Has anyone any experience of doing this or know HOW to go about it.?

I am not allowed to fly for the forseeable future owing to am medical condition and would like to know what my options would be for getting home in an emegency, (both my parents are in their 80's if you see my point).

Thanks to anyone who has any idea as to how I would go about it, its not urgent right now but it would be comforting to know its possible and how long it would take.

TP

Cruise ships often call here then go onto Singapore and further afield, maybe 2 cruises together to Southampton.

Trains being the only other option, but am not sure how long that would take. (trans siberian would be one way)

This is the other way around but will give you some idea

We’ve done it! Or a good portion of it. To get from London to Beijing on public transport you

1. Catch the number 76 bus from Moorgate to Waterloo (20 minutes)

2. Eurostar from London to Brussels, Belgium (2h20m)

3. Thalys train from Brussels to Cologne, Germany (2h50m)

4. Jan Kiepura sleeper from Cologne to Moscow (34h – 2 nights)

5. Trans Siberian/Mongolian #6 from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (102h – 5 nights)

6. Trans Mongolian #24 from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing (30h – 1 night)

this one from Australia but give more insight into other means and timings,and also some good contact information

http://www.seat61.com/Australia-overland.htm

The train journeys look amazing .... but if you are not able to fly, I doubt you'd have the stamina for the marathon train journeys?

The visa issues would mean that overland was not an option for an emergency trip ... it could take weeks of planning.

A shorter train trip to Singapore then a cruise to Southampton may be better? P&O do Singapore-Southampton from around GBP £3500 for an inside cabin, and a British passport holder should not have visa issues for Malaysia and Singapore.

Most cruises do not allow you to join part way in the itinerary, so you'd need to find a cruise that starts in Singapore .... but there are several of these.

Cruise ships also have good on-board medical facilities and a bar!

Cunard is another one to look at.

Catch the number 76 bus from Moorgate to Waterloo (20 minutes)

I like that, probably the highlight of the trip

I think you need to resign yourself to the fact that "emergency" is a non starter for you. The fastest you are going to get there by another means than flying is going to be around 1 week and probably more which is hardly an "emergency" response.

At least you have alternative ides here for travelling but getting back to be of any help or use after over a week is a non starter and you would be better finding someone else who can respond on your behalf in an emergency.

Many cargo ships also take passengers (max 12 allowed). Maybe you can research if any of the container ships are going from Laem Chabang direct to the UK or, failing that, get a train to Singapore and pick up a ship there going direct - takes approx 4 weeks.

Thanks for the replies thus far.

Some very interesting info, cheers

I did the Beijing to Moscow trip via train a few years ago. Not something I would want to do if sick/unhealthy. Very few speak English and if something should develop, there you are in Siberia. The trains have shared toilets (horrible) and no showers. If you are lucky, you can get a room shared with only 1, otherwise, it can be 3 others.

I think the cruise ship would be the best option.

Cruise ships often call here then go onto Singapore and further afield, maybe 2 cruises together to Southampton.

Trains being the only other option, but am not sure how long that would take. (trans siberian would be one way)

This is the other way around but will give you some idea

We’ve done it! Or a good portion of it. To get from London to Beijing on public transport you

1. Catch the number 76 bus from Moorgate to Waterloo (20 minutes)

2. Eurostar from London to Brussels, Belgium (2h20m)

3. Thalys train from Brussels to Cologne, Germany (2h50m)

4. Jan Kiepura sleeper from Cologne to Moscow (34h – 2 nights)

5. Trans Siberian/Mongolian #6 from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (102h – 5 nights)

6. Trans Mongolian #24 from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing (30h – 1 night)

Many cargo ships also take passengers (max 12 allowed).

A few years ago, I was really interested in this method and looked into it fairly extensively.

The main drawback is that it is hideously expensive - considerably more than the cost of an equivalent first-class airfare or even some of the luxury cruise ships. You are also essentially expected to live as a member of the crew in what are often very basic conditions. Secondly, the routes can be circuitous with several calls along the way - so not really suitable for an emergency situation as you may be at sea for weeks. You could also end up hanging around the port of embarkation for quite a while waiting for a berth. A couple of the websites I looked at also said that passengers must be in good health (some companies even requiring a certificate to this effect?), as medical facilities onboard are limited to non-existent and the owners do not take kindly to the idea of expensive detours to the nearest port with a hospital.

P&O from Singapore sounds like a much more appealing prospect.

Cunard (Queen Mary 3) was on its way back to Southampton from Phuket in April (having done Singapore already) and I know they take part journey passengers. Trouble is it probably does this journey a couple of times a year. It would probably be a couple of days quicker to take a train once you hit Europe in the Mediterranean (even if that means Istanbul).