Chip Walter and Cyndy Mosites head into the final leg of their 175,000-mile world trip

After five years traveling mostly by land and sea, National Geographic Explorer Chip Walter and his wife, Cyndy Mosites, are set to begin the seventh and final continent of their global expedition. The pair is due in Singapore on Nov. 13 before sailing toward Australia, with a return to Pittsburgh expected in mid-2027.

Why it matters: - The Vagabond Adventure is close to completing a rare seven-continent journey done mostly without flying. - The trip has become a long-running example of slow travel across changing borders, weather, and transit systems. - Walter plans to turn the expedition into seven books, extending the project beyond the trip itself.

What happened: - Chip Walter and Cyndy Mosites left Pittsburgh by train on Sept. 27, 2021, to travel to all seven continents by ship, train, bus, automobile, and on foot whenever possible. - Walter was 70 at departure. Mosites was 62. - The couple expects to arrive in Singapore on Nov. 13 and begin the final leg of the expedition. - The journey's seventh and final continent begins Nov. 14 aboard the Azamara Pursuit, with a sailing route from Singapore through Indonesia to Australia. - The ship is scheduled to reach Sydney in early December.

The details: - The couple estimates they will have traveled about 175,000 miles by land and sea by the time they return, not counting a few flights forced by circumstances. - Their expected return to Pittsburgh is mid-June 2027, nearly six years after departure. - Walter will be 76 and Mosites 68 when they get home, if the schedule holds. - The trip has included trekking through the Andes to Choquequirao, watching humpback whales in Antarctica, kayaking and horseback riding in Patagonia, exploring Norse settlements in Newfoundland, and climbing toward Bhutan's Tiger's Nest monastery. - One difficult stretch required five buses over five days and about 2,000 miles from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Montevideo, Uruguay. - Ferry routes disappeared after COVID, and wars and political instability blocked some overland crossings. - The couple took flights only when they had little choice, and those trips were brief. - The journey has also produced repeated encounters with strangers who helped them along the way. - Walter recalled two French engineers repairing the couple's car on a remote Patagonian road, followed months later by a dinner reunion in Lyon. - Walter also described help from a young woman in Montenegro who arranged transportation to a hotel during a rainstorm. - Walter has worked as a CNN bureau chief, Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Carnegie Mellon University professor, and National Geographic Explorer. - Walter's books include Last Ape Standing, Immortality, Inc., and the science-fiction thriller Doppelgänger. - Walter is also working on a new mystery set in the Arctic Circle. - Mosites worked for years in art and real estate before retiring. - The couple has documented the expedition in hundreds of stories, photographs, and dispatches at Vagabond Adventure. - Walter plans to publish seven books tied to the trip, one for each continent. - The couple also says travelers can follow the trip step-by-step on Polar Steps as the expedition continues.

Between the lines: - The expedition is as much about endurance and logistics as sightseeing, with missed ferry routes and unstable regions shaping the path. - Walter's comments suggest the trip has been driven by human encounters as much as geography. - The long timeline gives the project a memoir-like scale and positions it as a major source of future writing.

What's next: - After Australia, the couple plans to cross the continent on the Indian Pacific, a four-day rail trip through the Blue Mountains, Broken Hill, Adelaide and the Nullarbor Plain to Perth. - They then plan to continue by sea to New Zealand before heading back to Pittsburgh. - Walter and Mosites are available for interviews as travel permits, and photos and background materials are available on request.

The bottom line: - The Vagabond Adventure is moving into its final stretch, with only Oceania left before Walter and Mosites try to close out a six-year, mostly overland circuit of the globe.