Danish tourist Torbjorn Pedersen states he is the very first individual to check out every nation on the planet– without flying.
It’s an accomplishment that took 10 years to achieve– with typical expenses of around $20 a day, he stated.
“In some countries like Singapore, I have to spend more than $20 a day. But in other countries like Bolivia, $20 is more than enough,” 44- year-old Pedersen informed CNBC.
When he was not sleeping on trains and ships, in hostels or his hammock, he stuck with host households, he stated.
Pedersen stated through the year numerous individuals opened their homes to him after he ended up being popular on social networks.
“In fact, I have often had to say ‘no’ to people because I had too many offers or because it was inconvenient,” Pedersen stated.
He has actually even been welcomed a number of times to remain at 5 star hotels, he stated.
Pedersen’s decade-long experience was moneyed by geothermal electrical power generation company Ross Energy, who sent him about $600 monthly, he stated.
“They simply felt [my plan] was truly insane, and they wished to support it. What I did becomes part of world history, and they wished to belong of it,” Pedersen stated.
Pedersen took about a years to check out 203 areas worldwide.
Selena Wright
To go to 203 areas, Pedersen stated he took a trip about 382,000 kilometers (237,363 miles) and utilized 20 various modes of transport, consisting of:
- 351 buses
- 67 minibuses
- 219 taxis
- 46 motorbike taxis
- 87 shared taxis
- 4 shared motorbike taxis
- 28 4×4 lorries
- 9 trucks
- 158 trains
- 19 cable cars
- 128 cities or trains
- 43 rickshaws or tuktuks
- 40 container ships
- 33 boats
- 32 ferryboats
- 3 sail boats
- 2 cruise liner
- 1 horse carriage
- 1 police vehicle
- 1 high efficiency luxury yacht
Pedersen invested the most time in Hong Kong where he lived for 772 days throughout the pandemic, and the fastest time– simply 24 hours– in VaticanCity
The finest and worst times
Pedersen had actually prepared to remain in Hong Kong for about a week when he got here in January2020 But his strategies took an extreme turn when the pandemic broke out.
At the time, he was simply 9 nations shy of accomplishing his objective, he stated.
“I’ve been trying to accomplish this goal for such a long time,” he stated. “I did not know if I was going to be stuck for five months or five years.”
“Every day I had a reason to give up and go home. And every day I had to find a way to convince myself to keep fighting,” he stated.
Pedersen invested the most time in Hong Kong, staying 772 days due to the fact that of the Covid -19 pandemic.
Torbjorn Pedersen
Pedersen stated being stuck in Hong Kong was the “worst time” of his life, today he stated he sees the city as his 2nd home.
“I feel more at home in Hong Kong than I do in Copenhagen, ” he stated. “On one side it was the best time of my life, and on the other side it was an absolute nightmare.”
Near- death experience
Pedersen stated among the most painful experiences occurred on a journey to the border in between Cameroon and the Congo.
After driving on a dirt roadway for hours on end with “a wall of trees on both sides,” he stated his taxi was come by 3 guys that were “drunk out of their minds.”
“From the moment one of the uniformed men saw me as I stepped out of the vehicle, you could just see fire in his eyes,” Pedersen stated. “There was so much rage and emotion. It was as though the entire history of Western colonialism was my fault.”
Don’ t do it … it’s just excessive and too tough.
Torbjorn Pedersen
on others who wish to follow his course
Pedersen functioned as a soldier in Denmark and a United Nations peacekeeper in Eritrea and Ethiopia, however he stated this was the very first time had actually been strongly held at gunpoint throughout his journey.
“They had their fingers on the trigger, so I knew in my heart that I was going to die that night, and I knew for sure that was the end of the road for me,” he stated.
But after about 45 minutes, the soldiers unexpectedly let them go, he stated.
“We raced back to the taxi and drove for three kilometers before I told the driver to stop. I got out and sat on the roadside, crouched down and started shaking for about 10 minutes.”
Pedersen likewise shared memories he stated he would always remember, consisting of checking out the Solomon Islands where he shared his laptop computer with villagers who had no access to electrical energy or running water.
“About 80 people sat around my laptop and watched a war film ‘The Thin Red Line’ while I leaned back and looked at palm trees … and stars making a roof across us.”
“I never looked at my laptop in the same way again,” he stated.
Biggest lessons
For those who wish to follow in his steps, Pedersen has this recommendations: “Don’t do it.”
“It has come at a very, very high cost and has taken a huge chunk of my life. I spent a lot of resources getting to the end. And it’s simply too much and too hard,” he stated.
Pedersen in Ethiopia.
Torbjorn Pedersen
“Do something that’s more sensible. Do something that’s fun and enjoyable,” Pedersen stated openly.
He likewise spoke about how to get the most out of every travel experience.
“Listen and look. Smell and taste. Use all your senses and try to suck everything up like a sponge,” he stated. But “leave nothing behind except for your footprints.”
