In four-and-a-half months, a father-son duo, Tom and Alfred Waring, with a cameraman, Anton Delli-Bovi, travelled from London to Singapore in two Land Rover Defenders.
Delli-Bovi is a university student from Wales who spent his gap year travelling with the Warings and filming the overland expedition.
The three men travelled across 23 countries, that is over 24,000km.
They were joined by their close friend, Asifur Chowdhury, who travelled with them to 20 out of the 23 countries.
The crew left London on Aug. 6, 2023, and travelled through Europe, Central Asia, China, Nepa, Lao, Thailand and Malaysia before finally arriving in Singapore on Dec. 16.
From left to right: Anton Delli-Bovi (cameraman), Alfred Waring (son) and Tom Waring (father), and Asifur Chowdhury (SAZZ founder). Photo by Hannah Martens.
Tom shared that the expedition's purpose was to raise funds for four different charities in four countries, and they managed to raise over S$200,000.
One of the charities supported by this expedition is SAZZ initiative in Singapore that Asifur founded.
SAZZ has been distributing meals to nearly 1,000 needy families and the elderly living in rental flats in Tanjong Pagar since 2022. They also help provide essentials to migrant workers in Singapore.
Recreating history
On why he wanted to do such a road trip, Tom shared he wanted to recreate the historic journey from London to Singapore.
In 1955, an expedition was undertaken by six Oxford and Cambridge University students who drove a Land Rover from London to Singapore. The students took six months and six days to complete the journey.
However, Tom shared that he and the crew could not follow the exact route for safety concerns. They could not travel around the Caspian Sea through Russia and Iran, and they were initially supposed to go through Myanmar, but they were concerned for their safety. Hence, they had to alter their route, looping around China to bypass Myanmar.
The crew went through countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal and Georgia. Asifur shared that the most memorable place for him was Kyrgyzstan. To get from city to city, they had to go through mountain paths which he described as incredible.
Tom particularly liked Tibet as they were able to have a photo shoot at Mount Everest base camp, which was "an amazing experience".
Alfred pointed out that every country had a "unique scenery, unique culture, unique cuisine", and each country has its own positive attributes.
Travelling through Kyrgyzstan, which served up stunning scenery like this. Photo from London To Singapore Expedition/Instagram.
At Kyrgyzstan, the crew had to stop frequently, as the farmers were busy bringing their livestock down from the hills in preparation for winter. Photo from London To Singapore Expedition/Instagram.
The crew's first winter snow on mountain passes at Kyrgyzstan. Photo from London To Singapore Expedition/Instagram.
Delli-Bovi added that he enjoyed Kazakhstan as it was "proper off-roading", and they were so far away from civilisation there was no one around them.
"It was just a true off-roading adventure, you know. It was excellent."
Skidding on black ice
The trip was not smooth sailing as the crew started with two cars, but only one crossed the finish line in Singapore.
Alfred, who was behind the wheel of a Land Rover, got into a scary accident going through mountain paths in southern Tibet.
He recounted going around a corner where there was a patch of black ice on the road too fast, creating a 45-degree spin, and when the tires hit the dry tarmac, the car did a double flip.
Alfred was not alone in the car; Asifur and Delli-Bovi were with him, but luckily, they all emerged from the incident unscathed.
"It was annoying [that] we couldn't get [the car] to the finish line, but none of us were hurt, so that thing's most important," said Alfred.
The Land Rover is now in a box on the way back to the U.K., where they hope they can rebuild the car and put the various pieces back together.
Photo from London To Singapore Expedition/Instagram.
Photo from London To Singapore Expedition/Instagram.
Cheapest fuel
Through their journey across 23 countries, Tom shared that the cheapest place they got fuel from was Kazakhstan, and the quality was good.
The worst fuel they encountered was in Uzbekistan, where the fuel was dirty and very bad for the engines of their car.
Roadtrip playlist
While Alfred enlisted the help of his friends to curate about 200 hours worth of songs for his road trip playlist, Tom came unprepared.
He only had a few albums loaded onto his iPhone, so Delli-Bovi had to endure hours of the same song over again.
Tom added that his favourite song during the whole road trip was "Take the Long Way Home" by the American band Supertramp. He described it as the song that would perk things up when the journey dragged on.
Last stop of the expedition: Raffles Hotel, Singapore. Photo from London To Singapore Expedition/Instagram.
Photo by Hannah Martens.
Biggest takeaway
For Delli-Bovi, this expedition was a great way to spend his gap year as a university student.
"It's just been an absolute[ly] incredible experience and I'm really thankful to [Tom and Alfred] for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime, really, of filming this whole expedition."
Tom pointed out that this expedition was not an extended holiday but something that would make a difference and help people, as the money they raised during the expedition would go to charities.
Alfred added that the charity element of the expedition was very inspiring as they also managed to visit the charities. In addition, he got to go on a trip with his father and friends.
Tom interacting with a student with special needs in Bhutan at a school operated by charity "Open Your Heart to Bhutan". Photo from London To Singapore Expedition/Instagram.
"I think it's something we'll appreciate much more after the next few weeks and the years to come... It's been a hell of an experience [that] we'll never forget," said Alfred.
Asifur added that the expedition was not just for fun, but there was a meaningful reason behind it.
Tom concluded he does not "want to sit in the Land Rover for a couple more months".
Top photos via Hannah Martens