Thomas Chacko, who works for Windows Application Compatibility/Device Compatibility Team, and five friends will climb into two tiny cars and embark on a 10,000-mile trip through Europe and Asia. Destination: Mongolia.

Employee Thomas Chacko has never been one for traditional, lie-on-the-beach vacations—even before he signed on to spend six weeks crisscrossing two continents in a tiny Fiat hatchback.

Chacko and five friends are getting ready to depart for London, where they will participate in the Mongol Rally, a 10,000-mile road rally across Europe and into Asia.

The annual rally (tagline: “Fighting to make the world less boring”) isn’t just about high adventure in “ridiculous cars;” it’s about giving back. Chacko and his team are raising money for Mercy Corps, an organization working to fight poverty and improve lives in Mongolia.

“Ultimately, this trip is about a few key things,” said Chacko, who works for Microsoft’s Windows Application Compatibility/Device Compatibility Team (yes, they are AC/DC). “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drive over a third of the way around the globe on roads less traveled, immerse myself in many different cultures, and experience the beauty of Mongolia while positively impacting families of the people we will meet there.”

The name of Chacko’s two-car caravan to Mongolia is “Baatar Hero”—a derivative of their final destination of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Group members have a goal of raising $5,000 for Mercy Corps and will donate their cars and equipment to charities in Mongolia when they arrive.

Chacko was born in New York City and grew up in the Bronx and New Jersey. After his friend Jean Kim moved to the Pacific Northwest, he visited and started thinking about moving to Seattle.

“My parents are from southern India and came halfway across the world to start a new life, and I was wondering if I needed to do the same,” Chacko said. “I came here on a one-year plan; now I’ve been here for nine.”

Jean, who works at RealNetworks, is part of Baatar Hero. The other four members are Yasmin Mudah, who works in wastewater treatment; Amy Anderson, an outdoorsy eighth-grade school teacher; and married couple Brian Shrader and Kim Starr, who work for Rhapsody and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, respectively.

Chacko and his friends had talked about taking a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway, but then Shrader stumbled onto the Mongol Rally while reading a travel forum.

Baatar Hero traveled to Boulder, Colorado, to hear self-powered English circumnavigator Jason Lewis (third from right) speak at a Mongol Rally event. Here, Chacko (far right) is joined by his teammates (left to right) Brian, Kim, Jean, Amy, adventurer Jason Lewis, and Yasmin.

“Kim normally likes to play it safe, but it was her that said, ‘We’re totally doing this,’” Chacko said.

Late last year, the friends started preparing in earnest for the road rally—paying registration fees, registering for visas for the many countries they’d pass through, looking for sponsors, raising money for their charity, and shopping for cars and gear.

The Mongol Rally requires that cars be no older than 10 years and have an engine no larger than 1.2 liters.

“There isn’t a car like that in the U.S.,” Chacko said. “So we started scouring eBay and other portals in England. You can imagine calling up England about a car for sale—some just hang up on you. They don’t take you seriously.”

But a few dealerships understood the cause, and the group bought two 2003 Fiat Puntos sight unseen. Baatar Hero has to make sure the cars are mechanically sound and prepare them for a rough trip, adding roof racks to carry two wheels, two tires, gear, and cans of fuel.

Once the group gets past Turkey on the way to Mongolia, it can no longer count on being able to find roads. The Fiats must climb ridges, ford rivers, and cross deserts.

“We’ll be driving in gravel, sand, and rocks and inventing our own roads,” Chacko said. “But the goal is to get the cars to Mongolia in good condition so they can be donated.”

Baatar Hero aims to make the trip as carbon neutral as possible and will camp as much as it can along the way. When the team members arrive in Mongolia, they plan to donate their camping equipment to Mercy Corps volunteers.

Each member of the team has spent several thousands of dollars getting ready for the trip, and the group also found sponsors such as F5 and Keen to help with costs and supplies. The team will have a Windows 7-based laptop, cameras, and satellite phones and will post regular updates during the race.

Chacko said he knows that the trip will be challenging and that it will test not only himself, but also his friendships.

“As you can imagine, because the preparation has been going on for so long, we’ve already learned a lot about ourselves before leaving,” Chacko said. “We’re going to be in a car no larger than a washing machine for six weeks not showering often, probably hungry, and sometimes broken down alongside the road. Yeah, of course we expect that there may be some fights, but we will deal with it.”

The border crossings are notoriously shady, and there is no shortage of corrupt law enforcement along the way, he said. The little cars are almost guaranteed to break down, and unlike NASCAR, there is no pit crew to change a tire or fix a radiator. Each group must be self-sufficient. The Mongol Rally website has a number of disclaimers, making sure participants know that if they get themselves into a pickle, it’s up to them to get themselves out.

Chacko and his teammates bought two 2003 Fiat Puntos in England sight unseen and had them wrapped with their sponsors' logos. They will add roof racks to carry wheels, tires, gear, and fuel through stretches of rugged, isolated terrain.

“I recognize I’ll probably need a vacation from my vacation,” Chacko said.

It is his hope that the group will not only benefit Mongolian children with its fund-raising trip, but also tell the stories that don’t often get told—stories of seminomadic farmers who have no money to feed their children and of street kids who scour for food all day and then lift up manhole covers and climb inside to sleep next to steam pipes.

“People will be able to see where their money is going but also that there are still needs and how they can help,” Chacko said.

The group, which departs London’s Goodwood Motor Speedway on July 24, is still seeking donations and sponsorships for the journey.

“The first challenge: learn how to shift gears with my left hand while in England and then move to the opposite side of the road for the next 18 countries. Good times,” Chacko cracked.

FollowBaatar Hero’s progress in the Mongol Rally.

Donate to Baatar Hero and Mercy Corps, both of which aim to help the people of Mongolia.

Learn more about the Mongol Rally