I am planning a little trip.

A 6 month trip to Tokyo by rail through Europe and Russia with a ferry from Russia to Japan.

I have always had a hankering to follow in Paul Theroux's footsteps in the tradition of 'The Great Railway Bazaar' and 'Ghost Train To The Eastern Star' but venturing too far East these days is not easy and fraught with hassle. I don't do hassle anymore.

The idea is I buy a mixture of European Rail Passes and Point-to-Point tickets and just go where the fancy takes me. One site I found that was very useful is:  Mark Smith's - The Man in Seat 61. An absolute oracle on European and world rail travel.

I am looking to do it in 2015 or possibly the following year.  Start off from Ashford International to Paris, then through France, Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia, Russia. Once in Russia it is the Trans-Siberian to Vladivostok and then ferry to Japan and finally train to Tokyo.

The return trip is a reverse of the Russia to Japan but once back in Moscow it is on to Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and back to Ashford. Lots of planning to do obviously but plan to keep it simple and lightweight.

Be nice if it all comes together.