Long flights en route to a holiday abroad can be fun. But we would be lying if we said we didn’t grumble at the thought of a few hours spent in an airport plus a lengthy flight.
That’s essentially a whole day of free time gone!
But there’s one island that literally takes a week to get to - which is the whole length of a holiday just travelling.
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And despite the mega distance from home, it actually has a UK postcode - TDCU 1ZZ - a decision that was made to make it easier for residents to online shop.
Oh and to really sell the fun: it’s the world’s most remote inhabited island.
Sitting between the South Atlantic Current and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, Tristan da Cunha is an overseas territory of the UK.
According to the island’s most recent population update, there are currently just 234 Tristan da Cunha Islanders.
National Geographic writes that the volcanic island and its archipelago are a ‘hotspot of endemic biodiversity’ both on land and at sea.
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And while it’s not exactly thriving with humans, it certainly is with wildlife.
There’s sharks, whales, dolphins, 200,000 rockhopper penguins, millions of shearwaters and 300,000 sub-Antarctic fur seals.
Though if you’re wanting to visit Tristan da Cunha, it’s not exactly a simple journey.
Before you even think about starting your travels, you’ll need prior approval of the Administrator/Island Council to visit.
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The Council will want to know all your plans while you’re visiting and you may also need to supply a copy of a Police Certificate – which can take up to 40 days to obtain in the UK.
Once you’ve got all that sorted, you’ll need to do a long-haul flight to Cape Town.
And then it’s the mega journey on a ship over there.
Oh, and you’ll need to be in the South African city for at least two days before your ship departs – which the island recommends planning about a year in advance.
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Covering a huge 1750 mile journey, the ship to Tristan da Cunha takes about six days.
Apparently, visitors to the island often stay for six months or more – so I guess the journey isn’t that long in light of this.
People will go over there to work and become part of the community or for the wildlife.
There’s golf to play, fishing trips to take and a lot of walking and climbing to do.
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For those who want to go over to Tristan da Cunha to film, there’s a charge of £5,000 and permission for filming is apparently ‘very limited’ and will require the Island Council’s support.
A whole lot of effort to get to an incredible place where hardly anyone actually lives.
Featured Image Credit: David Forman via Getty ImagesTopics: Travel, World News