In June 2012, as the rest of the UK prepares for the London Olympics, Mark and Laura embark on the trip of a lifetime. 350 Days Away… tells their tale: the result of two years of savings and planning, Mark gleefully quitting his job and Laura drunkenly asking for a year of unpaid leave. What follows is a journey of epic proportions. Over their 350 days they travel their way through three continents, 20 countries, 26 border crossings, 10 time zones and £40,000. How do they do it? With nine aeroplanes, 23 trains, 63 buses, two overland trucks, 55 taxis, 29 rickshaws, 15 boats, five private cars, five 4x4 jeeps, four motorbikes, three campervans and a handful of credit cards.

In part one our travellers settle themselves into their year-long holiday with a Dragoman tour. Kicking off by losing $1,200, later losing a wallet and a camera, and then almost losing Mark, Mark and Laura’s first couple of months are a real learning curve. But in spite of their losses, they are enchanted by Africa and her people. The two together bring the opportunity to spend time with endangered mountain gorillas; befriend black rhinos; experience an undignified elephant ride and spot the big five.

Africa’s enormous skies bring our pair long, unforgettable sunsets and the Milky Way in all its glory. Camping under the stars in Zimbabwe’s wilderness and Tanzania’s Serengeti, Mark and Laura confront many fears and learn that it really is possible to sleep anywhere. While their nights promise prowling wildlife, their days deliver countless waving children and incredible sights such as Bushmen cave paintings that are tens of thousands of years old.

When they eventually set out on their own they’re accompanied by an unwelcome black eye and experience the painful reality of an unexpectedly extended 27 hour bus ride. Finally, before they leave the continent they learn that no matter how warm the weather was yesterday, it can snow in Africa.