Who is Torbjorn ‘Thor’ Pedersen, a guy who visited 203 nations without ever boarding a flight?

On May 24, Torbjorn “Thor” Pedersen reached the Maldives, his 203rd nation, and ended his voyage. He then flew back to Denmark.

Many people have aspirations to travel the world and experience every region of the planet. While for most people this goal remains a faraway dream, a Danish guy named Pedersen has made it a reality by making the incredible achievement of traveling to every nation on the earth. The fact that he completed this incredible trip without ever setting foot on an airplane gives it an astounding twist.

 

Over the previous 10 years, Torbjrn “Thor” Pedersen has traveled through more than 200 nations and even entered a few contested areas. His unusual approach required flying nowhere while he circled the planet on foot. Instead, he set off on his voyage utilizing a variety of forms of transportation to reach his many locations, including walking, boats, trains, vehicles, and even a container ship.

 

 

Early in 2013, his father sent him an email that included a link to an article about people who had visited every nation on Earth, which served as the impetus for starting this incredible project.

 

“It sat with me as one of the last greats, that I could go and try to conquer that,” Pedersen said.

 

Pedersen didn’t foresee the adventure lasting a decade when he originally left his old life behind to pursue his dreams, however. He first thought that he could finish his goal of visiting every nation in only four years based on his calculations. His strategy called for him to stay seven days in each nation until he had visited them all.

 

Pedersen set several rules for his journey, including a need for a minimum of 24 hours in each nation and a promise not to go home until he had visited every country on the planet. While the United Nations recognizes 195 nations worldwide, Pedersen broadened his focus to include areas with just partial recognition. The extensive trip lasted more than 3,500 days and spanned 203 nations.

 

This adventurous traveler, who was 44 years old and had a history in shipping and logistics, carefully preserved frugal living, managing to support himself on a daily budget of about USD $20 (around Rs 1,656). This amount included food, hotel, and visa fees in addition to travel costs.

 

Pedersen noted that if one adopts regional cuisine and transportation, a large portion of the globe provides reasonable living circumstances. His goal was to show that one does not need to be very wealthy to travel the globe, see other cultures, and make new friends. However, he agreed that for some people, $20 per day is a luxury.

 

Pedersen purposefully avoided buying, borrowing, or renting any automobiles for the course of his ambitious project. He chose to utilize trains, buses, and boats instead, which allowed him to interact with locals and other explorers more thoroughly.

 

One of the hardest decisions he had to make, he said, was telling his now-wife that he would be walking across the globe. But he also said that marrying her was the happiest and most thrilling journey of his life.

 

Africa’s tallest summit, Mount Kenya, is where they got engaged. When they arrived, a snowfall caught them off guard since they had anticipated a pleasant day.

 

The epidemic forced a modification in their wedding plans. He couldn’t leave Hong Kong since he was stranded there. Therefore, they wed online using a Utah firm. It’s fascinating that because of the time difference, they were married on two distinct days.