The Trip: China, Mongolia, Japan and central Asia

NAME: Vicki and Michael Copping

THE TRIP: Three months travelling in China, Mongolia, Japan and central Asia with a stop in Koh Samui before the flight home.

ITINERARY: Two weeks in Beijing, staying in a hutong hotel, then on to Mongolia and Ulaanbaatar, for the city Naadam for a week then two weeks travelling the countryside in a Russian jeep, back to Beijing for a long weekend, then to Tokyo for a week before travelling around the countryside on the shinkansens, back to Tokyo for a few more days, then back to Beijing for another long weekend before starting a trip on the Chinese silk road and into central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan before heading to Bangkok and Koh Samui for some R&R before the flight home.

BEST BITS: Living in a local Chinese area, watching and interacting with the locals at work and play, getting familiar with the city and negotiating transport with minimal language skills to visit sights such as the canal boat to the Summer Palace, the buses to get to the Ming Tombs and the cheap and cheerful underground train system (easy). Experiencing the city and naadams in Mongolia, the free-wheeling nature of travel there on untarmacked roads, just following the sun and dirt tracks, the magnificent and varied countryside. Staying with locals in their beautifully decorated family gers in remote locations. Imagining travelling the Silk Road as an explorer in the 19th century and travelling in remote western China where it is still dark at 8am in summer because there is only one time zone (what a way to keep the local minorities down). The Torugart Pass border crossing, long and arduous but, oh, so remote and, oh, so beautiful. The alpine areas of Kyrgyzstan and the treasures of Khiva, Samarkand and Bukhara. Japan – amazing. Busy, fantastic food, beautiful landscapes. Lovely people.

WORST BITS: None except for maybe having to go for four to five days without a shower when travelling in the Mongolian countryside.

BEST TIP: Just do it. Nobody could be disappointed by any of these destinations.

WHERE TO NEXT: The world is my oyster. Kenya, Nairobi and South Africa in August-September this year but then, who knows?