Part of why I love flying is that you can step on a 'plane and, a few hours later, find yourself somewhere so completely different that you may as well have been deposited on another planet. To be so far away and yet so close to the wonders of this world is truly a marvel of our modern age.

This is also mainly the reason for why, on this next adventure, I have decided to do as much travelling as possible on land or sea.

Imagine standing on the southern tip of Vietnam, or at the base of Everest, or among the backwaters of Kerala knowing that you will have arrived there by passing through every mile along the way, witnessing the change from Russian steppe to Chinese mountain and from Cambodian delta to Indian desert.

What better way to feel connected to our immense, diverse and beautiful planet?