The journey of a teenager, who studied in Winchester, to be the youngest woman ever to fly around the world solo was reported by Reuters last week.

Zara Rutherford, 19, landed in Jakarta, Indonesia, on December 21 after she was unable to land there a few days earlier because of bad weather.

After landing in Jakarta, the former St Swithun's student gave a press conference at the Belgian ambassador's residence.

Zara explained to reporters in the Indonesian capital how travelling through Russia was the most difficult leg of the trip so far due to the sub-zero temperatures.

She said: “The problem with northern Russia at this time of year is that it's extremely cold. One leg was six hours over nothing, just wilderness.

“If for any reason the engine stops I think I could survive. I could either land on the land or (use) the parachute or ditch in the water. I'll be ok.

“The problem is if I'm in minus 35 degrees Celsius, once I'm on the ground and I'm three hours away from the closest human, I actually don't know how long I can survive.

“One of the biggest problems of flying solo is that there is nobody to discuss ideas with. If something is going wrong and you're not sure, your mind can play tricks on you.”

To meet the criteria for a round-the-world flight, Zara has designated two points on opposite each other on the globe, Jambi in Indonesia and the Colombian town of Tumaco.

Up to December 23, Zara has had a total of 57 days delayed. As of the same date, according to the website flyzolo.com, Zara will next head to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. On new year's eve, she is set to be in Dubai.