Midhurst family's 4,000 mile journey in a delivery van to Siberia

The van from Panther Truck Rental in Chichester will travel a quarter of the way round the world to Siberia.

Delivery driver Stephen Saunders, his wife Krystyna and son Johnnie set off on Friday June 10 for Novosibirsk, located a quarter of the way round the world from the start point in Chichester.

The trip to supply car parts will be the first time that 14-year-old Johnnie, who goes to Bohunt school, will travel through Poland, where his mum was born.

Stephen said: “It’s 4,000 miles, I think we’re east of Moscow before we’ve even got half way.

Stephen Saunders and his family will travel 8,000 miles to Siberia and back for the delivery trip.

“I said that I would go if I can take my wife and son – because it’s a long time for me to be on the road and them to be at home without me and also because my wife is Polish and she can read the Russian alphabet, she can transliterate, so that should help.”

He added: “It’ll be a geography field trip for my son and a culinary adventure for my wife, because that’s what she’s into and all of those places and for me it’s a road trip.”

The family will have to travel 350 miles a day in the Ford transit van, supplied by Panther Truck Rental in Chichester. Manager Nick Gordon said he was ‘very happy’ to be part of the challenge in some form, which may well be a record for a rental vehicle journey from the UK.

The journey has every possibility of including perils from flat tyres to bears, but Stephen said the experience was more likely to be exciting than frightening.

Johnnie Saunders, 14, will create a video log of the trip to Siberia to present at Bohunt School.

The freelance driver did his first cross-continental trip at just 18 years old and has travelled across the USA and Australia as part of his work.

He said: “I’ve never been bored of driving, I enjoy it, I like being on the road and I like the constant change in scenery. My wife and son might get bored of it!”

As part of the adventure, the family hopes to create a video log of their travels.

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