The Albanian Connection: an overland race from London to Tirana
The race is complete, and so is this report! But if you prefer fewer words with more photos and detailed mapping, you can still find my polarsteps log here.


It’s approaching 18 months since I last filed a trip report, and the travels it covered took place almost 2 years ago. 2023 saw plenty of adventures which would be, I hope, worthy of coverage - from BA’s inaugural Cincinnati flight to my first visit to Japan - and I did eventually account for these on my blog. The problem is that after all the time it takes to assemble my thoughts into something coherent, the trips no longer feel topical. Destinations change with the seasons, as do airline products.

So for this next report I’m going to try something different - posting live! Or, at least, before I’ve made it home. This means my words will be even less polished than usual, but I hope real-time pacing combines with an air of mystery to add some excitement.

For this will very much be a trip into the unknown. Ordinarily an obsessive planner, I have stepped firmly out of my comfort zone by signing up for something called The Albanian Connection, which kicks off this time tomorrow. Organised by Lupine racing, an offshoot of extreme destination specialists Lupine Travel, this week-long event tasks participants with getting from London to Tirana via a series of as-yet undisclosed checkpoints.

If you’ve seen the BBC series Race Across The World, the concept is similar, albeit with some changes. For starters, I’m spending my own money :-) The travel rules are arguably more restrictive: not only is flying banned, but so are car hire, hitch-hiking, or otherwise relying on the kindness of strangers (else influencers will soon be getting lifts from followers). Your itinerary must thus be assembled out of public transport links, with prizes for those who complete it the cheapest, fastest, or via the most countries. Crucially, however, we don’t have to surrender our smartphones (else the influencers would die).

Some details - and some hints - have been shared, from which I have made speculative preparations. The first checkpoint was announced as the Belgian city of Bruges, so we could arrange our travel from the UK to mainland Europe in advance. The event is “themed around moments from cinema and film”, so I have my suspicions that Turin - location of The Italian Job - will be one of the checkpoints. From geographic considerations, I’d expect a third stop in central / eastern Europe - perhaps Hungary for The Grand Budapest Hotel? - before a final leg through the Balkans.

I have armed myself with a five day first class interrail pass: and I’ve also - perhaps ambitiously - booked a ferry from Bari in Italy to Durres in Albania. Departing just before Saturday’s arrival deadline, this approach immediately rules me out of both the speed and frugality competitions. But there are no trains past Belgrade and I am keen to avoid lengthy bus travel. Will I be able to make the checkpoints and backtrack to Italy in time? I’ve no idea - so join me and we’ll find out together!