Charley Boorman goes from Ireland to Australia by any means

Over the holidays, I watched a video marathon of By Any Means, a TV series which follows actor Charley Boorman on an adventure that takes him from his hometown in Ireland to Sydney, Australia. The catch? Boorman and his party had to avoiding commercial air travel as much as possible. They mostly traveled by land and sea, with the mode of transportation depending on what was suitable to the country they were in. Overall, they used 112 modes of transport as they went through 24 countries.

I was able to watch Boorman’s earlier adventures with Ewan McGregor, namely Long Way Round and Long Way Down. This may be an impulsive choice, but I think By Any Means is my favorite so far. Like the other shows it contains the nuances one encounters during long distance travel. The difference is that By Any Means allowed the team to interact with more people along the way – probably because they took public transportation and made a more diligent effort to learn more about each location’s residents.

At some points, you get the impression that they’re just rushing off from one place to another. Perhaps this is unavoidable, especially when you think about budget and time constraints. Also, since the show focuses on modes of transportation, it’s only natural to get the feeling that Boorman and his team are always on the move.

Overall, I loved how the show served as a reminder that one does not need to rush about in airplanes to get anywhere. When you make the right preparations and you’re not pressed for time, you can easily have an adventure where the journey becomes just as memorable as the destination.

The show originally aired on the BBC in September 2008. If you didn’t catch it then, you can look for the DVD or view some excerpts at YouTube.