London in December

I have decided to attempt to cross from Singapore to London in December 2016 by rail or a single flight below $300 flight, possibly to Guangzhou then train upwards to Beijing.

My equally-adventurous boyfriend decided that he will come with me because I assured him that even I have no companion, I will make this journey alone before 2016 closes. Yay!

I am opting for first class cabin because Gabriel cannot go a day without showering, which probably gives you a less-than-attractive insight into my acceptable hygiene standards but YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND I am very fuss free and clean so I won't get dirty anyway!

Moving on, here's the research important to me so far worth noting:

1) The SIM card I should buy for the journey should be from Russian teleco M-Fone. I will get a SGD$25 SIM card that will suffice me and him for all seven days onboard or more, if I can get Gabriel to book tickets as we go so that I can see Mongolia and all the Russian outskirts.

2) The first class cabin (at SGD$1300 for a non-stop trip) has a power outlet and plenty of space. It means me and Gabriel can watch movies or tv shows for when the train goes through the bigger cities without stopovers.

3) We can have our complimentary meals in the shared cabins where I look forward to meeting new people and making friends, something I had earmarked when I first found out about this railway and had decided on second class shared cabin.

4) I need to prepare a shit ton of hot-water-ready meals (I'm thinking of pasta in jars and instant noodles) as well as beverages. Gabriel's gonna die without Coke so I will set aside a big budget for onboard drinks for him. I can subsist happily on green tea for 16 hours daily for a week with minimal food sustenance so LUCKY HIM!

5) I have to get myself an iPad or a tablet with a detachable keyboard to record the full journey, day by day, because Gabriel always sleep earlier than me and I will be so painstakingly bored anyway.

6) I need to get the necessary visas especially if I want to enter Mongolia. I also need to set aside funds for hostels should we stay in any of the cities we pass. I also need to prepare some funds for general bribery. Wow I need a lot of money.

7) I need to minimize all my luggage as this will be my first baby foray into backpacking. I am so low-maintenance it's unreal. I haven't touched makeup in six months. I haven't used skincare products in three months and I can eat food that drops on any surface but the ground. I can wake up and get ready in under three minutes and still look put together. The one thing I need is my contacts for my 225 deg but besides that, I can live without most of my daily necessities. My hygiene standards both disgust and impress myself.

8) I need to be a good girlfriend to Gabriel because he has already predicted that I will lose it at two or more of the Russian stations because of my general shortness :(

He also says he is looking forward to seeing how I handle situational changes and that's why I think he secretly wants me to have a meltdown at one of the stations while screaming at a Russian ticket vendor just so he can swoop in and be my hero while having a nice travel story.

9) I need to plan this two months in advance and buy tickets early so hopefully my term break will coincide with Gabriel's ungodly long one-month annual leave.

10) (to be continued)