It is a good idea to use a different language. Many times I have felt like I was 100 years late. Satellites were not flying above us at the time, and there was still much to discover or film. As I grew up, it felt like all the greatest adventures happened before my birth. But in 2013 I discovered that – although it had been attempted – no one had made an unbroken journey through every country without flying. I was going to be the first person to complete this journey.
I was fascinated to find that this adventure had not yet been discovered. In my 30s I had met a lovely woman and was about to have my first child (and some of my peers had their second). I also had an established 12-year career as a shipping and logistics professional. But I could not let go of the idea. So, at 34, I set off – and didn’t return home until almost a decade later. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned.
Human generosity is amazing
In December, it was a dark and chilly night. A train had brought me to Suwałki, which people say is the coldest city in Poland. It was silent. Everything was quiet. I was carrying paper with my name, phone number and address of where I should be staying. Because I didn’t have a SIM card, I started to walk around looking for someone that could help.
As I began to doubt that I would ever be able to meet anyone, I saw a woman open her front door. I ran over. She spoke English, and she invited me to come in. She was delighted to have me as a guest and convinced me that it was pointless for me to go back outside in the cold.
I was given a plate of food, and a bed. All of this was done by a stranger. The next day I was taken to the bus to take me to Lithuania.
Some of the most spectacular natural wonders are yet to be discovered
Lesotho ranked 106th on my extremely long trip. Its natural beauty became apparent immediately. The state of Alaska is located above 1,400 meters. Semonkong, a higher-altitude mountain range, was recommended. What I saw was something I hadn’t expected. Was I in Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia, Bolivia? I walked across a beautiful green landscape. The air was incredibly fresh, and the sun glowed on my face.
The mountains of Lesotho are horse country. It was not uncommon to see riders in heavy blankets. Next, I arrived at Maletsunyane Falls. At the end of the canyon, the nearly 200-metre-high waterfall glistened in sunlight. It was all mine.
Resilience is a powerful force.
I traveled through west Africa in 2015. Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia had the largest Ebola epidemic in the world at the time. A taxi driver from Guinea told me, “Here we’ve got everything but we’ve got nothing.” These countries are rich in many ways – from natural resources to beautiful landscapes – yet most of the people are not.
After just an hour, I was invited by a friend to a wedding in Sierra Leone. The event included a lot music, a lot people dressed up in fancy clothing, booze and food, dancing, small-talk and chatting. No matter how hard life gets – and my journey left me in no doubt that it can get impossibly hard – people always find a way to laugh, play and fall in love.
Isolating oneself is a bad idea
In Denmark, my home country, you will always choose the seat that is farthest away from other passengers. We respect each other’s privacy as we value our own. In many countries, the best seats in the plane are those next to passengers. Where else would you find conversation?
I noticed that in west and central Africa everyone would form a group, share food, stories, and hold babies for each other. I was infuriated when a driver seemed ready to leave me at a corrupt checkpoint – until a woman behind me on the bus explained he had been playing a game to put pressure on the armed guards. It was a lonely, simple checkpoint located on a dirt track. The soldiers knew that my paperwork was correct and there was nothing nearby. The soldiers would have had to deal with me if the driver left me behind at the checkpoint. What would I have eaten? What would I have eaten if I had been in that situation? They didn’t have to suffer from such a headache. On that journey I learned an important lesson: We were a group after all.
The difference between what you want and need
Just about anything can become routine and begin to feel like work – even travelling to every country in the world. Rarely do people travel continuously for longer than a single year. It wears out the soul.
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I was pushed for almost a decade. Buses, trains, boats, people, food, unpacking, packing, embassies, borders, bureaucracy – a long tunnel of countries. After two years of traveling, I came to a dead end. But I pushed through to reach my destination. I learned how to tell the difference between my wants and needs. I learned how to be a rock, and to have a conversation with anyone. When I returned to my home, I realized that the only thing I had retained its value was the conversations and relationships I had. All else seemed to be perishable.
You can still form relationships without having to share a common language
I was on a 12-hour trip from Belarus to Moscow where no one spoke any other language than Russian. It didn’t bother them that I only knew a few words of the language. nyet You can also find out more about You can also find out more aboutThey spoke to me in Russian while we ate and drank vodka for hours.
It’s not hard to make connections with other people. I’ve found myself laughing despite the fact that we don’t share a language. I’ve been invited to people’s houses based solely on gestures. I have been able to negotiate prices by showing the banknotes. Then, I would add or remove some notes until we reached an agreement. The smile of a small child has helped me more than one time to heal when I found myself in despair or broken.
Slow travel helps you to appreciate the vastness of the globe
When you fly, it is difficult to comprehend the distance between London New York. When you travel by seven ships and multiple buses, you can better understand the distance. I’ve seen flat landscapes become mountains, deserts grow lush, bushes and trees transform into forests, rivers turn into oceans, and villages into cities. I have been to places where two countries meet. There is not much difference: the people wear similar clothes, eat similar foods and speak the same language. I have found that it is often necessary to travel far before you begin to notice the differences. To see how big our world really is, you only need to slow down.
The constant challenges that travel presents provide an educational experience
When we are under pressure and challenged, such as when we travel overseas: What is dangerous? How do you greet others? What do you buy?
I learned to appreciate my limitations through my years spent abroad. I explored cultures and learned new languages. My knowledge of geography, geopolitics and humanitarian work also expanded. The experience was a great one; almost two years later, I am still reflecting on many things. I was 34 years old when I left and 44 when i returned. I’m not sure how old I am, but I think I may be older than I actually believe.
