On May 23, Torbjørn C. Pedersen (Thor), a Danish traveller and adventurer, became the first human being to visit every single country in the world entirely without using air travel – all in a single unbroken journey that has taken ten years.
Thor’s project, called ONCE UPON A SAGA, started in 2013 in Denmark and has taken him through Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific by car, bus, train, boat and on foot. On May 23, 2023, he arrived in Male, capital of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, onboard a container ship, to reach his final country—the 203rd nation on his unbroken journey.
“Once Upon A Saga has been the most incredible adventure. Having said that, I am absolutely ecstatic that it has now been successfully concluded – and I am absolutely exhausted, too!” said Pedersen, who became a SALOMON ambassador during his journey and wore Salomon footwear for the entire nearly ten-year adventure.
“I set out to visit every country in the world without flying because no one had ever done it before. I used to work in logistics and thought it would be a fun way to use my skills. I like a challenge, but I can safely say this has been the biggest logistical challenge I have ever come across.”
He originally expected his adventure to last four years. In the end, it took much longer due to visa issues, political unrest and the Covid-19 pandemic, which kept him in Hong Kong for two years with only a few countries left to visit. He married his long-term girlfriend Le while living in Hong Kong. Le, who has visited Thor 26 times during the project, was in the Maldives to welcome him.
Other people have visited every country using planes or have broken the journey by flying home and later resuming. Pedersen is the first to do so entirely without flying and in a single, unbroken journey, complying with his self-imposed rule of spending at least 24 hours in each country.
Thor aims to use the project to promote peace, understanding and cultural exchange between countries and to showcase the beauty and diversity of the world. He has also worked to raise awareness of global issues such as poverty, inequality and climate change, often through work with the International Red Cross.
To produce a feature-length documentary on his first-of-its kind adventure, long-time Salomon TV producer Mike Douglas has been filming him in various locations over the last several years. Douglas also spent months combing through hundreds of hours of video footage that Pedersen captured himself as he visited every country on Earth.
Douglas, Founder of Switchback Entertainment in Canada and a Salomon freeski ambassador, said, “I believe that what he has accomplished by visiting every country on earth without airplanes and without ever going home is one of the most challenging things any person has ever done. I don’t believe it will ever be done again, and there is a reason he is the first to do it—he is one of the most persistent and stubborn people I have ever met.”
Douglas and Salomon have released a preview TRAILER of the film, celebrating Pedersen’s return to his native Denmark for the first time in nearly ten years. The full-length documentary will be finished for 2024 with the help of a yet-to-be-chosen production partner.
“The story of Thor and his adventure is a complex one that involves interpersonal relations, the charity of humans around the world, mental health, the positives and perils of social media, the healing power of outdoor sports and, of course, one of the greatest feats of human adventure we have ever seen,” Douglas added.
Once Upon A Saga has been financed through Pedersen’s own funds, sponsorship by energy companies Ross Energy and GEOOP and some crowdfunding. He has been supported by several shipping companies including A.P. Moller-Maersk, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Swire Shipping, Blue Water Shipping, Neptune Shipping Agency, Pacific International Lines, Royal Arctic Line and Columbia Shipmanagement.
Main photo: After ten years of continuous travel, Thor completed his quest to visit every country on earth without air travel and returned to Denmark last week.
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