Destination: Mongolia

I’ve more or less decided that for my 30th birthday I want to do a trans-Siberian trek from Beijing, through Mongolia, to St. Petersburg. I know that may sound like quite an undertaking, but seeing as my 30th is quite some ways off, I’ve got plenty of time (3 years to be exact) to do what I do best, which is trip plan.

I recently came across this video from Milo Zanecchia of his journey from Switzerland to Mongolia, and it has only stoked the fires of my wanderlust for the country of Mongolia. You can scroll through photos of Milo’s group and their trip on his blog, here.

There’s something terribly romantic about country with hardly a paved road, just wide open spaces, and the history and nomadic tribal culture of the Mongolian people. If I have my way, I’ll be sleeping in a ger the very moment I turn 30.

If you’re less familiar with this central Asian country, here are few links with some reading to get you acquainted:

Grace Jacobsen has a great post on her blog addressing several common misconceptions.

Some history in a nutshell.

Then, of course, there’s always Wikipedia.

If you’re thinking about traveling to Mongolia, there are lots of resources at your disposal. I’ve said it before; the first place I always go to when planning a trip is the country’s government site. Another handy website if you’re traveling from the U.S. is the Passports & International Travel page from U.S. Department of State and Bureau of Consular Affairs. This website contains critical information regarding passport and Visa regulations, as well as information on local laws and the contacts for the U.S. Embassy in each country.

Wikitravel also happens to do a good job of aggregating all of the information one should consider when planning a trip.

There are a host of websites with tips on traveling in Mongolia, but some of the best I’ve found are here and here.

As I’ve also said before, I do love reading posts from people who have already been there. Some of my favorites are Mark Hay’s post from the Roads & Kingdoms blog, and Liz Carlton’s 10 Things I Learned in Mongolia on her blog, Young Adventuress.

Happy planning, folks!