It's over! We're off!

Today's the day. Shortly after 10am this morning our flight to Vienna will depart Heathrow. This is it. On December 13, 2005 we arrived in London unsure exactly what would await us. Today, one day short of five years later, we depart with 780 blog posts capturing some of the most incredible adventures. In five years it's clear we've done more than many will ever do in a life time. Amazing! Thank you for reading. I hope our journey home proves just as memorable

For the next five weeks we'll be taking an eight-day train journey through the Austrian and Swiss Alps, then flying on to Antarctica for a six-day cruise and a tour through Chile, before finally reaching Australia via New Zealand.

Highlights include:

• three days in Vienna enjoying history, snow and christkindlmarkts
• the most famous christkindlmarkt of all in Salzburg
• the Glacier Express across the top of the Swiss Alps
• the Jungfraujoch, or Top of Europe railway, which at 3454 metres is Europe’s highest altitude railway station.
• flying from Chile to King George's Island off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula
• New Year's Eve on Easter Island
• four days in the Atacama Desert and,
• three days exploring Santiago.

Phew! Watch for some stunning posts in the weeks ahead. For now, as we prepare to depart it seems appropriate to say farewell with a classic rock anthem from the aptly named band, Europe. The Final Countdown.