Repost This Article1. Un-Roadtrip
In April of 2009, Boaz is setting out on an Un-Road Trip. He’s criss-crossing the United States using every mode of transportation except for car. He’ll be traversing dozens of states by kayak, bicycle, dog sled, scooter, hot air balloon, horseback, segway, hang glider, fishing boat, crop duster, and whatever else he can find.
2. Twitchhiker
Paul Smith set out on March 1, 2009 to travel as far around the world as possible in 30 days via Twitter. Last week, he finished.
Here’s what he had to say in his final post: “The Twitchhiker project showed that kindness is universal, that the whole can be infinitely greater than the sum of its parts, and that social media may begin online but it will converge with the real world whenever and wherever you let it.”
3. The Odyssey Expedition
Also in 2009, Graham Hughes aims to set a new world record by setting foot in every nation on Earth in just one year, without flying. He calls his journey The Odyssey Expedition, and is posting frequent blogs and video clips on his adventures.
4. Hitch 50
Scotty and Fiddy started in Times Square, New York with the intention of hitchiking 50 states in 50 days. Hence, the name Hitch50.com. Between Oct-Nov 2006 they managed this feat, and have the hilarious video clips to prove it.
5. One Week Job
Do you know what you want to do with your life? Sean Aiken graduated college and had no clue. So in 2007 he figured he’d find his passion by trying a different job a week for one year. The result One Week Job.
I was actually part of the project and am currently editing the documentary. Stay tuned!
Any outrageous travelers we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Ian MacKenzie
Ian MacKenzie is the founder and former editor of Brave New Traveler. He is Head of Video at Matador Network. Ian is also an independent filmmaker, with his first feature (One Week Job) released in 2010. His more recent projects include Sacred Economics and Occupy Love.
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I remember reading about Sean Aiken. I think he had a couple of job offers. I’ll go back and read about Paul Smith. Gotta love Twitter!
The Odyssey Expedition….5 years maybe, but in just 1 year? every country on earth without flying?
Come on.
Can social media restore basic human trust? Looks like it can….
The Odyssey Expedition is going to be on a lot of boats to cross oceans. That will be big time factor. But once he hits dry land he can move freely about the continent, so I think it is possible. Even if he doesn’t, it will be a great journey. Maybe that’s what’s it is really about…the journey not the destination. Cliche? But maybe true in this case.
All interesting projects and good luck to them. Buen Viaje!
@Brian from nodebtworldtravel.com – The journey is definitely not about the destination but one needs to spend time partaking in the culture along the way, not just blazing through 100+ countries in 1 year.
Definitely not knocking anyone’s dreams. Wishing them all good luck and a great time!
Great roundup, thanks! Are there more posts like this? If not, can there be?
@Lola I respectfully disagree. While I certainly see your point and for my purposes agree with it, I think like Brian was saying in this case more than most, the journey is the point. Maybe not a journey for the sake of seeing or even experiencing the countries that he visits, but for the act of the movement and logistics in itself. There must be something cathartic in the masochism of a trip like that. I wouldn’t do it (or would I, actually?…just to see what it’d be like, to do something like that?), but I’m sure he’ll learn lots of lessons that I won’t get to by traveling slowly and interacting with the countries more.
Since I met Chris Guillebeau and Benny the Irish Polyglot (among others but their journeys were like nothing I’d yet heard of before) in Bangkok this year, I have to say, I have a new respect for and fascination with offbeat-themed travels and projects. Hearing/thinking/and knowing about them, anyway. For now we’re still stickin to 20 countries in 3 years; that’s already proving to be overly-ambitious and consuming enough!