'We didn't see a single car or person for over half an hour': Couple who went on 100-day road trip share highs and lows

It's been an exciting few months for Jeremy See and his wife, who recently completed a 100-day road trip from London to Singapore. 

During this trip, they explored 23 countries and met people from all walks of life. 

"It feels surreal. What felt like an impossible trip across 23 countries was not only possible but completed successfully without any major issues," the 47-year-old, who returned to Singapore on Nov 10, told AsiaOne. 

But this didn't mean that the couple didn't have any hurdles to jump through. 

Immigration, narrow mountain roads and not a single person for miles 

With every country that the couple ticked off their list came another immigration clearance they had to go through. 

And each round of this was nerve-racking. 

"At many border crossings, we often felt like the journey would end. The immigration and customs officer kept asking for more documentation, checking our car, and the language barrier didn't help," Jeremy shared. 

It also didn't help that many border offices close early. 

"If we don't clear one side, we will be stuck between borders in no man's land," revealed Jeremy. 

Another issue was fuel rationing and lack of quality petrol in areas like Iran and Central Asia. 

Luckily enough, the couple had brought along some octane boosters which helped improve the quality of fuel.

They also had problems with fuel in China as they were not allowed to enter the gas station without a local ID. 

"Thankfully, we had help and we got the fuel we needed," said Jeremy gratefully. 

Petrol aside, the couple also shared that road conditions made their long drives a little harder. 

"We also had to drive on mountain roads, which were in really bad shape, ridiculously narrow and prone to mudslides

"We could see many vehicles that have rolled many thousands of feet to the foot of the mountains. The narrow roads meant there's no turning back. But we went slow and made sure we didn't fall asleep at the wheel with good music, snacks and drinks," recounted Jeremy. 

During this trip, the couple took the phrase "the road less travelled" quite literally, and found themselves in many places that tourists do not usually frequent. 

Some of these were pretty secluded and didn't even have locals. 

"At a few places, we didn't see a single car or person for more than half an hour, and there was no cellular reception," revealed Jeremy. 

"We were afraid, but we just kept our eyes on the road and soldiered on. We had food and water with us that will tide us over for awhile if we get stuck for any reasons." 

And though they found themselves in some pretty lonely places, they didn't feel homesick at all. 

"With video calls and the sense of adventure fuelling us, we didn't get homesick. But we did get sick twice as we had to wake up early every day to ensure we get to our next destination before dark," shared Jeremy, adding that the constant weather and altitude differences also contributed to their tiredness at parts of the journey.

In total, the 100-day trip cost them around $110,000 in total and it was around $45,000 per person for food, hotels and attractions. 

Vehicle-wise, they spent around $12,000 on vehicle shipping and permits, while fuel for 25,000km was about $8,000. 

Planning for their next trip 

Though the couple have just gotten back two weeks ago and have been chowing down on local dishes like bak chor mee, chicken rice and laksa, they already have plans to jet off somewhere else soon. 

"We are bringing our two youngest children to Japan the following week before school starts. That's by flying," Jeremy, who is a father of five, revealed. 

ALSO READ: Singaporean man drives all the way to China and back

melissateo@asiaone.com