THE ROUTE

Travelling has always been about stretching the mind. Anyone who's spent a few months away from home will tell you that you learn as much about yourself as you do other people. "It's the journey stupid not the destination" is every hippy's cliche but maybe they're right.

Sure you discover new sights, new smells and new sounds but it's the emotions you go through when seeing how people do things differently that provide the real Aha. Perhaps travelling, after all, is all in the mind.

James Derry and Gareth Easter have taken that theme and revved it up. They are setting out on the ultimate journey of the mind. "Around The World In 80 Ways" could also be read as 'Around the World in 80 States'. On this website they will chart their journey not just in trains, on boats, camels or rollerblades but in emotional states too. Around The World Angry, Sad, Flirty, "Did I Leave The Oven On," Stressed, Annoyed, Scared, Randy, Quioxtic, In Love, Happy, Depressed, Jealous, Perplexed, Philisophical and Sassy.

In fact you name it and they'll try it on. And they'll use this website to tell you about it to chart their route and to chart their moods.

The journey begins by boat, on the Queen Mary 2, from the UK to the US. By car across the States, via French speaking Canada, then on to the famous Route 66 which starts in Chicago. They will visit Roswell, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and on into Mexico, Central America. Skipping Colombia (too dangerous) by sailing from Panama via somewhere(?) to Venezuela, and then on overland round the top of South America, all the way down to Terra del Fuego in Argentina and the South Pole.

Subsequently it will be back up through Chile, across the Pacific via the various islands, over to New Zealand, Tasmania, Australia, and up through the various islands/countries of the Far East. Logically they would continue to head North, but a visit to Bhutan is essential, so they will head west through China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and up to Bhutan. Hopefully it will then be over the top to Tibet, through China to Mongolia and then East again to Korea and Japan. Russia follows, with the trans-Siberian express to Moscow.

The Eastern European section is next, with a visit to Scandinavia and then back to Blighty, probably through Germany, The Netherlands and by Euro Star to our Waterloo.

They want to try and do as many of the classic journeys as possible e.g. transatlantic, route 66, trans Siberian express. Having been given the book 'A thousand places to see before you die', they are going to try and do as many of those as possible too.