Mike Safo with Thor Pedersen, Only Person to Visit Every Country in the World Without Flying/ Author / Traveler

About this episode

Thor Pedersen discusses his decade-long journey visiting every country in the world without flying and the insights from his book.

Joined today by Thor Pedersen , the only person in history to visit every country in the world without flying. He's also the author of the awesome new book, The Impossible Journey: An Incredible Voyage Through Every Country in the World Without Flying . Thor opens up about what it really took to complete this one-of-a-kind odyssey, a journey he thought would take four years but ended up lasting a decade. We dive into the emotional and logistical challenges of traveling overland to all 203 countries, the complicated personal relationships he had to navigate along the way, and the deep reflections that shaped his book. Thor shares why this isn't your typical travel book, no party stories or Instagram chatter, but a raw, honest look at the highs, lows, and everything in between. We talk about: What inspired him to start this journey (including a life-changing trip to Southeast Asia) His time working for the United Nations Struggles with visas, malaria, loneliness, and even being stuck in Hong Kong for two years during the COVID pandemic How he kept going, even when it got unbelievably tough Balancing a public journey with private life, including becoming a father The unreleased (but…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Safo

Guest: Thor Pedersen

Topics covered

• travel
• adventure
• personal growth
• challenges
• book writing

Keywords

• The Impossible Journey
• overland travel
• COVID pandemic
• United Nations
• documentary

Mentioned in this episode

Products: The Impossible Journey

Books & works: The Impossible Journey: An Incredible Voyage Through Every Country in the World Without Flying

Places: Southeast Asia, Hong Kong

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