For most, planning a long trip involves booking flights and hotels, which sites to see, which activities make the list. For Jaydip Lakhankiya, it involves calculating the lifespan of a pair of shoes, negotiating with bureaucracies, and staring down the reality of crossing a desert alone. 

The 25-year-old is preparing to walk 12,000 kilometres from Malta to India, a year-and-a-half journey across 20 countries to raise awareness for climate change. But before the first step, there is the monumental task of planning for it.

The vision is clear: a solo trekker with a light pack, avoiding highways, connecting capitals. The reality of the planning, however, is a tangle of logistical anxieties.

“There are few things I am worried about,” Mr Lakhankiya admits while speaking to WhosWho.mt, pinpointing the trip's most fragile elements. “I don’t have enough funds right now and I don’t want to stop this mission because of funds, my goal and purpose are much bigger than that.”

The financial concern is constant, but it’s matched by a more immediate bureaucratic hurdle: an expiring visa. His Maltese residence permit, a golden ticket through 14 European nations, is set to run out midway through his planned timeline.

“I am trying to get it extended for at least six more months,” he explains. “That way, I can pass through these countries without any issues.” For the remaining nations, the plan is a relentless cycle of applications. “For the remaining countries, I plan to apply for visas before reaching each one.”

The physical planning is more within his control, but no less daunting. A certified trekking instructor, kayaker and seasoned backpacker, he knows what his body is in for. His pack will be brutally minimal - four pairs of clothes, a sleeping bag, a tent, a power bank. He’s already done the math on footwear, estimating with a grim practicality, “I think I will burn through 20 pairs of shoes on the trip.”

And then there’s the environment itself. When asked to envision the hardest part, his answer is immediate: “Iran’s desert.” The statement stands alone, a simple, formidable fact he will have to walk through.

The planning isn't just about survival; it's about building meaning. Before he sets off for India, he will walk the length of Malta as a tribute. He dreams of a symbolic start, “from in front of the Prime Minister’s Office. I will also try to invite the Prime Minister for the flag-off ceremony, as it would make the start of this journey even more meaningful.”

He is also strategically building a support system, leveraging the community he found in Malta. “I’m fortunate to have some Maltese friends who have been helping me plan and execute this mission from the very beginning,” he says. He’s actively seeking partnerships, noting, “I’m also looking to connect with a good organisation in Malta that works on climate change, where I can volunteer. This collaboration could also help support my residence permit…”

Every detail, from the two ferries he’ll take (Malta to Sicily, then Sicily to mainland Italy) to the emergency contacts he’ll program into his phone (local emergency services and the Indian Embassy), is being mapped.

For Mr Lakhankiya, the plan is a bridge between a deep-seated concern and a call to action. It was a chapter in a textbook on sustainability while studying Hospitality Management in Malta that first ignited his passion, followed by volunteering with the European Solidarity Corps in Greece and his own research into climate catastrophes. “That experience made me decide to dedicate myself to this cause and do as much as I can,” he says.

So, what is it like to plan to walk across 20 countries by foot? It is a relentless focus on a distant goal, tempered by the daily grind of managing money, visas, and maps. It is a trek against uncertainty, fuelled by the conviction that the journey itself, every difficult, planned-for step of it, is the message.