Man travels to every country in the world without taking a plane – 06/13/2023 – Tourism

Have you ever dreamed of traveling to every country in the world?

Fewer than 300 people have accomplished this achievement: three of them have been to every country twice and two completed the adventure without returning home.

But only one made the trip around the world without even taking a plane, says the author of such a feat.

“My name is Torbjørn C. Pedersen, which is a terrible name for a traveler. But that never stopped me, just call me Thor”, says the Dane in his presentation on the website “Once upon a Saga” (Once upon a time a Saga saga, in literal translation).

He says he was inspired by a quote by the Danish scientist Piet Hein: “You have to travel to understand that the world is round”.

About nine years ago he left home to travel the world, with the goal of not returning until the journey was completed.

Of course, he had a few simple rules: he would spend at least 24 hours in each country and not take any planes. He would travel only by land or water.

“I won’t be buying, borrowing or renting a car to get from A to B and I definitely don’t have a driver. That way I’ll be sure to spend lots of time with locals and travelers alike, an amazing way to see the world!” .

It took him 3,512 days to travel through all the countries of the world, traveling on foot, by car, by bus, by train and by boat.

And “all”, for Thor, is more than the official list of UN countries, whose members are 193 plus two observer states. He says he has visited 203 countries and has also included disputed territories in his list.

The adventure started at 10:10 am on 10/10/2013 and was originally scheduled to end in 2018, but ended up dragging on for another five years.

In May 2023 he arrived in Maldives, the island nation in the Indian Ocean, determined to enjoy a new country one last time… as there were none left on his list.

He was still there in June in Thilafushi when he spoke to the BBC OS program, of the BBC World Service.

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What was the most memorable thing about your trip?

So many things! Marry for the first time, marry for the second time.

Seeing a rocket fire off into space and realizing it was the first time I’d seen anything leave the planet… it was a huge moment!

Being in a storm aboard a container ship, watching whales jump, being invited to a wedding in Sudan… so, so much!

How did you manage to see your wife during the trip? Was it complicated?

She visited me 27 times around the world and the hardest time was when I was stuck in Hong Kong for two years during the pandemic.

Hong Kong was pretty strict with the rules about Covid-19. I couldn’t board any ships and most of the countries I had to go to had their borders closed.

And my wife couldn’t come to see me in Hong Kong because we weren’t married and because I wasn’t a resident. So I had to find a way.

I got a job and became a temporary resident. And we were able to get married online through an agency in Utah.

It wasn’t an accepted marriage in Denmark, but it was in Hong Kong, which was enough for me to do the paperwork and send her the visa.

So she was able to go and we spent about a hundred days together.

What was the most difficult country to enter?

Equatorial Guinea. I practically gave up. I was in trouble.

I visited four, five, six different embassies and consulates trying to get a visa and they didn’t treat me well or politely.

I crossed land borders and at many, many checkpoints, anyone in uniform made my life a nightmare.

It was a really difficult period.

It took me almost four months to enter Equatorial Guinea.

But it was worth it?

Well, that was the 100th country, so it was worth it in terms of progress.

It’s a lovely country. It’s really beautiful and the people I met there were really, really nice.

Many people who are lucky enough to travel buy souvenirs. Is it something you did?

I can’t buy anything that doesn’t fit in my luggage.

In general, I don’t buy souvenirs because I would have to carry them around at least until I see my wife next time and she takes them home.

But I collected some souvenirs around the world and people also gave me many gifts. People are really kind and generous.

As a Goodwill Ambassador for the Danish Red Cross, I have met with the Red Cross in around 190 countries.

They have a habit of giving me cups of coffee, so after ten Red Cross visits I travel with ten cups of coffee in my suitcase.

When you see planes flying in the sky, do you think “wow, that would make everything so much easier!”?

Absolutely.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been on a long and uncomfortable bus ride and looking at the blue sky I’ve seen a plane and asked myself ‘what am I doing with my life?’.

My longest bus ride was 54 hours. I don’t know if you can imagine how sore I was after such a trip.

In this long period you are travelling, did you ever get tired?

Of course.

I haven’t met many people who have traveled for much longer than six months or maybe a whole year.

I’ve known some people who have been doing this for a few years now, but it’s almost like meeting a unicorn.

That was also my limit.

Two years was enough: I met so many people, tried so many different foods, and everything from transport and visas and paperwork and all that stuff… I was ready to go home.

Frankly, I’ve wanted to go back to Denmark since 2015.

But I set a goal and I was trying to achieve something that had never been done before.

I thought there was a lot of value in that and I hoped that people could be inspired and motivated by what I was doing.

So I kept fighting to reach the goal.

In 2019 I was very tired and I didn’t lack many countries to visit.

The shipping companies told me they could take me back home in ten months via other countries.

And then the pandemic broke out, which delayed me for another three years.

So now I’m ready and looking forward to going home.

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When Thor left his home nearly a decade ago, he wasn’t quite sure what the purpose of his adventure was.

But along the way, he found not just one, but several. Here is the list on his website:

1. “No one had done this before.

“Doing something new is exciting and serves as a source of inspiration and motivation for many.”

2. I was honored to travel as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Danish Red Cross.

“Like most people, I knew very little about the organization, but listening to volunteers from around the world blew me away. I admire the millions of volunteers who make a difference in the lives of millions of people every day.”

3. The world is not what most of us believe.

“The mainstream media show us the sensational part (…). We often hear a lot about terror, corruption, conflicts, natural disasters, deaths, extremists…

“Fortunately I’ve discovered that while the world isn’t perfect, most of the people we share this planet with are well-meaning people.

“Politics and religion are important to some. But I often think these five things are much more important: family, food, music, sports and talking about the weather.

“Every country in the world has the right to be seen as the best potential country in the world.”

4. You can travel on a low budget.

“Sometimes it feels like torture to be limited on a low budget. Sometimes I want a good bed, more luxury and a juicy steak.

“However, I stick to the budget because, according to many, their dreams are held back by lack of time, money or both.

“You have to make your own time, but this project shows that you don’t have to be a millionaire to travel, experience cultures and make new friends.”

In the end, Thor was driven by curiosity, emboldened to discover how amazing the world was and how much there was to learn.

Furthermore, he was moved by a phrase that always accompanied him: a stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet… “Who can I meet tomorrow?”