GLOBETROTTING siblings Jack and Josie Condron are in the middle of the adventure of a lifetime in their 30-year-old Mini – an epic round-the-world drive.

Jack and Josie, from Maldon, started their journey in August and since then, have driven 13,000 miles through France, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

The trusty Mini Mayfair, which Jack, 24, had previously driven across Europe, is now being shipped to Darwin, Australia for the next leg of their amazing journey, a 5,000-mile trip around Australia, taking in Perth and finishing on the opposite site of the country, in Sydney.

Their dad, Brian Condron, said: “Many people have taken pictures and want to be seen with the car.

“Lots of people shake their heads in disbelief when they learn they are doing this with no back-up crew.

“The Mini has needed a number of running repairs along the way, but none of the problems have been insurmountable and the car is still going strong.”

Jack has taken a year out from his job in IT for the trip and is sharing the pair’s experiences in an online diary.

He said: “Nothing can really prepare you for Mongolia.

“We knewwhat to expect, but travelling for days across plains and deserts on rock-filled dirttracks, meeting nomadic tribesman on horseback and packs of wild camels was truly inspirational.

“A 4x4would be more at home there, but our Mini, with minimal ground clearance makes for a different set of challenges.”

Josie, 21, who finished a degree in childhood studies in May, said: “It has been a brilliant experience so far.

“Not many people can say they have driven from Maldon to Singapore.”

The pair are travelling without mobile or satellite phones, but are keeping kept in touch with friends and family via social media and the online video chat site, Skype.

With the pair and their little car enduring temperatures ranging from freezing in Siberia to more than 30C in Asia, the trip has led to the odd anxious moment for the family back home. Brian said the longest they had gone without hearing from Jack and Josie was ten days.

Once the Australian leg of the trip is over, Josie plans to go to work in New Zealand.

While she is doing that, Jack plans to ship the Mini to California, from where he hopes to drive down to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, before motoring on to the southernmost tip of South America.

You can follow their siblings’ progress on Twitter @miniroadtrip or at blog.travelpod.com/travel-blogentries/jackcondron/1/1378233256/tpod.html