Shannon Coggins, Theo Simon and their 19-year-old daughter Rosa are on their way to Australia. Following a journey of three and a half months, that excluded flying for the sake of the planet, the Somerset family has already reached Indonesia.
The three left East Pennard on 16 August to begin the 16,000 km journey to Sydney. They’re hoping to make it in time for Coggins’ sister’s wedding on December 28. It was back in 2002 when the family decided to stop flying “because of its effect on the climate”.
Ongoing Trip Costing Them More Than Air Tickets Would Have Done
The ongoing journey has taken the three through Kazakhstan, China, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia. They are now in the East Timor’s capital of Dili, hoping to find a boat to cross the Timor Sea to Darwin. From then on, they plan to take a bus to Sydney.
In August, Coggins left her job at the Avanti Park School in Frome and Simon finished working at Songbird Naturals in Ditcheat. The family had been saving up several years to pay for the trip, that has cost them more than air tickets would have done.
“All three of us have campaigned in different ways for action on climate change, so we decided our journey to Australia would have to be as low-carbon as practical,” Simon said. But he also noted that they are “realistic” and know “people can’t necessarily find the time to do this.”
Current Infrastructure Not Adequately Supporting Low-Carbon Travel
Furthermore, Simon highlighted that “the world isn’t currently set up to make low-carbon travel easier than flying.” The traveller said it had been a fabulous adventure so far, stressing they hope the harbour master in Dili arranges a boat for them.
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Coggins’ sister moved to Australia in 2007 and is getting married in New South Wales later this month. “Although we live far apart, we’re very close because our mum died when we were young but I’ve never been to her home … or even met the man she’s marrying,” she added.
