Here’s what I learnt on an 8,000-mile rail journey from England to the Taj Mahal

When I spoke to Nick Pulley, a few weeks after he returned from his epic no-fly trip, he still had his out-of-office on—literally and in mind, it seems. Anyone who’s had any sort of life-changing or transformative travel experience will relate to the comedown that accompanies an extraordinary travel high; this one from a trip that saw Pulley, founder of Asia specialist tour operator Selective Asia, take the train from his hometown of Brighton, England through Europe and into Iran, Pakistan and India.

His journey technically started years ago as a 17-year-old backpacker who fell in love with Southeast Asia, a region he’s regularly returned to and lived in. His adventures have seen him travel from the heat of Namibia to the chills of the Canadian Arctic, but Asia has remained his first love. Inspired by people and place, he tells us what he learned over two months on a transcontinental adventure of 8,000 miles (12,880 kilometers).

Journaling keeps the memories alive

“It’s hard to come down to earth after such a trip. The first few days, I hadn’t really unpacked—physically or metaphorically—so it was great to go through photos or come across things in my bag that I’d picked up. I loved those triggers and reminders.

Writing a blog helped me compartmentalize the multiple experiences I had. Before I left, I’d listed out some strands that I knew would be obvious talking points, but mostly, I waited for the moments to come along. I was certainly never short of anything to write about. Some experiences just made it ridiculously easy—I mean, if you meet the Dalai Lama, there’s no ‘Oh, what am I going to write about this week?’”

“People were by far the highlight of my trip—and from a destination perspective, Iran, hands down. I’d go back in a heartbeat. People are not their government.”

Freedom comes in many different forms

“Old-school backpacking with no time constraints, wasn’t quite what I was doing here; I’d say that was one of the very few downsides. Yes, I had so many experiences but what I didn’t have endless amounts of was time, and the flexibility to go with the flow, as I had a schedule.

But in a way, it was also lovely to know where I’d be. Everyone thought I was mad; how was I going to make all these connections to the minute? After Istanbul, I had a rough idea of where I’d go; it wasn’t all locked down, but I did have specific dates for Iran. And in the end, Pakistan ended up having the ‘flexibility’—not because I wanted it but because we were kept at the border for five days before traveling under military escort. So you know, best laid plans…”

‘Hyper-slow travel’: I learnt to travel slow… fast

“While I wasn’t traveling slowly due to time constraints—the Iran tour was guided and the dates set in stone—my mindset was a slow travel mindset. And that was down to the mode of transport which was absolutely critical to the experience. It’s not just the amount of time you spend somewhere that makes it slow travel; it’s taking time to get between places.

The relationship you have with the world outside when you’re on a train is so different to any other mode of transport. You’ve got space, you can get up, walk around, you have huge windows that connect you to the changing landscape. And you meet so many people; you all know you have a concise amount of time with each other so you break down barriers very quickly.

And at the other end, I’m not getting off, jumping in a cab, and going to a pre-booked hotel. I’m getting off, finding a bite to eat because it’s late at night, talking to someone. It felt slow and spontaneous. I know it wasn’t classic slow travel, but instead, I was fast-forwarding to those deeper benefits.”

Overlanding is wonderful

“Sometimes we forget or don’t appreciate how much fun it is to travel between places—that gets lost in our desire to get to places, where travel becomes a hit list. You end up not even thinking about the things in between, like waiting at a station platform—they become an inconvenience.

But focusing on being present was a very deliberate thing and I benefited from it a lot. It wasn’t easy initially because I was often thinking ahead, for example, how much I was looking forward to Isfahan in Iran or the mountains of Pakistan. But as soon as my mind drifted, I pulled it back.”

Don't make all your travel decisions based on preconceived ideas

“There are so many preconceptions about places. Sometimes, I feel we live in this ivory tower, where we only believe the narrative we’re given, be it by media or government.

I certainly realized I was projecting what I thought people were thinking about me. When I caught someone staring at me, I saw anger or suspicion in their face, but after a day or two, when I smiled, they smiled back. People were by far the highlight of my trip—and from a destination perspective, Iran, hands down. I’d go back in a heartbeat. People are not their government.

As a tour operator, I’d encourage clients, when necessary, to look beyond the headlines and social media streams when it comes to making decisions on the places they visit because there are valid alternative narratives that should be included in decision-making.”

“I also believe it’s our duty as travelers to represent the travel community correctly because so many places have been trashed by the deeper impact of tourism.”

A good guide is worth their weight in gold

“Particularly when time is short, a great guide can fast-track you in the best way. It can be fun feeling around the edges when time is on your side, but sometimes that’s not feasible.

We got very lucky with our guide in Romania—Lucius had been a guide for years and had led an interesting life, from competitive ski touring to serving in the military during the downfall of dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu. I left Romania feeling I’d toured the entire country from a historical and a cultural perspective.”

Sustainable travel is about breaking down the cultural divide too

“One of the things that shone through during my time in Iran was when we think about responsible travel, we think about sustainability, spread of wealth, etc. But it’s so much about breaking down cultural divides and that doesn’t get enough coverage.

In one place in Iran, a tiny desert lodge, we were the owner’s only guests in the last month or so, because of outside perception—they’d usually be full all summer with domestic and Middle Eastern tourists. The effect of geopolitical games on people is staggering.”

The locals owe us nothing

“It’s still a tiny pool of individuals who travel, so when people complain the streets are dirty or a view was spoiled by another building going up, it’s nonsensical. Developing or developed countries want to advance every bit as much as anyone; you can’t rubbish a place because it doesn’t have the ‘authenticity’ you wanted. Much of that is down to travel companies to accurately represent people; it’s a two-way relationship.

I also believe it’s our duty as travelers to represent the travel community correctly because so many places have been trashed by the deeper impact of tourism—health, pollution, living standards for locals, or locals not even being able to live there at all.”

The best bits aren’t always what you expect

“Many of us have become very sanitized and we have this expectation of things running smoothly, especially when we travel to see a place we’ve already seen someone else see. But the best bits of this trip were some of the things that went wrong.”

…But some experiences are every bit as epic as you imagine

“Seeing the Dalai Lama was otherworldly; it felt so warm and there’s an aura there. I talked mostly to the Abbot of the Dalai Lama Monastery who’s about 70 and had also crossed the Himalayas at the age of 11. The Dalai Lama was sat further back but still making jokes—he still has that sense of humor and playfulness.

I just tried to take in every single moment, as I’d done the whole trip. I remember looking at the Dalai Lama in the eye and, whatever it was, I had an immediate feeling of he gets me, sees me, understands me. I was definitely floating for a few days. And in a way, I still am.”

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