For most people, trips around the world involve airplane tickets, hostel reservations and and at least a train schedule or two. For Toronto native Markus Pukonen, his 1,825-day (or five year) journey plans to have none of those things.
Pukonen, creator of Routes of Change, is leaving on Monday for a trip that will circumnavigate the globe over five years, by jumping, swimming, running, pogo sticking, paddling, skiing, skateboarding, dancing and any other method that doesn't use a motor, he explains in his introductory video above.
His route, while still in the works, will look approximately like this:
Routes of Change is an environmental and social justice not-for-profit organization that looks to make positive change in the world, something Pukonen has been passionate about since his father was diagnosed and passed away from leukemia in 2009.
“I looked at my life and thought what would I do if I knew I was going to be dead in two weeks or six months? And what I came up with was this desire to go around the world. It has been my dream now for a couple of years," he told the Beach Mirror in 2013.
According to Canadian Geographic, Pukonen's already one of the country's top explorers, having rowed with a crew of four from Africa almost to Miami on a data collecting mission. The boat capsized and the crew had to be rescued 73 days in, after travelling 5,300 in a small rowboat.
Pukonen intends to spread his message of hope with his trip by partnering with local social and environmental organizations as he goes, and has already secured sponsors like Flybar (a pogo stick company) and Algonquin Outfitters.
He's still raising the $82,000 he needs for the trip (which comes out to $45 a day) on his site, but as he said in a pre-trip interview with a friend, he plans to do the trip "whether he has support or not." He sets off from Toronto on July 13, and will be documenting his journey on his blog.
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