My small ambition is to visit every country and principality in the world. That is, visit them long enough to see the major sights and get a feel for the place, so that if anyone ever asked me what a country was like I could produce enough information for them and let them know what was in store.

The problem is that once you have covered Europe/Middle East/North Africa, you end up paying out on lots of flights to visit countries during your annual holidays. Some countries are so large, you cannot do them justice in a short time. So it made sense to save hard, quit my job, and do a continuous overland trip that removed the flights and let me take each country on its own terms with no time limits. Some countries like India and Indonesia took months, while Brunei and Macao took 2 days each. The trip would end when the money ran out.

Two years was spent researching the trip, using guidebooks and the Internet and I had a comprehensive itinerary of what I wanted to see. From an initial list of 30, we covered 25 countries and territories. Timewise, it ran pretty much to schedule. Some places took longer to do, some less and other places that were originally deemed "too dangerous" were slotted in-between.

I was surprised that my anticipated budget of £14,000 was also pretty accurate. I do not think, for the distances and sights covered, and activities undertaken, that I could have done it much cheaper.

Before we started, it didn't seem possible to travel for two years without a break but we did it. It was a trip of non-stop movement, continually entering new countries where we had to get to grips with the place - currency, prices, food, transport, culture etc. Most days we'd hit a new town and have to quickly orientate ourselves, get based, see the sights and move on. The five-month stay in Australia was a nice respite but even there, we were constantly moving. I was surprised that I still wanted to get up early every day and make the most of it. If we stayed in one place for more than 3 days, I was eager to move on.

Having now completed the journey, it doesn't seem to me to have been such a remarkable trip. It followed much of the regular backpacker routes. I didn't live in isolated villages for months. I didn't do every sight on the itinerary. I didn't do many extreme things. We did what we could with the money we had and we gave it our best shot. I feel, however, that I did the countries justice. With 4 months in India, 3 in Indonesia, and 3 in Nepal, I toured them extensively. I have now also racked up 17 months of my life in Australia and have seen more of it than your average Aussie ever will. I don't expect to ever return to any of these countries (unless it is job related), except to finish off China. When I hit a country, it stays hit.

So 700 days later, what have I learnt? I didn't come back a raving anti-westerner, a Buddhist convert, or a Muslim sympathiser. I think I came back more enlightened and more worldly-wise. I have extended my appreciation of how varied the world is, yet also how small and homogenised the planet is becoming. I have seen some of the most famous sights in the world - geographically, historically and culturally. It was certainly the trip of a lifetime. Life went on without me. But how many people can relate to what the experience was like?

Here is a random list of thoughts about the trip which we undertook and survived:

1. We take our comfortable and easy western lifestyle very much for granted.

2. We should appreciate our personal freedom in the west - the lack of army and police checkpoints. This may change after the New York bombings

3. The quiet west will seem very strange after the non-stop loud cultures I visited. They are so much more colourful and animated.

4. However tough my life may become in the future, it is not even close to what poverty stricken people have to deal with day in, day out.

5. Family and extended communities are the most important foundations of poor people's lives. Children are the focus of their daily struggle.

6. Outside the west, religion was still the most important influence on peoples' lives in the countries we visited. It dominates the cultures - for better or worse.

7. The rest of the world is attempting to attain an American lifestyle, regardless of religious restrictions. I think that there will inevitably be another revolution in Iran to throw off the religious leaders and return to a more westernised lifestyle.

8. On the other hand, Pakistani people have their heads in the sand. They are a law unto themselves. India will become a major 'player' in the future. China is already there.

9. The world is rapidly shrinking. Western clothes, satellite TV (everywhere - even nomadic Kurdish tents in Turkey) showing music and sports (so many people followed English football), food and standards are now becoming predominant in many places. As an example, you could buy 'Pringles' crisps in every county we visited without exception. Westernisation is not always interesting. Singapore and Hong Kong were mundane places to visit after the poorer countries.

10. The world's economy does not make sense. For example: Rice shortages in Indonesia?

11. The media is largely irrelevant when you are travelling on a long-term basis. Stock markets rise and collapse. You are only interested in currency exchange rates. Hollywood seems a total irreverence as do the non-stop celebrity gossipmongers.

12. The Internet is everywhere. It is opening up people's perceptions of the world and becoming the most important form of communication for all travellers. I only made 3 phone calls in 2 years. Email was so much handier than the old Poste Restante system that I used to use, where you picked up your mail from post offices on the road. I really appreciated the fact that it allowed me to keep in contact with everyone (who bothered), to update them with my stories (so they don't have to listen to them when I get home) and was also a life saver when I lost contact with Jo and we had to find each other. At the same time, it shrinks the travel experience and does not allow you to escape. You are always in touch with what is going on a home.

13. My homepage got 1400 'hits' during my journey. I had emails from people in 30 countries (even Bhutan) that had found it and followed my updates.

14. The western perception of many of the countries we visited is way off the mark. Avoid the horror stories and visit them for yourselves. Myanmar was a prime example. Currently 'politically incorrect' to visit, it was one of the nicest countries we came across.

15. Despite a machine gun in my back (West Timor), a broken bottle waved in my face (Pakistan), and attacked by beggars in Bombay, we felt perfectly safe throughout our strange journey. We survived Kashmir and I survived West Timor, both "off limits". You just need to be streetwise and gauge the risks. I think my size helped but attitude was equally important.

16. A lack of the local language is no barrier to communication. A smile starts the ball rolling and body language and a few words can get you the results you need. Wherever you are, there will be someone who can speak some basic English, even if they have to be hunted down for you. Generally, people will go out of their way to help you in every place we visited. We are very lucky to be native speakers of the world’s International language

17. If you stay away from the western tourist infrastructure that is appearing everywhere, you can live very cheaply with local rates for hotels, transport and food.

18. You should travel as light as possible. Everything you need is available in every country. You take things you think you'll need (e.g. a padlock and chain), never use them and dump them. Buy stuff as you need it.

19. The world is a spectacular diversity of geographical wonders - towering mountains, vast rivers, endless oceans, mud and desert, ice and soaring temperatures. We went from -10'C to 48'C in the same country. (India).

20. My favourite subject of history was brought to life through all the fabulous sites I visited. Angkor Wat in Cambodia was the finest example.

21. You do not need toilet paper. You get used to washing your backside with water. If there is no water, a pig will do.

22. You can drink the local water anywhere. Maybe I had a hardened digestive system but I was never ill from the water. I drank it in every country. I think an ice-cold beer every day is the secret of healthy travelling.

23. Beer is so cheap anywhere outside the west (except in Muslim countries)

24. I only suffered from one case of food poisoning (in Pakistan) and mild cases of the runs in India and Tibet. I felt lucky that my body and teeth held up throughout the journey.

25. The food I missed most were dairy products - milk, cheese, cream, butter, chocolate. Cheese on toast seems like the greatest meal in the world at this point.

26. When you return to a western country (e.g. Australia), it doesn't take very long to regain all the weight you lost getting there. I lost up to 55lbs en route but regained 35 of those.

27. There are more diverse types of transport around the world than you can shake a stick at.

28. Bad haircuts are available cheaply throughout the world.

29. Decent reading material is a real luxury on the road. You really look forward to visiting cities (Kathmandu, Bangkok, and Saigon) with second hand bookshops to stock up.

30. I really missed my music. I hated Indian music. I was forced to play songs in my mind on long journeys. I can't wait to listen to my favourite albums again.

31. One of the most useful tools was a compass on your watchstrap. Before you arrived somewhere, you just needed the direction of the hotel district from your guidebook. When you arrived at a new place, in a crowded bus station full of hotel hustlers, you just glanced for the direction and walked out like you knew where you were going and left the hustlers behind.

32. An increasing number of people are 'dropping out' to travel long term. In addition, there are the 'gap year' students who are taking advantage of the opportunities to travel that most of my generation at their age could not afford or were even inspired to do it. I got very bored with tourist 'life stories'. At the same time, it was great when you met some people with whom you 'clicked' and did some travelling with them.

33. It is sad that the entire travelling community are all clutching 'Lonely Planet' guidebooks. They are all reading the same info, staying at the same recommended places and visiting the same sights. We discovered that every country had new hotels springing up everywhere. They were cheaper, cleaner and more efficient because they were not in the 'Bible' but aspired to be. In India, for example, we could haggle down a really nice ensuite room with fan in a decent local hotel, that cost less than a recommended shared grubby dorm room in the LP. Useful for maps and basic background, but use your nose, not your Lonely Planet.

34. I came to really appreciate my parents and brother at home. They organised my affairs, sorted out problems while I was on the road and gave me great support during the swimming tragedy in Indonesia. So thanks for taking care of business.

35. I'd like to thank the people (whom either I already knew, or met on the road) and were very hospitable hosts - Ruth and Keith, Matt, Ross and Linda in Australia, Kelly in Singapore, Osman in Manila.

36. I'd like to thank Patrick in Oregon for joining us in Nepal (Big mistake!) and Paul in Wales who did Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra with me. You know the wrinkles.

37. Two years on the road will make or break a relationship. Mine broke with Jo, but we kept going anyway. However much we argued or I pushed her on, often feeling ill, Jo was an excellent travel partner. She was an expert 'haggler' that reduced prices everywhere. It was nice to share the experience with someone. At the same time, it was also nice to be let lose on my own in Indonesia and the Philippines. Many people want to meet the woman that coped with the experience of sharing this trip with a manic travel addict.

38. Everyday brings a new experience. You should 'seize the moment'. Life is just too short to end up a treadmill. My new treadmill was travelling.

39. There are still so many countries I know nothing about. Africa is a virtual enigma to me.

40. It will be difficult to stop moving. I'll probably have itchy feet after six months at home. Can anyone lend me some money?

Distance covered: approx 150,000km

Expenditure: Transport: £4,679.18, Accommodation: £1829.50, Food/Drink: £2276.51, Everything Else: £5272.15 = Grand Total: £14,057.34

Types of transport:

Land – local bus, tourist bus, express bus, sleeper bus, airport shuttle bus, Indian ‘Rocket bus’, Nepalese trolley bus, city bus, minibus, coaster minibus, Australian roadtrain, Turkish dolmus, campervan, truck, pickup truck, Datsun/Honda minivans, bemo, taxi, taxi van, Indonesian bemo, Landcruiser, jeep, Filipino Jeepney, car, motorbike, scooter, police scooter, Vietnamese Honda Oms, Vietnamese motos, Laos tuk-tuk, Thai songthaew, express train, local train, steam train, tram, Singapore/Sydney MRT, motorised rickshaw, tricycle, pedalled rickshaw, Indonesia pete-pete, bicycle, pony and trap (Pakistani Tonga), stockhorse, elephant

Sea/River – car ferries, fast ferry, Black Cat catamaran ferry, Super Cat, Turbojet ferry, speedboat, motorboat, riverboat, Indonesian navy boat, Schooner, outrigger boat, longboat ferry, harbour ferry, scuba dive boats, sampang longboat, motorised canoe, Kashmiri Shikara boat, whitewater raft, canoe, inner tube

Air – (25 flights), Jet airliners, Cessnas, microlite, parachute

Longest Journey: 65 hours non-stop - Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to Jakarta (Indonesia) which involved 2 ferry rides and 3 bus rides (one was 42 hours).

Hotels/Lodges stayed at: 316. Overnight trips: bus – 24, train – 6, ferry/boat – 4, flights – 2, drive - 1

Favourite countries: Nepal (trekking), Myanmar (culture), Laos (people), Thailand (people), Iran (people), Philippines (beer), and Australia (scenery).

Most interesting countries: India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Tibet

Worth Visiting: Turkey, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia (Borneo), Sri Lanka, China

Least favourite country: Bangladesh

Most expensive: Australia, Maldives. Cheapest country: Bangladesh

Biggest Thrills: Skydiving from 14,000ft, Reaching Everest Base Camp

Worst Moment: Vicky’s death off Lombok, Indonesia

Favourite Cities: Kathmandu (Nepal), Bangkok (Thailand), Saigon (Vietnam), Yangon (Myanmar), Lhasa (Tibet), Canberra (Australia)

Worst Cities: Dhaka (Bangladesh), Lahore (Pakistan), Madras (India), Jakarta (Indonesia), Manila (Philippines - Osman night out excepted)

Best food: Soup/kebabs (Thailand), Baguettes (Cambodia/Laos), Steaks (Nepal), Tea (India/Pakistan), and Beer (Philippines). Australia for everything else.

Total number of words typed about trip on Homepage = 291,000

If you ever visit any of the countries I covered on this journey, here is a brief list of highlights that I think are 'unmissable'. The list is based on my own experience. They may be sights or journeys:

And now that moment you're been waiting for: Final Road kill statistics:

1 Chinese woman, 201 Kangaroos, 61 Unrecognised Birds, 38 Possums, 31 Foxes, 28 Wallabies, 26 rats, 25 Snakes, 24 Cows, 18 Dogs, 18 Rabbits, 15 Cats, 14 Donkeys, 14 Birds of Prey, 10 Tasmanian Devils, 9 Emus, 8 Frogs, 7 Sheep, 6 Lizards, 4 Camels, 4 Goats, 4 Wombats, 4 Quokkas, 4 Kittens, 4 Galahs, 3 Wildboar, 2 Dingoes, 2 Echidnas, 2 Feral Cats, 2 Porcupine, 2 Monkeys, 1 Horse (river road kill),1 Calf, 1 Lamb, 1 Pedemelon, 1 Cockatoo, 1 Rook, 1 Magpie, 1 Kookaburra, 1 Parrot.

List includes 3 lizards and 2 birds which we unfortunately flattened in the campervan)

Not included: Hundreds of UFO’s (‘unidentified flattened objects’, endless bus, truck and moped crashes and 1 Turtle on road kill probation. (NB. Cockroaches and leeches not counted as road kill).

They think it's all over. It is now.