We are three medical students, finishing our final (6th) year at Oxford University. Nice to meet you! Please let us introduce ourselves…

Jennifer:

I’m 25,  I moved to Oxford to read medicine when i was 19.  Before I arrived I spent almost 18 months on a “gap year”, getting into rock climbing and mountaineering. I spent 5 months in India as an English teacher and volunteering in a hospital, which was one of the greatest adventures I’ve been on so far. After over a year of freedom, arriving in Oxford was quite a culture shock – it’s easy to feel that you should study all the time and forego the outdoors – but I joined the mountaineering club and kept up with my rock climbing and expeditions. Now, with a lot of studying under my belt, I think it is time for the next big adventure…

Alex:

All of my holidays in the last few years have involved adventure and endurance. I’m not particularly driven by physical challenges, but climbing mountains and hiking long distances always seems to be the best thing to do at the time! Maybe this journey is an extension of that.

I’m an Oxfordshire lad, and took a year out of medical school to travel and do research. Moving down a year allowed me to meet my lovely travelling companions! I think my contributions to the trip so far have been earnest over-enthusiasm and the ability to grind through mountains of paperwork.

Thing I’m most excited for: camping in Siberia and finishing the drive.

Thing I’m most dreading: fermented mare’s milk.

Emily:

I got bitten by the travel bug about 10 years ago, trekking around Venezuela. Since then, I’ve trekked, scrambled and kayaked my way across Norway, Iceland, Croatia and much of western Europe, but driving across Europe, Russia and into Mongolia is set to be my biggest and most exciting adventure yet!

I’m really looking forward to exploring the Russian towns and cities that we will visit en route to Mongolia, and incredibly excited about visiting the Gobi desert in Mongolia!