Tourists, often commencing the trip in Europe, crossed Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India to reach their final destination, Nepal. In doing so they mainly used local modes of transport, ranging from buses to boats to camels or horses. But while reaching Nepal was the aim of the trip, the journey itself was for most people more important than the final destination.
Zurick (1995) provides an account of his travels along the Asian Overland Route in the mid-70s. He recalls his first encounter with Istanbul-a city that provided to overland tourists an initial taste of the mysterious Orient and parting from the world known to them.