Stand in front of a map of the world and imagine yourself crossing every single border…
More people have been into space or to the top of Mount Everest than have visited all 193 nations.
This is a nine-year long adventure, unencumbered by luxuries or routine. Travelling with nothing but hand luggage, the author goes from -58°C in Jacuzia to the heat of Western Sahara, from a ‘secret marathon’ in Afghanistan, supporting women under the eyes of the Taliban, to boarding a container ship bound for Kuala Lumpur. He is robbed and beaten, shot at in Yemen, contracts malaria, and has to pretend to be both a missionary and an oil consultant. There are numerous obstacles to overcome, but it’s worth it, bringing a cultural reward as he returns after these unique and lasting experiences.
Moving from one place to another allows you to reinvent yourself without being subjected to the filter of others, for where nobody knows you it’s possible to present yourself with the persona you prefer. You can dismantle and reconstruct your beliefs thousands of kilometres away from home, and when you return, you are a better version of yourself.
This is a travel journal that shuns stereotypes to get an idea of the other 95% of the world, those people who don’t live in the big cities of the West.
It’s a book for those who want to start out from scratch, to be challenged to re-evaluate freely and be inspired to overcome their fear of travelling and discover nations whose names they may yet not even know.
“Finally, I was visualising myself immersed in the journey instead of seeing the same old me, just in different places.”
Author – Flavio Ferrari Zumbini