Two young men from Harrow were a few years into their careers when they decided to book a one way flight to India and give it all up.

Dean Kay-Barry, 25, and Sim Lotay, 24, who live in Harrow and attended Nower Hill School in Pinner, have been travelling the world indefinitely since April 2016.

“There is no end goal in sight” Dean tells me. “We have absolutely no idea where our journey may take us.”

Both studied English Literature at university, Dean went to Southampton University and Sim went to Reading. After graduating, they both started working in Central London in the media and creative industry.

“We were both in dream jobs and our lives were on an extremely comfortable and promising route. However, after working for over two years, we decided that this wasn't enough. We grafted and saved our money for almost a year in order to pursue our dream of travelling the world. We needed to see what more the world could offer.”

Here, I find out more about their trip and top tips…

Harrow Times:

(Dean Kay-Barry and Sim Lotay at the Nepal Mud Festival)

What were you both doing for work before leaving?

We both worked within the media industry. Dean was working as a producer at a digital media company creating content for YouTube and Sim was working as a content executive at a creative agency. We have always been interested in creating online content.

How much money did you save?

We both saved around £8,000 to have as spending money. We started saving little by little about a year before we were about to leave. Luckily, after university, we both moved back home with our families in Harrow and so we we’re able to save money on rent.

How did you feel leaving?

It was an odd sort of feeling. We had researched, planned and spoken about the trip for so long that it sort of consumed us. However, it never felt real until the plane started to make its descent over Mumbai. We could see the vast slums and it sort of hit us all at once; the length we were to be away and the complete unknown we were entering. It was a very strange mix of euphoria, excitement and fear.

How did your families feel?

Both our families were obviously very sad to see us go…naturally. However, the great thing is that they completely supported every aspect of our trip and are very happy for us to be out here having these genuinely insane experiences.

Where did you go to first?

Our first stop was India. Everyone we had spoken to who had travelled had said we were crazy to go to India as the first stop. Dean had never been outside of Europe before and so it was as far removed from home as humanly possible. We completely threw ourselves into the deep end. We are grateful for this though, it sort of got us ready for anything and everything.

Talk me through your trip so far

So, we started in India and were there for about two months. We then headed up to Nepal, before heading back to India briefly. We then flew to Thailand for our South-East Asia chapter. We travelled Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Cambodia and then finally Vietnam. On November 9, we flew from Ho Chi Minh to Melbourne and will be in Australia for a year.

What have been the best bits?

Everything has been incredible in their own way. I know that’s a diplomatic answer, but each new place is so different to the last, that it is hard to pinpoint. Highlights however, include: climbing to Anna Purna Base Camp in Nepal alone, being in two Bollywood movies in Mumbai, abseiling down a giant waterfall in Vietnam and also buying motorbikes in Vietnam and driving the entire way down the country… unscathed.

What have been the worst bits?

We would be lying if we said that traveling for such a long time would be without its headaches or pitfalls. Firstly, when you are constantly living out of a bag and staying in places so temporarily, it can become extremely exhausting having to be on the move. While the traveling part in hindsight is always worth it, trying to navigate independently in a crazy environment can be challenging. Also, making close friends and traveling in a group and then saying bye to these friends is really upsetting.

It must be hard sometimes going everywhere together, have you fallen out?

Everyone asks us this. We have been best friends for almost ten years and have spent a lot of time together, whether its group holidays or festivals and so we are already used to it. Although traveling can be stressful and so there have been times when we get off a bus in the middle of nowhere in India at 4am and can be a bit short with each other. These things however, last no longer than a minute. It has been a true test of friendship though.

What would you say to somebody considering a similar expedition?

Do it. Just do it. It’s scary and it’s a bit daunting. Especially when you have no real plan. The name of our YouTube channel ‘Travel Blaggers’ sort of stems from this idea. We are completely blagging our way around the world. With no real plan, no experience and armed just with one another and a few cameras, we intend to see where it all takes us. But just do it. Make that initial step.

Can you share with me your top travel tips and survival advice?

Be confident in yourself. You will find yourself in some crazy situations but you’ve sort of got to just go with it. When we first got to India we were terrified of everything. All the do’s and don’ts and all the warnings we had received before we left maybe held us back initially. Try to say yes to everything, be open to new experiences with new people. Also, try and do things that scare you or put yourself in situations that are out of your comfort zone. Oh, and definitely download some sort of map app…that will help.

What will you do when you come home?

At the moment, we are completely focused on making our YouTube channel the one and only priority. We have filmed almost every moment of our trip and now that we have a base in Melbourne, we have the incredible task of editing it all. The dream is for the channel to keep growing, for us to continue traveling and to continue to make as many videos as we can about our journey.

Watch Travel Blaggers here.