A man claims he’s the first to visit every single country in the world without having to catch a flight.
Thor Pedersen, 44, began his mission in October 2013, leaving behind his regular job in shipping and logistics.
However, this extreme journey took him a whole decade and he had to wave goodbye to his wife, Le Pedersen, 40.
First leaving his home country, Denmark, for Germany, Pedersen completed his journey a month ago when he made it to Maldives.
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The 44-year-old completed the 223,072 miles when he made it to the sunny spot in South Asia on board a container ship.
Pedersen set off with full support from his wife as they expected his epic mission to last just four years.
He planned to spend an average of seven days per country but ended up in Hong Kong for a whole two years due to Covid and visa problems.
He spent an average of 17 days in each country with the shortest visit being 24 hours in Vatican City.
Pedersen’s longest stretch was a whopping 27 days on a container ship from Hong Kong to Australia.
He says: “I have to spend a minimum of 24 hours in a country. What I do isn't tourism, it's like running a marathon or going to the moon, it's an accomplishment. A lot of my time is spent on buses and trains.
"The longest bus ride has been 54 hours on one bus in Brazil. The sun set on me twice.
"I rather enjoyed 27 days on the ship, it gave me time to read and exercise and we saw whales. It was a beautiful journey.”
Pedersen’s travels have featured 351 buses, 158 trains, 43 tuk-tuks, 37 container ships, 33 boats, nine trucks, three sail boats, two cruise ships, one horse carriage, one police car and one yacht.
As well as all of this, there were plenty of metros, minibuses, motorbikes, taxis and trams.
He said: "I got wind that no one in history has gone to every country in the world completely without flying and I was caught up in the idea that I might have my shot at doing something remarkable.
"The idea was to do it with public transport wherever possible so that means hundreds of buses, trains and ferries then you ask if you can get on someone's fishing boat or a container ship.”
Pederson’s entire adventure has been funded by an energy company as well as crowdfunding with him budgeting just $20 (£16) per day.
The 44-year-old had been in a relationship with Le for one year when he left, and she’s flown out to see him 27 times over the decade.
They’ll reunite again next month – after he’s caught three ships from Maldives to Sri Lanka then onto Germany before sailing back to Denmark.
He said: "My wife didn't want to stand in the way of something I wanted to do but she was conflicted because she would rather be building a life with me, waking up next to me and holding my hand.
"She's been amazing, she's a huge support and we've had unique experiences together throughout the world.
"It got harder every time she came to visit, dropping her off at the airport was getting my heart torn out every time. It became really rough.
"There's a decent risk it's too late to start a family with the woman I love. It's not game over but we're pushing the limit of biology.
"We feel like we have enough between the two of us to live a long and happy life and we don't need to start a family but if Le became pregnant then that would be a bonus."
Pedersen has no plans to return to his past career and hopes to write a book about his adventure.
"Before I left, my father was worried about my career. He didn't think I'd ever work again or be taken seriously but he got on board.
"Telling my mum I was going was like telling her I'm going to the dentist. She's very proud.
"It's some of the last years of my parent's lives. There is regret in not spending more time with family and friends.”
Topics: News, Travel, World News
Jess Battison