Tor Pedersen: How I toured 203 countries and learned that the human goodness of the border that no one keeps – life

Tor Pedersen has always had a passion for travel and challenges.

The idea for this unusual mission came from a single email sent to him by the father.

It was a link to an article about people who visited all countries around the world – but none of them did it without flying.

It was a spark.

Pedersen set himself a goal: to visit all 203 countries, without any summer and with a budget of only 20 euros a day.

He started his journey 10. October 2013 at 10:00 in the morning, leaving his native Denmark – and his then girl Le (40), the doctor, which he left at home.

At that moment, he believed that the journey would last four years.

Instead, it took nine years, nine months and 16 days.

In May 2023 he finished his mission, and in Copenhagen, returned two months later – in July of the same year.

« There were moments when I didn’t know if I’d ever finish. I felt like I was caught in time capsule. Everything changed, and I was constantly on the way, » Pedsen said.

His journey included trains, buses, boats, trucks, and even walking on foot – through jungles, deserts, mountains and cities.

At that path, he faced diseases, bureaucracy, solitude, but also immensible human goodness and solidarity.

Today, from his house in Denmark, he says that it is only now slowly understanding what he did.

« I still get used to the idea that I don’t have to go anywhere else. That I can stay. And that I survived, » he says with a smile.

For Guardian He gave a big interview and described what his journey looked like.

« Although I often had a feeling that I was born at least one centuries – at the time that no longer came to the adventure. In 2013, I was not able to do all the countries without using an aircraft. It was a chance to do something that no one was nobody before me.

At that time I had about thirty years, a stable career in shipping and logistics, I just met a wonderful woman, and most of my peers already had children. Still, the idea didn’t leave me. At the age of 34, I went on the way – and I didn’t come home almost the whole decade. Here’s what I learned all during this exceptional trip:

Human goodness is amazing

One cold December evening arrived in Suvalki, the coldest city in Poland. Without a SIM card, with just a name and address on paper, I wandered for the snow looking for help. My door opened the woman who spoke English and immediately invited me inside. She offered me food, bed and walked me to the bus for Lithuania in the morning. The complete stranger provided me with refuge – without any expectation in return.

The natural beauty of Lesota left me out of breath

Lesotho was 106. The country in my list, but one of the most visible. The whole country is located above 1,400 meters above sea level. In Semonkong, I found myself in the middle of the green mountains, fresh air and crystal clear sky. There are also Maletsunjane Falls – almost 200 meters high waterfalls shining in the sun. And I was completely alone.

People resistance is fascinating

During the passage through West Africa, three countries – Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia – fought with the highest Ebola epidemic. However, after an hour in Sierra Leone, I was invited to the wedding – music, dancing, smiles. In the most difficult circumstances, people find ways to rejoice, love and connect.

Insulation is the biggest mistake

In Denmark, where I was born, everyone chooses a place as far away from others in public transport. But in Africa, sit next to someone means to create a community – sharing food, story, childcare. When I thought the driver would leave me on the checkpoint, the woman behind me explained that it was a tactic to confuse soldiers. Then I realized: In these conditions, we were all a team.

There is a difference between what you want and what you really need

Travel for almost ten years without breaks exhausts the soul. After two years, I « hit the wall », but I had to continue. I learned that I don’t need things – but the links I created with people around the world. Everything else was transient.

No common language is required to connect with people

On the train from Belarus to Moscow, no one said anything but Russian. Still, we laughed, shared food and vodka. I negotiated the prices by showing banknotes, found accommodation gestures, and would often smile a child from the darkest moments.

Slow travel reveals the right size of the world

The flight between London and New York lasts several hours, but if you go by boat and buses – you see crossing the desert in the woods, from the village to the city, from the river into the ocean. The limits are rarely sharp – people on both sides often eat the same food, speak similar languages ​​and share culture.

The journey is the most intense education

Traveling, you are constantly under pressure to learn: How to settle, recognize danger, communicate without language, to find basic things. I returned with knowledge about languages, geopolitics, humanitarian work, geography and, mostly. I went at 34, returned from 44 – but according to what I was lived, maybe I was actually much older.