Touring on a wing and prayer, Juri’s way
Can you really travel the world for free?
ping and airline companies resulted in a free flight to the United States.
Human kindness has not always been forthcoming, like when his belongings were stolen while he slept in Nicaragua.
‘‘Everyone seems to carry guns there, so I thought there is no point trying to find them,’’ he said.
Now in Nelson, Burmeister said his 40 days in New Zealand had already brought free travel by helicopter at Franz Josef, on the Interisland ferry and even on an ambulance in the Bay of Plenty.
‘‘We got to Rotorua to see the Maori village but it is closed - but at the BP Connect there was a very kind man named Bill who drove us in the ambulance car to his home in Taupo.’’
Through connections made in Blenheim’s Fijian community, a family in Nelson offered to host the young travellers in exchange for help with childcare and doing some gardening at their property.
‘‘They said I had a very interesting story and if I needed a place, I can stay with their family.’’
While food has been scarce at times, Burmeister has been able to survive on a dedication to fasting, yoga and prayer which has kept his spirits up.
‘‘I’m travelling as light as I can, with smallest amount of clothes and amounts of food – I try to find food directly from nature.’’
Now halfway through his global odyssey, Burmeister’s travel plans are focused on getting to Australia, before making his way back to Estonia through Asia and the Middle East.
His New Zealand tourist visa still has two months to run. However, he is hopeful of continuing his trip in the same way he has done for the last two and a half years – by offering work in exchange for a fare to the next destination.
‘‘I will work for a day or a week – whatever it takes to get across to Sydney or Melbourne,’’ he said.
Once he gets home, Burmeister intended to write a book.