SOAS ArabicYEAR ABROAD

OVERLAND

How to reach Alexandria,Amman or Nablus overland from the UK

Email Elliot Bannister from the SOAS Slow Travel Society:276117@soas.ac.uk

The challenge

Why travel overland?The experienceThe adventure of travelling overland beats the “non-experience”, as award-winning travel expert Mark Smith puts it, of commercialised air travel. Unlike aeroplanes, which deliver you, fed up and disorientated, in a new environment, journeys by ship and train are an adventure in themselves, and a chance to move through the world rather than just over and above it.

Overland travel “is all about appreciating the subtleties of the journey, the nuanced changes in the food served, the music played, the quirks of regional dialects and customs and, of course, the ever-changing scenery rolling by,” claims travel writer Ed Gillespie.

Is it cheaper? Often, it is. Could you find a flight from London to Prague for £5.50, with no hidden charges? At other times, air travel trumps on price. But that's if our criterion is getting from A to B. Overland travel is about so much more than that: it's a chance to visit tens of countries, witness some priceless landscapes and meet new people. Trying to do that by air would cost a fortune.

The environmentAccording to a survey by Global Cool, some 83% of us want our journeys to be greener, which means dealing with the emissions that aviation produces. Donkeys and camels aside, most forms of overland travel also emit greenhouse gases, but on a much less damaging scale.

The CO2 emissions per passenger on a Eurostar service from London to Paris are about 90% lower than those from an equivalent journey made by plane. Likewise, one return flight from Heathrow to Bilbao, for example, clocks up about 280kg of CO2 emissions per passenger, compared with just 90kg for a return ferry trip from Portsmouth to Bilbao. On top of that, emissions released at high altitude can be up to three times as damaging as when they're released on the planet's surface.

A disillusioning thought is that planes will be flying anyway, whether or not students are sat on them. However, the more passengers choose overland travel over aviation, the more the overland sector will grow, leading to investment in exciting projects such as integrated high-speed rail across Europe.

This is not to say that anyone should feel guilty for taking flights. But it's worth knowing that there are alternatives (that are sometimes cheaper, and invariably more fun), so that people can keep their contribution to the aviation industry to a minimum if they want to.

The search for an alternativeUnfortunately, finding an alternative to air travel can sometimes be a challenge, and many students' best intentions of reaching their year abroad destination overland are not fulfilled. In terms of the year abroad destinations for Arabic at SOAS, the two most logical overland routes from the UK to Alexandria, Amman or Nablus (as described below) are both impassable.

The overland Middle East routeThe Middle East route via SyriaThe hypothetical route via the Middle East would involve travelling from Istanbul, Turkey through fantastic landscapes to Adana in the south of the country. Here, a bus can be caught to Aleppo, Syria, where connecting trains take you to Damascus. Jordan can then be reached from Damascus via bus or the historic, Ottoman-built Hedjaz Railway. However, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/) currently advises against all travel to any part of Syria because of the ongoing civil war.

The Middle East route avoiding SyriaThere have been ferries running to Lebanon, the most recent being the Azzura (www.fergun.net/Azzurra.aspx) between Mersin, Turkey and Tripoli, Lebanon, but it's not clear whether it will be running in summer 2013. Even if it is, unless you are a member of the Israeli Defence Forces, crossing the border between Lebanon and Israel is impossible, and there are no connecting ferries from Lebanon to Egypt.

The overland North Africa routeThe North African route via MoroccoThe other hypothetical route, via North Africa, includes only a very short ferry trip from Algeciras, Spain to Tangiers, Morocco. This is great for reaching Morocco, but the Moroccan-Algerian border has been closed for decades, with no hope of it opening any time soon, so that's as far as you'll get.

The North African route avoiding Morocco There are potential ways of following the North African route but avoiding the Moroccan-Algerian border. Ferries from Marseilles, France and Genoa, Italy to various ports in Tunisa. Likewise, ferries run from Alicante, Spain as well as Marseilles to Algiers, and then Tunisia can be reached via any of the border crossings north of Tebessa, Algeria (the FCO advises against any travel near the border south of Tebessa).

What lies between Tunisia and the year abroad destinations is Libya. Theoretically many towns in Tunisia offer buses to Tripoli, Libya via the border crossing at Ras Ajdir, and on the other side of the country is a crossing between Badiya, Libya and Sallum, Egypt.

However there are three factors that will likely make travel through Libya impossible in summer 2013: firstly, the issuing of tourist visas (including transit visas) was suspended in January 2013 and this might still be the case; secondly, the Libyan-Egyptian border crossing was only open for Libyans and Egyptians in January 2013, and this might still be the case; thirdly, the FCO currently advises against all travel to some of the coastal towns that lie between Tripoli and the Libyan-Egyptian border crossing.

These hindrances in Libya are more likely to be solved than those in Syria, Lebanon or Morocco. If they do, the UK booking agent for ferries to Tunisia and Algeria is Southern Ferries (www.southernferries.com). Algerian visas would need to be bought in advance, and Libyan ones will have to be requested via a Libya-based tour operator (think more visa fixer than organised tour) who will meet you at the border (if it's open) to issue it on your arrival. One such tour operator is Temehu, who keep the most up-to-date news on Libyan visa developments (www.temehu.com/news-Libya.htm). Contact them to see if this route is at all feasible.

The solutionsIf you can't go over it, and you can't go round it, then you'll have to go through it. That is to say, it's impossible to make the journey strictly overland, but it is possible if you don't mind spending one leg on the Mediterranean Sea.

The route I took (alexandriaoverland.blogspot.com) involved five nights on a cargo ship between Trieste, Italy and Port Said, Egypt. There were a few routes I wasn't aware about at the time, as well a couple of others that have opened since then, so summaries of these are listed under 'Leg Two: oversea from Europe to the Middle East'. Options are limited so this is the most crucial leg to organise in advance.

Leg one: overland through EuropeOverland travel within Europe up to your port of departure should be the easiest part of your journey to organise. Undoubtedly the best resource for researching overland routes in Europe is The Man in Seat 61 (www.seat61.com), and then the best sites for booking tickets are Loco2 (www.loco2.com) for trains and Eurolines (www.eurolines.com) for buses, the latter of which is normally cheaper.

If you're travelling around a little within Europe, it's worth checking if an InterRail pass (www.interrail.eu) or a

Busabout ticket (www.busabout.com) will make your travel cheaper – but for some trains, a surplus has to be paid on top of the price of the pass, so it's not necessarily cheaper than buying tickets individually.

Leg two: oversea from Europe to the Middle EastFrom Turkey to Egypt by ferryThe overland journey to Turkey is a well-beaten InterRail track that, even if a bit more expensive than the North African routes we all wish we could take, is more reliable and better equipped for backpackers. From Iskenderun, Turkey, there is a twice-weekly ferry that takes 19 hours to Damietta, Egypt, operated by Sisa Shipping Line (www.sisashipping.com). Unfortunately their website is exclusively in Turkish so it might be easier to contact their London office on +44 2072410551.

From Europe to Israel by ferryTo enter Israel as a UK visitor, you don't need a visa, but you will receive an entry stamp. The FCO reports that some visitors have been issued with 'Palestinian Authority only' entry stamps, or conversely they have been forced to sign a form that prevents them from entering the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Such a situation would be problematic as to reach Nablus from Haifa, travel through both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories is necessary. Double check that that travel through Israel doesn't contradict visa arrangements for studying in Nablus as provided by SOAS.

A word of warning: some Arab and Muslim countries won't allow you to enter if there is evidence that you've previously travelled to Israel. Although it's been official policy as of January 2013 for Israeli border guards to stamp a separate entry card rather than your passport, the exit stamp provided by the previous country and the entry stamp of the next country you visit will likely name the point of entry and exit, so other border authorities will be able to deduce that you'd previously travelled to Israel. Therefore, if you're heading to Amman or Alexandria and you want to travel to other Arab countries in the future, it will be safer for you to take a route that avoids Israel.

From Turkey to IsraelSince November 2012 there has been a weekly crossing from Iskenderun, Turkey to Haifa, Israel, which takes twelve hours and is also operated by Sisa Shipping Line, whose London office can be contacted on the phone number in 'From Turkey to Egypt by ferry' above.

From Cyprus to IsraelSalamis Tours (www.salamiscruiselines.com) are also offering two- and three-day cruises from Limassol, Cyprus, that stop in Haifa, Israel during summer 2013. Contact them to see whether disembarkation is possible in Israel.

From Europe to Egypt or Israel by cargo shipA journey by cargo ship is an experience in itself. Cargo ships will only take passengers if their crew size means there are bedrooms free. It's a once-in-a-lifetime exposure to the exciting operation of global trade, following the routes of an infinite variety of cargo as it passes from port to port. Passengers are immersed into the life of a working ship, eating alongside the officers and crew, and might be invited to explore the engine room, be taught the basics of navigation in the wheel-room or star-gaze on the deck.

Several European ports to Egypt or IsraelIn Egypt, Port Said and Damietta are the two main ports on the Mediterranean coast, often called at by freighter ships coming from Europe. Likewise Haifa is the most likely port to be stopped at in Israel.

It can be complicated to work out which shipping companies take passengers, at which ports they allow embarkation and disembarkation, and when the sailings take place. It is much easier to contact a specialist cargo travel agent, telling them where you want to leave from and arrive to, and when you want that to happen.

Based in Paris, Catalina Cargo Conseils (www.cargo-voyages.com) is extremely knowledgeable and quick to reply to emails. Other possibilities are The Cruise People (www.cruisepeople.co.uk) or Strand Travel (www.strandtravelltd.co.uk),

both based in London, or Freighter Travel (www.freightertravel.co.nz), based in New Zealand. Contact them all to compare quotes.

Leg three: continuing overlandContinuing to AlexandriaTo Alexandria from an Egyptian portContinuing overland to Alexandria after your leg at sea is easy enough if you arrive in an Egyptian port. Both Super Jet and East Delta Travel Co. run bus services to Alexandria from Port Said amongst other places. Likewise minibuses are available from Damietta. Their websites are not kept up-to-date, so a copy of Lonely Planet Egypt is the most useful resource for planning bus journeys within the country (give or take a few out-of-date departure times). Although the Egyptian National Railways also has a website, you'll only ever need to book trains a day in advance, if at all, which you can do in person at the station.

To Alexandria from an Israeli portThe above advice assumes that in order to reach Alexandria you will come via one an Egyptian port, but if you wanted to enter the region via Israel (despite the warning above about future travel in the region), then there are buses from Haifa to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and from there a bus can be caught to Eilat in the very south of the country. At Eilat, you can cross the Israeli-Egyptian border to Taba. From there, consult Lonely Planet Egypt for connections to Alexandria.

Continuing to NablusTo Nablus from an Israeli portThere are buses from Haifa to Jerusalem, where you can then take the tram to Damascus Gate and cross into the West Bank. From here you can either take a taxi directly to Nablus, or a bus to Ramallah, where there are connecting buses to Nablus.

To Nablus from an Egyptian portThe above advice assumes that in order to reach Nablus you will come via an Israeli port, but if you wanted to visit Egypt before hand, then you can head to Nablus quite easily overland. Once you are in Egpyt, travel to Taba where you can cross the Egyptian-Israeli border to Eilat. From Eilat there are five buses per day to Jerusalem, where you will need to take the tram to Damascus Gate and then continue either by taxi directly to Nablus, or by bus to Ramallah, where you can catch a connection to Nablus.

Continuing to AmmanTo Amman from an Egyptian portFrom Egypt, you can take a boat across the Red Sea to Aqaba, Jordan either from Taba or Nuweiba, Egypt (both on the east coast of the Sinai peninsula). The boat from Nuweiba is run by ABMaritime (www.abmaritime.com.jo) and runs theoretically everyday but Saturday, but is often affected by long delays. The more reliable, more comfortable and shorter crossing from Taba is run by its sister company Meenagate (www.meenagate.com).

Once in Aqaba, you will be issued a free Jordanian visa and buses to Amman are run by Jett (www.jett.com.jo) if you don't want to take a cheaper, more informal minibus.

To Amman from an Israeli portComing from Israel, you can either take a bus directly from the main train station in Haifa to Amman, run by the Nazarene bus company, or if you are travelling around the country before heading to Jordan, you can cross by foot along the Allanby Bridge (also known as the King Hussein Bridge), about 30km from Jerusalem.

Jordanian visas are not available at the border, so these would need to be acquired in advance from the Jordanian Embassy in London or Tel Aviv. Don't underestimate the restrictions that travel to Israel will have on future travel opportunities in the Middle East, so it might make more sense to enter Jordan from Egypt.