As a trip to the travel + lezer column, we are talking to travelers to detect the world through their unique approaches. We interacted with Thor Pederson Denmark, who spent almost a decade on the same visit to 203 countries around the world, never reached the aircraft once. During the project, he expanded his experience on his blog, Once a saga, And visited Red cross Office in 192 countries as Danish Red Cross Goodwill Ambassador. His book “Impossible travel“Came out of this spring, with a documentary with the same name.
My mother was great in adventure and fantasy as a child. I would picture that I was a part of Robin Hood’s gang, Ivanho or Indiana Jones. When I got old, I was fascinated by the proper adventure of those who went inside the deepest, deepest forests and followed the longest rivers, operated the planet, found my way to the north and south poles, and made it on the moon.
Eventually, I realized that I was born very late. I can’t be the first person to reach the top Mount EverestFor example, because it was done in 1953. The Great First went. I felt a little sad, as if there was nothing left for the rest of us.
Then, in 2013, my father sent me an email Peak passengerThose who went to every country in the world. I did not know that this was possible. I felt that it would take it for life, and you have to become a millionaire. Subsequently, around 200 people had already done so, and some were in their 20s, so it was quite inspiring.
But, I realized, no one had traveled to every country without flight. I was 34 years old and I felt that I was on a way like everyone like my age: start a family and continue your career. But I could not just leave the idea, so I planned.
I bought a map and blue and red pen, and sat with my sister to get out of the route. I wanted to start in my Denmark’s house, and then used to cover about two-thirds of European countries, before going through North Atlantic, North America, Central America, South America and then Caribbean. Then, I will come over the Atlantic and go from West Africa to North Africa, eliminate the rest of Europe, and then go to the Middle East. It will be connected to Asia, and then through and around Australia and Pacific. Eventually, I had a fully formed project and funding.
Thor Pederson
While I was planning to travel, I was in a new relationship with a wonderful woman in 2012, and we started dating in 2013. She wanted to do a Berlin marathon that year, so we completed together in September, and I set my departure date at 10:10 am on October 10, as four 10 had a good ring.
I set three cardinal rules. First of all, I had to be minimum 24 hours in each country, but I could live as long as I wanted. Second, I could not return home until I reached the last country. This was a journey. And finally, no flying for any reason. So if I was evacuated in an airplane, I have to reset everyone to start.
There were also three sides of rules. I could not pay any bribe in full way. I also had an average budget of $ 20 in a day. So if I had to pay $ 50 or $ 100 for a visa, I did not spend any money other times. The third rule was that I could not eat McDonald’s in full way.
Wherever I was available, I traveled from public transport. His wholesale was 351 in total. I took 158 trains, especially in Europe, where there is a lot of connectivity. There were also taxis, shared motorcycles, mini buses and metro. Where this was possible, I took Cebots. The ghat was also an easy way to travel. At the end of my project, I took a lot of container ships because I was undergoing Pacific.
The whole experience was wild. But the funny thing is that there was no such gravity in 2013. I thought, if I follow the rules, then there is a clear definition what it means to go to every country without flight. But not being able to fly means to connect all countries. Not getting a single visa can be an issue. If a country was blocking me, I could not move forward.
Mike Douglas
There were many highlights. Venezuela is such a grand country – I cannot believe my eyes. There is something about the size of mountains, vegetation and valleys, as well as along the coast and islands. I also went Machu Picchu In the afternoon and it was for itself, because all tourism comes in the morning. It was calm in the mountains, looking at the clouds between the peaks, and looking at the ancient city.
There was also time on a container ship between Iceland and Canada during a four -day storm. The ship was very shaken for several days. It was a cold and we received a report that there was snow in the water – and we were not away from where Titanic drowned. This was not a good situation.
But in the end, a mirror -like condition hit the surface of the water, and it was just beautiful. At any time the surface broke, it was a whale or dolphin. At night, we saw Northern LightsFour hours before seeing Canada, we could smell its forest because the wind had blown away pollen from the east. It was incredible.
When I was in the Pacific region, where the water was a light turquoise blue, there was a moment when the ship used to go to a huge rainbow. I was above the bridge and asked the officer, “Is it normal?” He said that he had not seen it before.
But in its heart, my journey was about people. My motto was, “A stranger is a friend you had never met before.” Thousands of people were involved in this project. Those who used to pat me on the back when I had a bad day, or gave me food, a place to sleep, or simply indicate me in the right direction. People will help in translation and connection. I was never alone – people from all over the world were helpful, funny and generous.
I knew that it was going to be fun. I was going to meet people and eat great food. All this happened, but a few years in the project, it became challenging. I had to be in a country, whether I wanted it or not. In most countries, it was not a problem. But if I went to a place with armed struggle or was unable to get a visa, then 24 hours becomes an issue. Not returning home was a difficult rule.
For example, equatorial guinea is a beautiful small country with amazing flora and fauna. But it is also in a difficult part of the world with dictatorship and corruption. It has changed a lot since I was there in 2016. Subsequently, they were strict as to who they wanted inside their country. It took me three months to get a visa. I went from a diplomatic mission to the next to the next, often going back to countries that I was already and to get a visa so that I could enter those countries again, settle and deny the visa.
When I finally got a visa, the boundaries closed. It was rumored that an coup was attempted and it failed. I had only 30 days to enter before my visa ended, so I was desperate. I tried a lot of things. Three days before its end, I met a French expat that I worked in Equatorial Guinea, which was able to take me inside the country.
The project was estimated less than four years, but it took nine years, nine months and 16 days. This meant that I was in a long distance relationship for almost a decade. My wife now came 27 times, which match 27 different countries. (He used an aircraft every time.)
In the first few years, we had ups and downs. She was studying to become a doctor, she received her PhD, and then started her career. When both he and I were busy, and we had a large distance between each other, it was difficult to do a long distance relationship. It separated at almost a point, but we managed to focus on ourselves and re -create it.
Then, things became really good, and I started thinking, this is the woman I want to spend with the rest of my life. I found a ring in Tanzania, with a tanjnite stone, which is unique to the country. Depending on how you bend it, it changes its color in light. I decided that I am going to ask her to marry me over Mount Kenya. We started hiking with our guide, and it took two to three days to reach the peak.
In my head, it was going to be like Lion king A beautiful sunrise and bend with animals. In fact, we got cold as soon as we reached the top. Flowers and rocks were frozen, and had snow and snow. At the top, there was no scene – it was a complete whiteout.
But I climbed a knee and asked him question, and he said yes. He danced almost all the way under the mountain. At the bottom, we had some popcorn and tea. There were also monkeys on the roof.
I was in the last nine countries when the global epidemic became a hit. I was going to spend four days in Hong Kong to transit between two ships. Initially, the country was tightly closed. I separated from my fiance for a year and a half. I could not get it inside Hong Kong until we were getting married.
Then, I came to know that there was an agency in Utah where you can get married online. She was in Copenhagen at 10 pm, I was inside Hong Kong Last midnight, and we had family and friends who were logging in to everyone. Due to the difference of time, we were not technically marrying on the same day.
We found paperwork, and it was good for Hong Kong to get her visa. He gave three weeks in the hotel quarrel, and then we were together. But after that, we could not do the previous paperwork from Denmark.
So after leaving Hong Kong, we again met a beautiful island in the Pacific at Rashtriya Vanuatu. We had only happened to meet a German who had been living there for a long time. He had a resort and arranged several weddings. So we decided to get married there.
In a short time, we got married on the beach, cake, and took pictures. But Denmark said that not the second time, it was not a real marriage. So we finally got married in the city hall Copenhagen After going home. This is a funny thing, now we are married three times.
Even though the journey came with a smile and laughter, I wanted two years in the project. And I pushed it for about eight and years to complete it. Two years of epidemic, do not know how long it was going to be, was mentally very stressful.
At the moment, I will look back and look back, think of all the people I met in the places, and the things I had learned. It was also good to see further, like I would be in Japan someday. But sometimes it was a nightmare.
I did not realize that it would include too much paperwork. In some countries, a bus or train ticket needs to be secured, which required a marathon of paperwork. In other places, it took a few minutes on the phone. The longest spent I spent on a ship was about 10 months.
Mike Douglas
When I was on the way to my last country, Maldives, someone sent a message, “This is the last time in your life when you can visit a new country.” But I like to go back to countries. I have not always seen the stuff there. It is fun to go back and see how things change.
I’m at work now Project 773Who has divided the world into more pieces, and I am trying to visit 773 of them to be the most traveling man of Denmark.
I hope to know about my journey, people will be inspired to follow their goals. We have to work hard for the things that we keep dear and work hard for the things that we believe. Whether you want to end an education, want to learn a language, excel in playing a tool, or one million other things, remember to fight for it. If you are unable to get it on your own, expand your circle.
Now, my wife and I have a daughter. We traveled only 40-day RV across the country, traveling over 18 states and more than 6,500 miles. Hopefully, she will also learn to pursue her goals with some determination – and I hope she will travel. Actually, I hope everyone will travel and cross more limitations to meet more people.
