A british model has travelled 10,000 miles cross the world to Australia for free – blagging rides on planes, tractors, cars, ferries, buses, bikes and tuk tuks – all to raise money for a charity.
38-year-old mum-of-two Elaine Harris got all the way to Sydney thanks to kind strangers who helped her get there from the UK.
Elaine, who was a finalist on the UKs Top Model, started the adventure on a tractor, leaving her home in Forfar, Angus, on 21 July.
She travelled to Germany, Czechoslovakia, Israel, Bangkok, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Kuala Lumpur before arriving in Sydney – all with no cash.
The mum to Salina, six, and Ariana, two, celebrated the end of her 10-day challenge by climbing up the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, despite being exhausted.
Shes been surviving on one meal a day and protein bars, and has relied on the generosity of others to get through the trip.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Shes even had to ration water and her phone battery while she hitchhiked for lifts on the back of lorries.
Elaine said the hardest part was sleep deprivation and a 25 hour bus journey from Bangkok to Vietnam via Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Elaine said: When I was starting the challenge I had no idea what to carry.
How do you pack for somewhere that you dont know?
I took ten protein bars and I ate them all.
Im so grateful for them, I was having one meal a day and a protein bar.
I had to ration everything. I rationed water, food and even the charge on my phone.
When people gave you food or anything you would just appreciate it.
I wouldnt ask them to give me stuff but once I got chatting to people they would help but it was all very genuine.
Some people would give me money for food.
Hitching for the lorries was terrifying.
My heart was in my mouth but I honestly didnt come across anything negative within the ten days.
By day three, the whole challenge just blew up and everyone got behind me through social media.
It was so cool to start at with a tractor in Scotland and end up in Australia.
The whole journey has been surreal.
She travelled from Dundee to Glasgow on the back of a motorbike before hitching a lift with a trucker to Dover where she got the ferry onto Calais.
Elaine arrived in Brussels on Tuesday where she hitch-hiked to Lohr Am Main in Bavaria, Germany.
Advertisement
Advertisement
From there she took a 25-hour bus journey from Bangkok to Vietnam via Siem Reap, Cambodia, where she got a lift on a tuk tuk.
She then flew from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney.
Elaine said: The lack of sleep and food was probably the hardest thing for me.
I was relying on people to feed me because I was in transit the whole entire time.
I think I went through seven days without having a proper bed to sleep on.
Elaine took on the challenge to raise funds for a clinic to provide dental and eye care to kids on the isle of Sal, in Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa.
