The (Im)possible Journey – Visiting All Countries Without Flying
Summary
This closing keynote at ITB Berlin 2025 features Thor Pedersen, a Danish adventurer and author of 'The Impossible Journey,' in conversation with moderator Prof. Dr. Willy Legrand of IU International University of Applied Sciences. Pedersen is the first human to visit every country on Earth in a single unbroken journey — entirely without flying.
The journey began on October 10, 2013, at 10:10 a.m. (chosen deliberately so the date would read 10-10-10), departing Denmark into Germany as the first country. Thor originally projected the trip would take approximately four years, based on roughly 200 countries at seven days each. In reality, it took 9 years, 9 months, and 16 days.
The three cardinal rules were: (1) no flying under any circumstances, (2) a minimum 24-hour stay in each country, and (3) no return home until the final country was visited. Thor traveled primarily on a $20 USD per day budget — covering transportation, accommodation, meals, and visas — forcing reliance on public transportation (buses, trains, ferries, container ships) and the generosity of locals.
Africa proved the most logistically demanding continent. Thor estimated it would take roughly one year and two weeks to cover Africa's 54 countries at seven days each; in reality it took 2 years and 3 months due to zigzagging routes through Central Africa and numerous complications. The journey's route went: Denmark → Central/Western Europe → Nordic countries → North Atlantic → North America → Central America → South America → Caribbean → Atlantic crossing → Africa → Europe → Middle East → Central Asia → Far East Asia → Southeast Asia → South Pacific → North Pacific.
Nine countries from completion, COVID-19 derailed the journey. Thor was stranded in Hong Kong for two years awaiting safe passage. He eventually continued to Palau, where the government placed him in hotel quarantine for 14 days; he negotiated directly with the health minister and was released after 8 days, seeing Palau for only 6 days. After returning to Hong Kong and rerouting, he finally completed his last two countries — Sri Lanka and the Maldives — then traveled overland and by sea back to Denmark, including a 33-day container ship voyage from Malaysia through the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean, and around Denmark.
The physical and psychological toll was severe: Thor contracted cerebral malaria (which causes hallucinations, tremors, and can be fatal within days if untreated), was held at gunpoint multiple times (once believing it was his final moments), traveled on three ships that were later confirmed sunk (with multiple fatalities), and experienced a near-complete psychological breakdown at the two-year mark. His girlfriend — who visited him 27 times across the world, eventually becoming his fiancée and then wife — was a central source of support. They were married three times: twice abroad during the journey and once online.
Despite minimal media coverage and follower counts (the project struggled to gain traction because positive stories about humanity are 'not as sexy' as negative news), Thor persisted. A message from a stranger who said Thor's journey had pulled them back from suicidal thoughts became a defining moment, illustrating the project's stakes beyond personal achievement.
The core philosophical message: every country Thor visited offered at least some form of kindness or support, leading him to frame meeting strangers as a 'reversed lottery' — where the odds are in your favor. His motto: 'A stranger is a friend you've never met before.' The session concluded with Thor gifting signed copies of his book to three attendees selected for being kind to conference staff.
Key Takeaways
- •Thor Pedersen departed Denmark on October 10, 2013 at 10:10 a.m. (date encoded as 10-10-10) and returned after 9 years, 9 months, and 16 days — more than double his original four-year projection. The overrun was caused primarily by the complexity of Africa (2 years, 3 months vs. estimated 1 year, 2 weeks) and a COVID-19 stranding in Hong Kong lasting two full years.
- •Africa's 54 countries proved the single most demanding phase of the journey. Thor estimated roughly one year based on seven days per country; actual time was 2 years and 3 months due to route complications, restricted border crossings, and logistical challenges in Central Africa.
- •Thor operated on a strict $20 USD per day budget covering all transportation, accommodation, meals, and visas worldwide. This figure forced reliance on the cheapest and slowest travel options and made genuine human kindness — invitations to homes, meals, and rides — a practical necessity, not just a philosophical preference.
- •The COVID-19 pandemic struck when Thor was nine countries from completion. He spent two years stranded in Hong Kong before securing a container ship passage. Upon reaching Palau, the government placed him in mandatory hotel quarantine; after negotiating with the health minister by phone, he was released after 8 days and saw Palau for only 6 of his planned 14 days.
- •Thor's return voyage from Malaysia to Denmark was a 33-day container ship journey through the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean, Bay of Biscay, English Channel, and around Denmark — demonstrating that maritime routes largely unknown to the public can connect distant destinations without air travel.
- •Three of the ships Thor traveled aboard were later confirmed to have sunk, with multiple deaths reported. He was also held at gunpoint on several occasions, contracted cerebral malaria (which causes hallucinations, tremors, and can kill within days untreated), and experienced a full psychological breakdown approximately two years into the journey.
- •Thor's girlfriend visited him 27 times across the world during the nearly decade-long journey. The couple nearly separated two years in due to extreme stress. They were married three times — twice during the journey in different countries and once in an online ceremony — a logistical reflection of the journey's constraints.
Transcript
Yes, thank you so much TK Guy and Peter for uh those pretty amazing satellite pictures of this rock we're all on drifting through the universe. Uh the question is whether we have the imagination to use those photos differently and I think you've showed uh ways to do it and that brings us to the one of the last session of the day. Um this is ITB third day last hour. So those of you who are sitting here, it's good. Uh it begins with a man who decided to try something that everyone said was impossi...
