Hi friends and travelers!
This β12 about 12β series is simply 12 facts about 12 people who have managed to make a life of travel. Each story is broken down into four parts:
Origin: how did they start traveling?
Grind: what did they sacrifice?
Breakthrough: when did they go big?
Scale: what are they making of it now?
At the end of each email, I compress my takeaways from the traveler into one thing to remember.
Have an amazing week!
~ Atom
#9
Welcome, Tom Turcich, the 10th man to walk around the world! πΊπΈπΊπΈπΊπΈ
Iβm not sure what surprises me more . . . that Tom has walked across 6 continents or that 9 people have already done it before him . . . or that his dog, Savannah, accompanied him the whole time. The Guinness Book of World Records defines a walk around the world as having walked for 18,000 miles across at least 4 continents. Tom began in April 2015 and ended his journey in May 2022 completing 29,826 miles (18-24 miles a day). On the way, he documented his experiences and insights on both his blog, The World Walk, and his Instagram.
Origins
When Tom was 17 years old, his close friend, Annemarie Lynch, died in a jet ski accident. She was 16. On Day 1850 of the walk, Tom recallsβ¦
Her death woke me to my own. I saw how someone better and kinder than me could be snuffed out suddenly and indifferently. It terrified me. For months I was in a haze, unsure of how to integrate my inevitable death into day to day life. It was only when someone played a few clips of The Dead Poet's Society in class that I found the answer I was looking for; Carpe Diem! Seize the day! I latched on to that phrase and it's been a guiding principle for me ever since. Initially, it meant kissing the damn girl and packing my days with every team and club I could join.
In searching for cheap ways to travel, Tom discovered the stories of Steven Newman, the first person to walk around the world between 1983 and 1987, and Karl Bushby, who has been circumnavigating the globe on foot, attempting since 1998 to be the first person to completely walk an unbroken path around the world.
Grind
There was no turning back. For the next 8 years, Tom spent every waking moment earning and saving for the challenge. He worked every summer during college then moved in with his parents after graduation to cut costs.
Tomβs plan was to bleed out his savings until Argentina hoping by then it would prove to potential sponsors he was serious about walking around the world. But he told a friend, Tom Marchetty, who made him his first custom cart and helped him throw a fundraiser and press conference. This was where Tom found his sponsor in Philadelphia Sign (its owner, Bob Mehmet, happened to know Annemarie and wanted to support him however he could).
Breakthrough
On April 2nd, 2015 just before his 26th birthday Tom left New Jersey to embark on what he expected to be a 5-year journey.
Scale
Around four months in, Tom adopted his walking companion from an animal shelter in Austin, Texas: a lively puppy named Savannah. Adopting a dog wasn't in his original plan, but he decided a dog that could βkeep a watchβ would help him relax.
Tom crossed South America and reached Antarctica in March 2017 (almost 2 years in). At this point, the pair returned home to complete the required paperwork for Savannahβs entry to Europe
On July 2017, Tom resumed his walk in Ireland but only 3 months later was forced to return to the US so he could heal from a severe bacterial infection.
Tom got back on his feet in May of 2018 and reached North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia) by the end of the year. He opened 2019 by returning to Europe, spending his 30th birthday in Italy.
He crossed Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, and Georgia to reach Asia by the end of 2019. Unfortunately, he arrived in Azerbaijan just as the pandemic hit so his walk was forced to a stop for 6 months. Strict travel restrictions ultimately meant Tom had to abandon plans to visit Australia.
After crossing Kyrgyzstan in August 2021, Tom flew back to Seattle, and on May 21, 2022, after 7 years on the road, became the 10th person to walk around the world, while his dog Savannah became the very first. Day 1861:
Seven years, thirty-eight countries, and twenty-eight thousand miles later, Savannah and I made the final push from Philly to our home in Haddon Township, NJ. We had a crew with us all the way from the Ben Franklin Bridge. As we neared home people were lining the streets with signs to cheer us on. Notes were written in chalk on the sidewalk. Coolers of water and beer were waiting. As were hugs from loved ones. It was the first time since the Camino in Spain that Sav and I weren't walking on our own. Everyone with us, cheering us on, made the last nine miles a breeze (despite the 97Β° heat). Strangely though, I didn't feel excitement or anxiety as the end approached. When I finally crossed the finish line, I only felt relief. It's been seven long years. In truth, they felt like twenty. I've had wonderful adventures and have grown beyond recognition, but I've missed my friends and family. I've longed to wake in a bed and not need to expose myself to the elements each day. Those days are finally here. I couldn't imagine a better ending to The World Walk. Thank you to everyone who's supported Savannah and I along the way. And thank you to everyone who made it to the homecoming. It's been an honor sharing my dream with you all.
Tom is now back in New Jersey and working on his memoir.
THE ONE THING
You canβt walk around the world in a day.
βLetβs say itβs getting toward the end of the day. Iβm still feeling good. I find a nice campsite and itβs 6 but the sun goes down at 8. At first, I would keep walking to get as many miles in. After a while, I realized Iβm walking 3 more miles for a 25,000-mile walk. I can save those 3 miles for tomorrow. I can enjoy this campsite now.
You canβt walk around the world in a dayβ¦ Just take it one little piece at a time. And thatβs it. Be satisfied with your day. I walked 12 miles, I walked 18 miles. Okay. Good job. You just gotta control what you can control.
The competition forces you to think if you arenβt there immediately then youβre no good. Or you need to get there faster. You need to maximize.
Take the photograph. Write 1000 words. Improve 1%. And thatβs enough.β
β Tom Turcich
In sharing this, I am taken back to my trip to Masbate earlier in May of this year. It was our second to the last day of the trip and it was 4 PM. We had a decision to make because we had just arrived at Sese Brahmanβs Ranch and we needed to get our van back at the hotel by 7 PM to avoid additional charges.
We had two choices: we could either stay in Sese Brahmanβs Ranch for another 2 hours or we could drive 30 minutes to Bat-ongan cave and catch it right before it closes at 5 PM.
Spend 2 hours βdoing nothingβ in one spot or chase after another destination with hopes of seeing βeverythingβ in Masbate?
My family decided to spend 2 hours βdoing nothing.β
It turned out to be the most beautiful and exciting afternoon of the trip.
In other words, if Tomβs journey has taught me anything, itβs to slow down.
If you want more from Tom, you can check out this cool infographic documenting the lessons and highlights of every country he passed through. Meanwhile, his journal-like Instagram posts would offer you the most accurate sense of what his walk was like in real-time.
Other sources:
The World Walk (Trilogy): Lessons From A 7 Year Walk Around The World w/ Tom Turcich, Zero To Travel
How This Man and His Dog Spent Seven Years Walking Around the World, My Modern MET
This man and his dog spent seven years walking around the world, CNN
The First Dog to Walk Around the World Arrives Home, Adventure Journal
N.J. man is coming home after walking around the world for 7 years, NJ.com
Ten Questions: Tom Turcich, SJ Magazine