How the Jailbreakers did it: Denmark, ‘We’re on a (Jail)break’

Two pet snakes came with them


A week after they finished their record-breaking journeys across the globe for Exeter RAG’s Jailbreak, I had a chat with three teams to hear their stories. The first of which are George and Isabella, a couple who made it to Copenhagen, Denmark – 1,203 km from Exeter.

When and why did you decide to take part?

G: We needed to test the relationship, see if it could handle serious lack of sleep and stress.

I: I was on the subcommittee for Jailbreak last year and also did some tracking, so I had a lot of FOMO.

Sum up the journey. How did you do it?

G: We hitchhiked to London, fundraised in London and got a flight out from Gatwick.

I: We spent about 6 hours walking through Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street, mainly approaching and chatting to people outside bars and pubs – people became much more happy to help out with the journey the later it got and the drunker they were. We managed to raise enough for two single flights to either Nice or Copenhagen, and we’d both never been to Denmark before.

How’s fundraising gone so far?

G: I think it’s gone very well, our friends have been very generous.

I: We’ve raised about £340 online, but we’re expecting to break £500 – my sister hasn’t even donated yet and she was events manager for Jailbreak a few years ago…

What was the biggest surprise in terms of expectation vs. reality of doing Jailbreak?

G: I was surprised by how grumpy people are and how powerful caffeine is and also how comfortable sleeping in airports is.

I: I was half expecting us to magically raise hundreds of pounds in the first hour or two. It does take quite a lot of perseverance and you have to lose all sense of dignity and just approach everyone. We met some really nice people in London though and that restored my faith in humanity. #Milo #Irena #Jimmy.

Who was the most memorable person you met on the way?

G: Todor! He’s a Bulgarian DJ and he’s played at the Ministry of Sound and he’s been to Arena and Timepiece. You can find him on SoundCloud! www.mixcloud.com/djtr1o

I: He was also transporting two corn snakes which were in crates on the backseat with me. About ten minutes out of Stratford I suddenly see this giant orange thing on the floor with its head resting on the seat looking at me. It had escaped and was slithering around and I was texting HQ in a panic. It then got lost inside the mechanism of the front seat and Todor was significantly quieter after that.

Any tips for teams in future?

G: Make sure you’re 100% in love with your SO before embarking on such a stress-fest.

I: Bring snacks.


Exeter RAG’s Jailbreak has now raised over £17,000 and you can donate here.

Clarification on fundraising: strangers could choose to donate to charity or travel (or both). Close friends and family couldn’t donate to travel.