After seven years of walking 48,000 km around the globe, a man with his dog ended their journey.
New Jersey native Tom Turcich and Savannah, his four legged companion, were welcomed to their home with a large celebration by friends, family, well-wishers, and others.
“It was very surreal,” he told CNN. “I had imagined what the ending would be like for a long time. And when it happened, there were people lining the streets and walking with me.”
Tom was inspired by Ann Marie, his close friend who died in a plane accident in 2006, when he was 17.
“It [her death] was very formative for me,” Tom told CNN. “She was a much better person than me. It was clear that I was going mad. [one day]It could happen at any given moment. And I started re-evaluating everything.”
Tom decided that traveling and adventure was the best way for him to make the most of his life. He began to look for ways to do so.
Tom set his sights on following in the footsteps of walking adventurers such as Karl Bushby or Steven Newman after reading about them.
“It [walking]This seemed like the best way of understanding the world and being forced to go to new places. I didn’t just want to go to Paris and Machu Picchu, I really wanted to understand the world and see how people were living day to day,” he explained.
Tom began planning his route and saving money to pay for his travels. He worked during the summer to save enough money to last him for two years on the road. After he graduated, he also moved in with his parents.
Philadelphia Sign’s owner heard his plans and offered to sponsor him before he left.
Evidently, the entrepreneur knew Ann Marie’s family and wanted to help him in any way he could.
Tom started his first attempt to travel the world almost nine years ago, just before turning 26.
He carried a baby stroller that contained his DSLR camera, laptop and sleeping bag. He also had a plastic container to store his food in.
“I thought it would be about five and a half years,” he said. “And that proved pretty accurate for the actual walking.”
Tom’s entire journey ended up taking seven years because of two major delays. The first was when Tom fell ill with a bacterial illness and had to recuperate for several months. The second was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tom was also invited to local weddings.
Tom had not traveled much before starting the walk. During high school exchange trips, he visited England and Wales. He also spent his holidays in Canada and Dominican Republic.
He wasn’t an experienced hiker, although he had previously completed a 10-day hiking trip with a friend and had done a few weekend hikes.
His first stage was to walk from New Jersey to Panama. Tom took Savannah home from Austin, Texas, after four months.
Tom initially didn’t intend to get a dog, but he struggled to relax when preparing to sleep at a campsite because he would constantly awaken during the middle of the night, convinced that he could hear something coming.
Savannah felt more secure when he kept watch at night.
“She’s been fantastic,” he said of having the dog. “It’s just nice to have someone to share some moments with.”
Tom created a Patreon account after a year of traveling so that his followers could support his travels. He also documented his and Savannah’s trip on Instagram and on his blog, The World Walk.
Tom reached a point where he began to question his ability to keep going. However, he never considered giving up.
“There were definitely times when I was just really not in a good place,” he admitted.
“And I was thinking, ‘what am I doing out here? I could be with my family and my friends, and instead I’m walking through this cold rain in Germany.”
“But I don’t think I ever would have stopped,” he added. “I’d been thinking about the walk for eight years before I even began it. So it just would be insane to give up after a couple of years.”
The dedicated couple walked across six continents and 38 nations, spending most of their nights camping. They walked an average of 18 to 24 miles each day.
And during their return, among those who greeted them were Ann Marie’s family.
“Her death really inspired me to live. And that was it. [the walk] and I was there with her family, it felt like they had a little bit of closure too,” he said.
Now that he’s back in the US, Tom is reconnecting with friends, spending time with his family, and bonding with his girlfriend, whom he met during his trip’s last leg.
While Tom is writing a memoir of his journey, Savannah is still adapting to being stationary.
His dad would take her on a four-mile run around the river each morning to help her get some energy. She would then jump on the couch and take a rest after they returned. Her owner said she seems “pretty content.”
Learn more about Tom and Savannah’s grand adventure in the video below.
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