The man who walked the world on foot: Who is Tom Turcich?

Here, the story of American Tom Turcich falls in this category...

As I read Tom's seven-year walk from Simon Hattenstone's pen in The Guardian, I was, so to speak, first speechless, and then I was amazed by Tom's perseverance and unending motivation.

Tom walked an average of 35 kilometers a day for half of the seven years he was away from home.

He traveled to 38 countries and crossed every continent except Australia, which he could not go to because it coincided with the pandemic period. Moreover, he was not alone after a point in this walking tour.

He went everywhere with his dog, named Savannah, whom he met during his journey. Tom is reported to be the tenth person to circumnavigate the world in this way.

Savannah is the first dog to do this tour!

WHY STARTED THIS WALK

So what drove Tom on this world walk?

Did he suddenly decide on such a thing?

For this, it is necessary to go back to the past, Tom's 17th birthday.

Tom's life, which has a normal routine apart from his shyness and the fear of death that has been gnawing at him since childhood, changes after he receives the news of the death of his close friend Ann Marie.

The fear of death is starting to get stronger. While his trauma continues, he watches Robin Williams' famous "Dead Poets Society" movie at university and is very impressed.

He starts to think about catching the day and living an extraordinary life as in the movie. Finally, he finds the formula: “Shaping your future rather than sitting around waiting for what will happen to you”.

Thus, Tom decides to seize the day by leaving the safe American town of Haddon, with a population of 15,000, where he was born and raised, and seeing the world.

But the world is vast. His character is also timid and reserved.

He understands that he has to push himself. On the other hand, he realizes that he needs to travel cheaply. He begins to read the stories of those who travel the world on foot.

Like Steve Newman and Karl Bushby.

What did he learn from his seven-year world walk?

DID SOMETHING HAPPEN TO YOU?

Tom, who made plans for his world walk until the age of 25, finally leaves his town and starts walking toward Argentina for the first leg of his journey. The thing he is most grateful for while walking is "Google Maps"!

Does something happen to you? Of course, he's coming.

He is taken into custody because he is thought to be a terrorist or spy on the Turkish-Syrian border, but is immediately released. Once, he is held at knifepoint in a shop he entered in Panama.

As a result of the bacterial infection he caught in Uruguay, he has to return home and take a break.

But when he recovers, he resumes his walk from where he left off.

“THE THOUGHTS ARE LIKE WEEDS”

To Tom, this seven-year walk was like a meditation.

Especially the first two years, when you spent a lot of time alone.

“I was so lonely on my own,” he says, “I was just having thoughts. Thoughts are like weeds in your garden. You don't realize it, but your head is full of these weeds, and as you walk, you collect these grasses and clear them all."

Finally, one day when he is in Peru, Tom feels like he has thought of all the thoughts and says: “My garden is clean now. No more worry, regret, doubt; there was nothing.”

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Tom Turcich (and His Pup) Set to Complete 7-Year Around-the-World Walk Next Month

https://thetrek.co/tom-turcich-and-his-pup-set-to-complete-7-year-around-the-world-walk-next-month/

Seven years, six continents, 37 countries and 45,000km: a man and his dog’s Epic adventure

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/seven-years-six-continents-37-countries-and-45-000-kms-a-man-and-his-dog-s-epic-adventure-20220418-p5ae6m.html