By the early 1980s the classic Overland tours, which had operated on a regular basis since the mid-1960s between London and Kathmandu, were drawing to a close. The Soviet Union had occupied Afghanistan, the Shah had been deposed and an Islamic State proclaimed in Iran. In Iraq Saddam Hussain was about to embark on a devastating war with Iran and the seeds of unrest were even then lying latent in Syria. This was the scenario when the author embarked upon his career as a tour leader/guide on the Overland routes across Asia to Kathmandu. This book is a continuation of the author's previous Kindle book - One Foot in Front of the Other - First Steps, which recounts his experiences travelling the Overland routes in Asia, Europe and in Africa in the halcyon days of the early '70s.After 3 years back in New Zealand followed by a year working for a uranium exploratory drilling company in Wyoming, the author arrived back in London & soon after completed a European training trip with Sundowners. As a rooky tour leader, he was sent to Istanbul with coach & driver to collect clients flying in from Kabul, before setting off for the Middle East. It was a memorable trip and a precursor for further tours on the Overland routes to and from Kathmandu. For the next 3 years, there were the ups and downs of political vagaries to content with, the frustration of border crossings and the sudden introduction of visa requirements. In later years there were money problems and the realisation that the company was struggling financially. There were happy times and sad times, although the happy times always outnumbered the sad. After the collapse of Sundowners, the author moved on to Explore Worldwide where he operated Camel safaris in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, followed by the leading of special interest tours into Kashmir and up to the former Buddhist mountain kingdom of Ladakh, to the tea plantations of Darjeeling and Sikkim, as well as archaeological tours to Turkey, Jordan and Tunisia. This book documents the highs & lows of tour leading: the funny incidents and the fortunately not-so-frequent sad episodes. There were the frustrations of dealing some passengers and with unmoving bureaucracy on borders, at embassies and elsewhere. It is also an insight into the information a tour leader/guide was expected to impart and thumbnail sketches of the places visited . The photographs used to illustrate these volumes were all taken by the author.