It's never too early to start planning your dream road trip adventure. To help inspire you, discover three incredible road trips to Norway, Sicily and Damascus in the new travel book 'Hike, Drive, Stayin' Alive!', 10 stories of adventure by The Raven Brothers. A career in overland adventure was launched by Chris and Simon Raven, when they drove unaided across Siberia from the UK to Vladivostok in a rusty Ford Sierra. The travel writing duo won praise from Lonely Planet, who recommended their book ‘Driving the Trans-Siberian’, as an alternative to Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor’s BBC-sponsored motorcycle adventure. Back on the road with three new drives in a book of ten stories of adventure, The Raven Brothers seek out their dream destinations by river, tarmac and trail in their fifth book ‘Hike, Drive, Stayin’ Alive!’
1. The Road to Damascus in a Ford Escort
Curiosity and a period of relative calm in Syria, leads The Raven Brothers to embark on a quest to drive to the heart of the Middle East. Sampling Syrian beer at the castle of the Knights, the brothers explore mind blowing history with a desert backdrop, as they venture to Damascus in a bid to seek wisdom and understanding in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
Chris: The streets inside the ancient souqs of Damascus are belt tighteningly narrow. You could easily reach out of the car window and help yourself to spices or sticky Syrian sweets.
Simon: On the road to Damascus we were faced with ten-ton trucks travelling head on. I recall a guy with the appearance of Lawrence of Arabia chilling on a motorcycle in the middle lane. We experienced a tyre blow out at the foot of the Anti-Lebanon mountains in a region where a battle was fought in ancient times involving thousands of chariots.
2. Norway’s Arctic Highway to the Top of the World
With a focus on wilderness survival The Raven Brothers drive from the remote Lofoten archipelago to Norway's North Cape, during an epic tour of Scandinavia in a small one-litre hatchback. Hiking the Knivskjellodden trail to the extreme northernmost point of Europe, reindeer and traditional sami people cross their paths as the brothers go wild on a Norwegian Arctic journey to the top of the world.
Chris: There was a fantastic moment when we found ourselves chasing behind a snow white albino reindeer with huge pink antlers. It felt like we were on a sleigh ride in a crazy fairy tale.
Simon: If heaven were a road, it would be Norway’s E6. You could easily idle away an infinite period of time there.
3. Up the Etna
Hurtling towards middle age The Raven Brothers make a circuit around Sicily, an island at the furthest point south of Italy’s boot. Driving to the top of Mount Etna and exploring myths in ancient Syracuse, the travel writing duo eat their way around a land of personality, history, mega cuisine and sunshine. Wrestling identity the brothers end their journey hanging out with the dead in Palermo’s eerie catacombs, and endure the ultimate life lesson in how it feels to be tolerated.
Simon: We drove to the top of Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe. It was the descent that proved to be risky. Our brakes caught fire halfway down the mountain. With a crack in the fuel tank it is incredible our 90s executive saloon didn’t explode in a magnificent fireball.
Chris: Sicily is one of the most dangerous countries in the world, because of the food! By the end of the road trip Si's head was so heavy it literally tilted to one side.
Not a fan of road tripping? Fear not. The fifth book by the travel writing duo covers ten inspiring stories of adventure from across the globe, and signals a return to Simon and Chris writing “buttock clenching” comedy.
‘Hike, Drive, Stayin’ Alive!’ by The Raven Brothers is out now! Order your copy from Amazon or your favourite book retailer worldwide.
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by The Raven Brothers
Out of shape and unprepared, The Raven Brothers return to the road in a collection of ten quests to travel to their dream destinations against all odds! After two decades pioneering new routes across the globe, you would expect the authors of 'Driving the Trans-Siberian' to be hotshot explorers, with a sixth sense and an ability to survive in almost any situation. Think again! With virtually zero knowledge of the workings of the internal combustion engine and very limited skills of wilderness survival, Simon and Chris struggle into their hiking boots and power across three continents by river, tarmac and trail.
Venture to the top of Norway, cruise the road to Damascus, hike the Camino trail into Spain’s Wild West, row the Ganges, explore Frida Kahlo’s world in Mexico City, hangout with the dead in Sicily’s eerie catacombs, crawl deep inside Bolivia’s notorious silver mine, seek lions in Gujarat, wellness in Berlin and journey into the Naga Hills where tribal kings still rule.
Noted by Lonely Planet for their talent to portray an “accurate view of what to expect”, 'Hike, Drive, Stayin’ Alive!' signals a return to the duo writing “buttock clenching” travel comedy with the first in a series of candid stories of adventure by The Raven Brothers.