This Man and His Dog are Walking Around the World
Taking a walk usually means running errands or exercising in your own neighborhood. For some, it may be a leisurely stroll and for others, it’s a power walk. So whether you are walking just for fun or if you are doing your daily commute on foot, it usually only lasts a small duration of time.
This is not the case for Tom Turcich, who set out to circumvent the globe, on foot in 2015, according to NJ.comnews, he’s been walking ever since. That was 25,000 miles (40,234 kilometers) and 45 pairs of shoes ago and now he and his pet dog Savannah – a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever who he adopted on the way – are on the home stretch to return to New Jersey.
The World Walk
Turcich began walking on April 2, 2015, the day before his 26th birthday, and his adventure that he calls “The World Walk” has taken him on a remarkable journey that he documented on Instagram, Facebook, and with videos. Turcich and Savanna will be the tenth person and first dog to complete the journey.
He told NJ.comnews that the inspiration for his worldwide trek cam from two sources, the death of a good friend at age 15 – he was 17 – in a jet ski accident (that’s when he decided he wanted to travel the world) and the journey of Karl Bushby, a former paratrooper, who has been attempting to walk an unbroken path around the world for two decades.
While Turcich’s journey has not been unbroken, he returned home twice to rest up from illness and to receive a covid-19 vaccine according to Afar.com Magazine, and had to modify his trip several times due to border closings from the pandemic including skipping Australia. He has had his share of adventures along the way.
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To qualify as an official circumnavigation, Turcich had to cover a minimum of 16,300 miles (26,232 kilometers) on foot, cross four continents from coast to coast, and pass through two spots on opposite sides of the globe.
The Ups and Downs
Traveling always has some ups and downs and seven years of traveling has certainly raked up both. With just a cart containing a sleeping bag, camp stove, battery pack, food, water, and some changes of clothing, Turcich left New Jersey to explore the world.
But the journey started slow, just 46,169 steps and 22.38 miles the first day but his walking ability increased as the journey progressed.
He adopted Savannah as a pub in Texas and at first she rode in the cart – that has been replaced numerous times – but now she can walk as far as Turcich.
He crossed the first border into Mexico after 186 days and there were many more to go. He was held-up at knife point in Panama, became very ill in Scotland, and had to wait out pandemic lockdowns in many countries.
But on the bright side, he reached Antarctica on a research vessel and watched penguins play, and trekked by horse across the mountains in Kurdistan, according to NJ.comnews.
Turcich met many generous and kind people on the way, he camped when he could, stayed in hotels when he couldn’t and got to experience the beauty of the places and the he visited. He even got to know himself better.
“From all the solitude, from all the walking, I know myself very well. This has given me a much larger understanding of the world,” Turcich told NJ.comnews.
Turcich’s Fans
Traveling around the world isn’t cheap, even if you are walking and camping out. His trip was initially sponsored by Philadelphia Sign’s owner Bob Mehmet. Turcich also receives donations via his social media including Patreon where supporters can receive special updates about the trek.
When he finishes his journey, Turcich plans to do some photography and to write his memoir of his amazing journey around the world, one step at a time.
