Couple travelled through Europe to Brazil without taking a single flight

An adventurous couple from the UK revealed how they traveled across Europe to reach Rio de Janeiro in Brazil without taking a single flight.

Rick Turner and Adam Longbottom embarked on the three-month journey of their lives in the autumn of last year vowing to take as few flights as possible amid chaos at UK airports, where many passengers were experiencing cancellations and delays. as airlines struggled to cope with a surge in demand after the pandemic.

Worried about losing their luggage at one of their many stops, the couple decided to take different modes of transportation to their destinations as they toured 11 countries, including France, Switzerland, and Italy.

After arriving in Barcelona in the Catalan region of Spain, the couple took a cruise that took them to Brazil on a 10-day voyage, though they found themselves with a wrench in their grand plans when they both fell ill with Covid and were isolated in a separate cabin.

However, the couple tested negative in time to reach Rio de Janeiro, where they spent time before catching their first flight of the trip, for their return journey home in October.

speaking to CNN travelthe couple revealed how, when they set out on their journey, they didn’t have much of a plan other than to arrive in Italy at some point.

And during their trip, the couple missed some of the biggest events in their home country, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II (which they learned about while watching the news in their Novotel) and Liz Truss’ record-breaking season. as the shortest -sometime serving prime minister.

Rick said that after boarding the Eurostar train in the UK, they decided their first stop would be Lille in France. From there, they checked their train app to decide where their next stop would be, a pattern they followed throughout their journey.

During the trip of a lifetime, the couple, who work remotely, continued to work despite traveling across the continent, making sure to stop for a good amount of time at each destination so they could settle somewhere that would allow them log in. .

After Lille, the couple initially planned to travel to Marseille, but had a last-minute change of heart and decided to head to Luxembourg, which Rick described as “lovely”.

Among the stops on the couple’s list was Basel (pictured) in Switzerland, which left them somewhat disappointed.

Rick and Adam traveled to the small country of San Marino during their tour of Italy, adding to their country total.

The couple visited Lake Garda in Italy, where they took a speedboat and went for a spin, and it was at this point in the trip that they decided to travel to South America.

One of the first stops on Rick and Adam’s trip was Luxembourg, which was a last-minute change of plans for the couple.

From there, they traveled to Strasbourg, but revealed that they made a quick exit from the [CITY] after it was hit by a magnitude 4.1 earthquake. They then traveled to Basel in Switzerland, though Rick admitted that the city disappointed them.

However, after leaving to explore more of Switzerland, Rick said he was delighted with the landscape which included “huge lakes, beautiful valleys, mountains, lots of green.”

After Switzerland, the couple headed to Milan in Italy, where they were hit with the Fashion Week tax that made hotels more expensive than usual, and decided to head east to Lake Garda.

There, they rented a speedboat and toured Desenzano and the island of Garda, which was one of the highlights of their trip.

After Lake Garda, the couple visited Venice, one of their favorite cities, and took a quick tour of San Marino to add to the number of countries visited.

While touring Italy, the couple began planning the final leg of their tour and ended up booking a cruise from their last European destination, Barcelona.

Originally, Rick and Adam had planned to take a ship from Europe to the US, with Miami in mind as the destination. However, after doing some research, they found a 13-night tour from the Catalan city to Brazil that worked out for both of them for £1,800.

The beginning of the tour began with a stop in Madeira, where they took the cable car up the mountain, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

However, a few days into the trip, the couple began to feel unwell and soon tested positive for covid.

They were moved to a ‘covid cabin’ that had a balcony, but was isolated from the rest of the ship with an airtight door to prevent the spread of infection. During their isolation days, a menu was brought to them every day to choose their food, but they did not have much entertainment without the internet.

Their days in isolation meant they missed the first two stops in Brazil, Salvador and Ilhèus, but luckily they both tested negative when they arrived in Rio de Janeiro.

After arriving in South America, the couple eventually began taking flights, first from Rio to Argentina, before heading to Chile and then Peru.

They were planning a trip to Mexico when they came across Air France flights to Paris, a city they both love, and decided it was time to head home.

After their gigantic journey largely taken by train, Rick and Adam agree that they absolutely would take a similar trip in the future, but they have some advice for travelers who want to follow in their footsteps.

First of all, they recommend traveling with backpacks instead of suitcases, for the ease of moving a lot and storing things in luggage racks.

They also cautioned that since they often stayed in hotels near train stations, the areas were often a bit rougher. So Rick recommended looking for accommodation a little further into the city and walking 30 minutes with his backpack to reach a safer destination.

Reflecting on his trip, Rick said: ‘No stress of flying, and much easier getting to the station. You know what time you’re leaving, you don’t have to go much earlier, and the trains almost always leave on time.