In an age when cheap flights and travel apps make the world feel no farther than a tap on a phone screen, one man from Denmark chose the opposite path. His name is Torbjørn C. Pedersen, better known simply as Thor. For ten years, he journeyed through every country on Earth—not by airplane, but by bus, ship, train, and even by hitching rides on cargo vessels.
“No one had ever done it before,” Thor said in an interview with Euronews, recalling the moment in 2013 when his extraordinary mission began. “I wanted to know if it was possible to see the whole world without flying.”
The Email That Sparked a Mission
It all began with a simple email from his father. The message mentioned that no human had ever visited every country without taking a plane. For most people, it would have been a passing fact. But for Thor, a former UN peacekeeper, it became a life-defining challenge.
So, he set off on a one-way journey, never returning home until the mission was complete. His rules were strict. Visit 203 countries, including disputed territories, and spend at least 24 hours in each.
In 2013, he left behind his steady career in shipping and logistics to chase what many would call an impossible dream.
Over the next ten years, Thor covered more than 223,000 miles. He crossed borders on rickety buses, caught rides on fishing boats, and sailed across oceans on massive container ships.
The journey was not only a test of logistics but also of patience. Delayed visas, political unrest, and limited transportation often left him stranded for months in one place. But nothing compared to the challenge that came when the world itself came to a halt.
Two Years Stuck in Hong Kong
In January 2020, Thor arrived in Hong Kong aboard a cargo ship. Only nine countries remained on his list. Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, sealing borders across the globe.
Many adventurers might have given up. Thor did not. For two years, he hiked Hong Kong’s trails, volunteered with the local Red Cross, and kept his followers updated through his blog, Once Upon a Saga.
“If it hadn’t been for the pandemic, this journey might have ended sooner,” he reflected. “But that was where I learned the true meaning of perseverance.”
The End of a Saga
On May 23, 2023, Thor finally set foot in the Maldives, the 203rd and final country on his list. It was the climactic moment of what he called “the longest unbroken journey of my life.”
He returned home to Denmark the same way he had traveled the world, without wings. He sailing 33 days aboard the MV Milan Maersk. Out at sea, far from the crowds, he reflected on the decade he had given to a dream.
What did Thor gain from it all? Not just a passport filled with stamps or a place in the record books. What stayed with him most were the people. From remote African villages to sprawling Asian megacities, he was met with kindness again and again.
“What convinced me was the goodness of strangers,” Thor said. “The world is often portrayed as dangerous, but what I saw was the opposite. People everywhere are, at their core, willing to help.”
Now, with the saga complete, Thor has returned to his homeland. To the casual eye, he may look like an ordinary man. Yet his story has left an extraordinary mark: of someone who rejected airplanes, chose the slow road, and in doing so, transformed himself.
Perhaps the Viking blood still runs in his veins—not through conquest with a sword, but through an epic journey that conquered the world with resilience and courage. (Sulung Prasetyo)
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