He visited every country on globe without flying: Here's how
In 2013, Torbjørn "Thor" Pedersen from Denmark left his kin and job behind to embrace a unique travel experience - to visit all the countries in the world without taking a single flight! And guess what? The man finally got back home on May 24 this year, after traveling to a staggering 203 countries around the globe for a decade.
Pedersen spent 24 hours in each nation on $20 daily
Per reports, Pedersen had set three travel rules for himself before he embarked on this journey - he will stay in each country for only 24 hours, will spend no more than $20 daily, and won't return home before traveling to all the countries in the world. He mostly traveled everywhere via container ships, barring a few destinations where he boarded buses and trains.
Strangers offered him accommodation, meals, and all other help needed
Pedersen befriended several strangers during his travel who offered accommodation, meals, translation support, and directions for hassle-free travel. "Either I'm the luckiest man on the planet, or the world is in a much better place than most people are led to believe," he told CNN.
His work experience in shipping and logistics helped him
The 44-year-old traveler used to work in the shipping and logistics space before conquering the world. This helped him simplify complex routes and adapt to the roads. He acquired visas for most countries but had to wait in lines for some. During an interaction with Euronews, he was quoted saying, "Sometimes I'm waiting for a visa. Sometimes I'm looking for a ship."
A homecoming like never before!
The pandemic got him stuck in Hong Kong; delayed plans
In 2020, Pedersen arrived in Hong Kong in a container ship from Micronesia and had only nine countries including Palau, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, Tuvalu, New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives remaining on his list. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, he was stuck in Hong Kong and ended up staying there for two years! Post that, he took a 27-day-long ship to Australia.
Month-long visa delays added more trouble to the original plan
If sources are to be believed, the traveler initially thought that visiting 203 nations would only take him four years, however, besides COVID-19, even month-long delays in acquiring visas for Syria, Iran, Angola, and Nauru stretched it.
He survived malaria in Ghana; storm in the Atlantic
While his sojourn looks enticing, it was anything but simple. Per sources, Pedersen survived a severe bout of cerebral malaria in Ghana, a four-day storm in the Atlantic Ocean, navigated through multiple closed borders, quarantined for several days in hotels due to the pandemic, got stuck on a truck because of bandits, and rescheduled trips owing to broken-down vessels.
He took 3,576 containers, 158 trains, 219 taxis, and more
According to a tally done by Pedersen, he boarded over 3,576 containers, 158 trains, 219 taxis, 351 buses, 33 boats, and 43 rickshaws during his 223,000-mile journey around the world. The travel enthusiast also says that with this global tour, he is not only celebrating his iron-willed dedication but also the positivity and kindness of the world.
'If I can travel, you can lose weight,' inspires Pedersen
During an interaction with CNN, Pederson inspired people by saying that if he could travel the world in such grave conditions, people can lose weight, get their dream job, learn a new language, get a better degree, or achieve whatever they aspire to.
