Don’t we all dream of traveling around the world? While it might take years for most of us to fulfill this dream, some people have already accomplished this.
Henrik Jeppesen, a 27-year old full-time blogger, traversed the world with an unthinkable budget of $ 20 per day.
Here’s his inspiring story
The Story Behind
Jeppesen grew up in Thy, a far-flung area in Denmark with just over 40,000. He envisaged himself touring the world very early in life.
At the tender age of 14, he resolved to visit at least 50 countries throughout his existence. This number soon rose to 100 before he finally crossed every country listed on the map.
“Ambition without action is fantasy” – Bryant McGill.
Slowly, he began saving up and researching how to travel more economically. This approach led him to use local couch-surfing sites and hitchhiking in many instances.
However, the path he had embarked upon wasn’t an easy one. He often found himself sleeping in public places. Once, he ended up napping off at a bus station in Niger.
Many of us wouldn’t even imagine doing something like this out of fear for safety. But the fearless Jeppesen says, “The world is a safe place to travel.”
Very soon, his blog started gaining momentum, and by 2010, hotels offered him free stays in exchange for being featured on his blog. He claims to have stayed in over a thousand luxurious hotels so far. Now, who wouldn’t like that?
After visiting over a hundred countries, in 2012, Jeppesen approached the airlines to fund his flight tickets. More than 100 airlines have sponsored him until now. He has spent about $ 60,000 to $ 80,000 on his world tour spanning over 3,000 days.
Jeppesen has a following of over 100,000 on social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. His blog, often leading to business partnerships, is the sole source of income and supports himself.
Every inspiring story comes with the struggles that went into achieving success. He said it was challenging to obtain Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Angola visas.
He has even had some horrific experiences. For example, when he was touring across India, the driver of the car he was hitchhiking stopped in the middle of the journey to down an entire bottle of vodka. Luckily, he reached his destination safely after a couple of hours.
Jeppesen finally achieved his goal of traveling to every country when he visited Eritrea, East Africa. His top 3 picks are South Africa, New Zealand, and Italy due to diversity, people, various landscapes, and food.
There are still 36 territories that Jeppesen hasn’t been to. He has even been to the most dreaded place of all globally, North Korea. In his opinion, it was one of the most exciting travel experiences of his life. His new goal is to set a new world record by visiting all 325 countries and territories.
Jeppesen Tips to Plan a Cost-Effective Trip:
• Pack light, You may be shocked to know that Jeppesen traveled to all the countries without a suitcase! He only had his phone, credit card, essential documents, headphones, and an extra pair of undergarments.
• Use free miles and credit card points
• Avoid fancy restaurants
• Read more and more travel blogs
• Hitchhiking is the way to go! However, try to avoid hitchhiking at night as it can be hazardous
• Opt for low-cost airlines
So, if you follow these tips, even you can have a cost-effective trip and follow your dream of traveling the world.
