Hey all! Well, delving into the story of Dhaka to Dakar 2023 is actually one that makes me a bit overwhelmed as to what and how to present the experiences to you. So anyways I thought I would start by summarising it with a few lists. Let’s start with the lowdown.
1/ 17 Countries visited – in order – Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal.
2/ 5 New Countries – Oman, Saudi Arabia, North Macedonia, Albania and Mauritania
3/ 9 Visas Required – Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt, Mauritania (on arrival) & Senegal.
4/ Favourite Country – Have been asked time and time again and I struggle to answer this questions, but I’ve settled on a tie between Senegal and Pakistan
5/ Least Favourite Country – A much easier question, the answer is Egypt but I don’t regret going there.
6/ Longest stay (country) – 10 nights in Pakistan
7/ Shortest Stay – Spain where I spent just over 24 hours travelling from north to south in that time. Crossed the border 9 – 10pm on night and left on a ferry 1030pm the next night.
8/ Countries I had a Big Mac (for my Big Mac Challenge in the vlogs) – Pakistan, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, Bulgaria, Italy, France and Morocco. India has McDonald’s but does not have the Big Mac, Spain I wasn’t in long enough to even see a McDonald’s, and Bangladesh, North Macedonia, Albania, Mauritania and Senegal are McDonald’s FREE!
9/ 10 Land borders crossed – India to Pakistan, Oman to UAE, UAE to Saudi Arabia, Türkiye to Bulgaria, Bulgaria to North Macedonia, North Macedonia to Albania, Italy to France, France to Spain, Morocco/Western Sahara to Mauritania, Mauritania to Senegal.
10/ 2 Sea Crossings – Albania to Italy, Spain to Morocco
11/ 9 Airlines Flown – Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Indigo, Oman Air, Saudia, Egypt Air, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad
12/ Total Distance covered from Dhaka to Dakar (not including flying from home or back home) – 21610 kilometres
Ok folks, well there’s a start for you! Of course there is much more ahead and I’ll do my best to dissect the adventure plus give some tips and reviews and all that jazz lol! Thanks for popping by, take care wherever you may be in world, and naturally, May the Journey Never End!
Andy's World Journeys 
Interesting stuff. Apart from the challenge, is it a good way to visit a country or are the time and itinerary constraints too burdensome? Are there any countries you’d like to go back to and see more of?
The tine constraints were definitely an issue. Most of the places I went though I had already visited previously and for this trip it was really about the travel and the journey. Ideally I would have liked twice as long but it came down to how much time off I had owing. In a couple of years I’ll be due all things going well my long service and I am planning to bunker down a.month here and a month there at the moment. I definitely want to explore more.of Albania and the Balkans after having just a taste this year. I’ve been to a number of countries in that region before but there’s so much more to explore. Haven’t really delved into Croatia and I want to stay at Lake ohrid in Macedonia. Possibly spend more time in Turkey. Having said that some countries I returned to I feel like I do t have a strong desire to ever go back. Egypt for example. But never say never…
I agree that the Balkans are the newest part of Europe, with countries still in the process of forming. Although tourist facilities have existed for a long time, they were mainly aimed at visitors from Eastern Europe, so there’s a breath of fresh air here. Ohrid, for example, is certainly a good stop-off point, with a wide range of accommodation in a town that has not yet been modernised too much.
Glad to hear Pakistan was your favourite, we’ll be there in a month, although a very different trip than yours. Maggie
Heading to… the north? I hear it’s brilliant up there but hard for travel in February when I was in Pakistan 🇵🇰 you’ll love it! Thanks for popping by!
Yes, K2 basecamp, Hunza Valley, and a few more spots.
Such an amazing site.
Thanks for popping in!
Love seeing the stats, Andy – what an incredible trip!
Cheers! It was a great adventure!
Impressive stats!great that you visited some new countries too.really, no McDonald’s in Macedonia?
This is true at least for now none in Macedonia or Albania. However they have a few burger kings! Thanks for popping by!
21610 kilometres says it all. What is it if you include the travel to and from Australia? Probably the average person’s ten year tally of travel! Having seeing some of your videos, I get the draw of Senegal. Thanks to you I have become quite interested in it. May even attempt to visit in the future!
I don’t know what it would be probably close to double as its over 8000km melb to Dhaka thanks for all your support Lynda!