Tim O’Connell
meets a man on a mission to do just that.
How much does a 33-country world trip cost? Just a big investment in honesty and no withdrawal of courage, according to Ju¨ri Burmeister.
Like most backpackers coming to our shores, the 27-year-old Estonian was adhering to a small budget.
However, his willingness to seek opportunities in return for odd-jobs and services has enabled him to get halfway around the globe for less than a tank of petrol.
‘‘I would like to prove that it is possible to travel through the continents without using any money – to be an example to give hope and faith for people who are looking to try life in different countries or people who are struggling,’’ he said.
‘‘How can I get to another city or live when I don’t have any money for food? It is possible to ask for help – the main thing thing is to be honest.’’
In March 2015, Burmeister set out on his epic journey, with just the clothes on his back and a small amount of Euros.
‘‘I decided that working was not for me yet and I needed to find myself by travelling and to live on this planet day by day,’’ he said.
‘‘I don’t carry a compass, it is in my heart.’’
In two years of travelling, Burmeister has stood at the top of volcanoes in Iceland, glaciers in Patagonia, lived with tribespeople in Central America and even been questioned at gunpoint by Western Sahara border guards.
‘‘There were all these men with machine guns – I was the only westerner on the bus and they made me get off...they were all lined up in straight lines so if something was strange, they would probably shoot.’’
His Canadian partner Myle`ne, who he met at a yoga centre in Mexico, has shared the journey since April 2016.
His journey so far has been funded by sponsorship or the kindness of locals and companies willing to sponsor his passage and visa costs to the next destination.
In exchange for accommodation, food or transport, Burmeister has helped out at Santa’s Village in Lapland, Machu Picchu in Peru, a mahogany plantation in Vanuatu and a pig farm near Matamata.
Sometimes, the ploy of simply asking works in his favour. He crossed the Gibraltar Strait from Spain to Morocco with the help of a truck driver who was so impressed by his tale of thrifty travel that he subsequently organised a place to stay for him.
In order to secure a seat on a flight from Santiago to Easter Island, Burmeister assembled earplug and pillow packs for passengers.
Other times, Burmeister has bided his time before an opportunity presented itself, sleeping on the beach in the Canary Islands or living in French Polynesia when the yacht he had caught a ride on ran aground.
Another time, he stayed in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik for a month before his enquiries to ship-