A man spent 2 months driving 6,800 miles across Europe to Turkey and Kazakhstan

• Matvey Usanov drove from London to Istanbul and flew his car to Kazakhstan.
• The 6,800-mile journey took two months to complete in a 1962 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud.
• Usanov walked Insider through his journey, including the border crossing that almost ended his trip.

In June, Matvey Usanov, a 28-year-old financial analyst from St. Petersburg, set out on the adventure of a lifetime.

In a bid to explore the world, the London resident embarked on a two-month, 6,800-mile journey from London to Turkey and onwards to Kazakhstan. He finished the journey in August in Uzbekistan. 

A seasoned adventurer, this wasn’t Usanov’s first rodeo, he told Insider. He had previously driven from Saint-Tropez to Venice, London to Palermo, and St. Petersburg to Kunashir Island.

Usanov likes to travel by car for spontaneity and freedom, especially in places with limited tourist infrastructure.

“I think that it gives you an extra sense of the road,” Usanov said.