air up and air down the tyres.”
“The electrics and everything for the van itself so we can live in it is a completely off-grid set up,” James said. “We have solar panels so we can run off solar energy and be completely self-sufficient.” Jemma added: “We’ve even got a LifeSaver (water purifier) so we can collect water from a river or pond in case we are really stuck and that filtration system will enable us to drink it straight away.” Inside is a compact kitchen with a two-hob burner, air fryer and outdoor barbecue equipment. “I’m going to pack the boot with so much pasta and sauce you won’t believe!” Jemma said.
The route east
Getting ready has not been without problems. “The biggest challenge is ensuring the vehicle is mechanically sound,” Jemma said. “We are just putting our blood, sweat and tears into getting it ready. Obviously we are going to encounter problems but we are trying to prevent as much as possible.” James added: “Because it’s a four-by-four you’ve got to service the gearbox, service the Haldex system, you’ve got to do a regular service as well - your oils, your air filters and everything like that - which I can do, but it’s never ending. We’ve had a fuel leak recently so it’s in the garage now getting that sorted before we go.”
Their route is flexible and could change with weather, borders and world events. They plan to travel through France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and Greece before reaching Turkey, then on through Georgia and Azerbaijan. After a cargo ferry across the Caspian Sea, they would explore Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
“The worry with the Caspian Sea crossing is that the ferry is very unreliable,” Jemma said. “It could be weeks for a ferry because they only go when they’re full. Also it’s more of a freight transit, so you can’t be with the van and the van will be my home, so that’s really daunting for me.”
Life together on the road
Despite the scale of the trip, the couple are confident about sharing a small space. They have already spent weeks at a time in their previous campervan. “A lot of people have assumed we have just decided this in the spur of the moment,” Jemma said. “But we have been living in a little van together in a confined space for six weeks at a time and we are so used to it. We just love it. We are best friends, so that helps.”
James joked: “We are attached at the hip anyway.” Jemma added: “I am a passenger princess, James is the driver. I will be chief navigator and snack provider.”
They are most looking forward to new landscapes. Jemma said the thought of Cappadocia in Turkey, where hot air balloons rise above the valleys, makes her emotional. “I feel emotional even thinking about that,” she said. James is drawn to the remoteness of Central Asia: “I’m looking forward to the total remoteness of everything. People will get to see it, but we will be able to experience it and see it in person.”
Sharing the adventure
The couple will document the trip on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook under the username Vantasyadventures, partly to inspire others and help fund their travels. “It is out of our comfort zone as we are private people,” Jemma said. “It is a big step to put it out there. It is really daunting speaking on camera but I just thought ‘why not?’ I would be documenting it anyway and I love taking videos.”
Their message is simple: “Just go for it,” Jemma said. “If it doesn’t work, at least you’ve tried. I think the best adventures happen if you’re willing to take a bit of a risk, so we’re going for it.”
