Tom Turcich from the US became the 10th person to set a record for walking around the world, and Savannah was the first dog to achieve the feat.
The two were welcomed with a big celebration when they returned home with the attendance of family and friends. Turcich ended his 7-year walking journey, covering 48,000 km. “It’s very difficult to describe. The initial feeling was relief. The trip had been in my mind for 15 years, and it was finally completed,” Turcich told the press during an interview in his hometown of Haddon, New York. Jersey.
The walk was inspired by grief The inspiration for this walk came from a painful loss in 2006, when longtime friend Anna Marie died in a jet-ski accident at the age of 17. “Her death affected me. She is a good person, much better than me. I thought I could die at any time. And I started looking back at everything,” he said.
Turcich decided to travel, adventure in life and research to realize his intention. After reading about Steven Newman, recognized by Guinness World Records as the first person to walk around the world, he decided to explore life this way. “Walking is the best way to understand the world. I don’t simply want to go to Paris or Machu Picchu. I really want to explore this world and see how people live every day.” At that time, Turcich also had some savings but only enough to live for two years. Luckily, a local company director learned of the plan and sponsored the trip. The sponsor happened to know Ann Marie and her family. “And he just wanted to support me however he could,” Turcich said. On April 2, 2015, right before his 26th birthday, he set out with a baby stroller containing personal belongings, a sleeping bag, a laptop, a camera and a small plastic bin for food. . The goal of the trip was twofold: to try to visit every continent and to travel with as little red tape as possible. Turcich thinks it will take about 5.5 years. But everything took 1.5 years longer than expected due to illness and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The two took photos in an orange garden in Valencia, Spain. Photo: CNN Loyal companion The first leg was for Turcich to walk from his hometown of New Jersey to Panama. Initially, Turcich wanted to go alone. But after that, he struggled with loneliness on the journey, especially sleeping at night in deserted places and often waking up worried that “something might be about to happen”. That was also the time when he felt the need to have a four-legged friend with him. “It’s great to have someone to share moments on the road with,” he said. That friend is Savannah, whom he adopted from a charity facility in Austin, Texas. After a year of the trip, Turcich created the blog The World Walk, so people could follow his journey and be able to support him financially if they wanted. In their second year, the two “teachers and students” spent most of their time walking from Bogota, Colombia to Montevideo, Uruguay. There, they sailed to Antarctica. After this time, Turcich returned home to complete the necessary documents for a trip to Europe with the Savannah dog. The two traveled throughout Ireland, Scotland, and London, and then Turcich fell ill for several months.
In May 2018, the third year of his trip, he walked to Copenhagen, Denmark. But his previous illness had weakened his body, and he began to wonder if he could continue. “There were places I went that weren’t good at all. I thought, what am I doing here? I can be with my parents and friends instead of going through the cold rain in Germany.” However, he never wanted to give up. But it wasn’t until Turcich walked the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, which stretches from the French border to Spain, that he truly felt ready to walk again. Next, he and Savannah crossed into northern Africa, where they walked through Morocco, Algeria – where he was escorted by a police officer, and Tunisia. From here, they moved to Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, and Türkiye. Then he went to Georgia, located between Russia and Türkiye, on the Caucasus range, and Azerbaijan. That was also when the pandemic happened, forcing him to stay in this place for half a year.
In May 2018, the third year of his trip, he walked to Copenhagen, Denmark. But his previous illness had weakened his body, and he began to wonder if he could continue. “There were places I went that weren’t good at all. I thought, what am I doing here? I can be with my parents and friends instead of going through the cold rain in Germany.” However, he never wanted to give up. But it wasn’t until Turcich walked the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, which stretched from the French border to Spain, that he truly felt ready to walk again. Next, he and Savannah crossed into northern Africa, where they walked through Morocco, Algeria – where he was escorted by a police officer, and Tunisia. From here, they moved to Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, and Türkiye. Then he went to Georgia, located between Russia and Türkiye, on the Caucasus range, and Azerbaijan. That was also when the pandemic happened, forcing him to stay in this place for half a year.
Ann Marie’s family was among those present at the end point in her hometown of New Jersey to welcome Turcich back. “This trip wasn’t necessarily about Ann. But she was the catalyst, the driving force, the inspiration,” Turcich said. Turcich now spends time at home with relatives and his girlfriend, whom he met during the last part of the trip. He plans to go to Mongolia, but won’t take Savannah with him because “she doesn’t seem interested in Mongolia at all”.