Once upon a time there were two impatient adventurers, waiting to go off galavanting ...

It's now a little over two weeks until lift off and we're frantically sorting out all the minutae of our trip that have (inexplicably?) failed to sort themselves out. Our Russian and Chinese visas were relatively untroublesome to obtain, with hopefully the Mongolian to follow in a similar manner this week. We've been repeatedly jabbed in the arm by a worryingly scatty nurse in a travel clinic just off Russell Square. We're still trying to work out the least savings-squeezing method of getting our grubby mits on three months worth of Malarone anti-malarials, so if anyone has any suggestions they'd be hugely appreciated.

We hopefully now also possess the means to update this blog at least once a week, in the form of an unlocked mobile phone (for use with local sim cards) and broadband dongle. The gods of internet access allowing, we will be uploading writing, pictures, videos and audio of the interviews, stories, thoughts, poems, ideas and discussions we discover along the way.

I'm starting to get a little nervous about the trip and the project. I'm very much in two minds about whether to contact the relevant authorities about the project and the standard foreign office blurb hasn't so far been astonishingly helpful. Technically we're not journalists but it may appear that we are, and therefore there's a very real possibility that we may be deported or, far worse, cause trouble for the local people we speak to. This is something we must avoid at all costs.

Most worrying is my progress with the beautiful (but evidently bastard-hard) Russian language. Several months ago Will and I made a bargain that he would learn Mandarin and I would learn Russian. While Will has diligently completed a whole audio course [two courses! - Will] and can now get by in basic conversations with the Chinese [admittedly unproven - Will], I am not doing quite so well. In fact, it would be fair to say I'm still struggling with “hello”, “don't touch me” and “where is the toilet?”.

Are you sitting comfortably?

“Journeys and stories sit well together” Tim Macartney

It's now a month until we set off to weave our multimedia tale, exploring what climate change means to real people in Russia, Mongolia, China, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. With our route as far as Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia now booked, it seems an appropriate time to launch the website and start telling you more about why Climate Stories is happening.

This year we came to the decision that we could no longer justify flying for holidays. But with friends and family all over the world, as well as a desire to see far flung places, we weren't about to let that stop us. We concluded that we would instead take a few months off every few years to go on a big adventure.

With Copenhagen – arguably the most important meeting in human history – coming up, we didn't feel we could just drop out entirely. We needed a project that would make a contribution at this crucial time.

We both love stories and have been inspired by some excellent storytelling during our time in London. And we know we're not alone: people enjoy, engage with and respond to stories.

Stories work; travel spreads stories fast and climate change requires some very quick footwork. Climate Stories is the result of knitting together all these elements into one beautiful project.

Please let us know if you can help us find people to interview or to translate or if you can suggest any eco-projects that lie on our route. Comments or suggestions on the project are always most welcome.

Emma and Will.