# Hypothetically, how long would it take go from Hong Kong to Galloway, Scotland with no money? (no passports, no travel card, basically undocumented) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 19, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetically-how-long-would-it-take-go-from-hong-kong-to-galloway-scotland-with-no-money-no-passports-no-travel-card-basically-undocumented/1033209 "2026-09-19T19:34:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetically-how-long-would-it-take-go-from-hong-kong-to-galloway-scotland-with-no-money-no-passports-no-travel-card-basically-undocumented/1033209/41 "2026-09-21T10:35:40Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I’m not sure if I can buy that you can paddle them at 3-4 mph like Google implies but even if it is more like 2 mph, then if you “borrow” one during the night it shouldn’t be that hard to cross to Dover under cover of darkness as long as the tides and waves behave well. It was my understanding that advising people to break the law is frowned upon here. I’d be worried more about ships than waves, especially at night. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetically-how-long-would-it-take-go-from-hong-kong-to-galloway-scotland-with-no-money-no-passports-no-travel-card-basically-undocumented/1033209/42 "2026-09-21T11:02:22Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And is Scotland where kids fantasize about running away to? What happened to fantasizing about running away to join the circus? Remember this film? > **[Yu Ming is Ainm Dom](https://ifiarchiveplayer.ie/yu-ming-is-ainm-dom/)** > > Tired of his dead-end supermarket job, Yu Ming (Daniel Wu) decides to learn Irish and leave his home country of China for a new life overseas. > > With a simple spin ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetically-how-long-would-it-take-go-from-hong-kong-to-galloway-scotland-with-no-money-no-passports-no-travel-card-basically-undocumented/1033209/43 "2026-09-21T11:13:10Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > > [@hogarth](#): > > > > On land: food banks and panhandling. > > As I posted earlier, there were Japanese reality shows that people supposedly traveled across Asia with no money. People would suddenly just offer to buy them food. > > In reality, you ain’t getting very far panhandling as a foreigner and there aren’t food banks conveniently located a day’s journey everywhere, if there are any at all. > > Having a smart phone with eSIMS or roaming handles a fair amount of basic communication, but that’s out for a strict reading of no money. a.) My recommendation was to hitchhike across the US and GB, so I’m not sure what basic communication problems you’re concerned with. (Cajun? Geordie?) b.) Out of my two suggestions (“food banks” and “catch rats”), “food banks” is the one you flagged as impractical? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetically-how-long-would-it-take-go-from-hong-kong-to-galloway-scotland-with-no-money-no-passports-no-travel-card-basically-undocumented/1033209/44 "2026-09-21T12:35:19Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > And is Scotland where kids fantasize about running away to? What happened to fantasizing about running away to join the circus? > > Remember this film? Sorry, no, I’ve never seen that 23 year old short film. But I’ll try to watch it later. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetically-how-long-would-it-take-go-from-hong-kong-to-galloway-scotland-with-no-money-no-passports-no-travel-card-basically-undocumented/1033209/45 "2026-09-21T13:57:02Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > a.) My recommendation was to hitchhike across the US and GB, so I’m not sure what basic communication problems you’re concerned with. (Cajun? Geordie?) > > b.) Out of my two suggestions (“food banks” and “catch rats”), “food banks” is the one you flagged as impractical? Wasn’t clear what you were referring to and someone else answered about catching rats. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetically-how-long-would-it-take-go-from-hong-kong-to-galloway-scotland-with-no-money-no-passports-no-travel-card-basically-undocumented/1033209/46 "2026-09-21T14:54:45Z")
Closed on September 21, 2026, 2:54pm UTC ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetically-how-long-would-it-take-go-from-hong-kong-to-galloway-scotland-with-no-money-no-passports-no-travel-card-basically-undocumented/1033209/47 "2026-09-21T14:57:11Z")
Moderating: I probably let this run longer than I should have. I was treating it as an Intellectual exercise and/or humor, but it actually violates a basic rule of to [TOS](https://boards.straightdope.com/tos): > **Illegal activity.** Do not post material that in our opinion encourages or facilitates activity that is illegal in the U.S. Discussion of whether an activity should or should not be illegal is permissible. We encourage people to abide by local U.S. law, which varies by jurisdiction. Please do not post suggestions or advice on how to evade local U.S. law. We do not expect rigorous compliance with laws in other countries, especially censorship laws in authoritarian states. Nonetheless, please consult with SDMB staff before posting advice on such laws. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetically-how-long-would-it-take-go-from-hong-kong-to-galloway-scotland-with-no-money-no-passports-no-travel-card-basically-undocumented/1033209.md?page=2)