Tom Turcich
Tom Turcich and Savannah, The Tenth Person and First Dog to Walk Around the World; A Seven-Year, Six-Continent Adventure.
SPEAKER FEE RANGE: $7,500–$7,500 [FEE NOTE]
TRAVELS FROM: Washington
On April 2nd, 2015 Tom left his New Jersey home to embark on a five year trek across the seven continents. The dream of walking around the world formed at seventeen after his friend Ann Marie passed. Since her death, he decided to make the most of each day. He wanted to walk the world to become immersed in unknown places and be forced into adventure day after day. In Texas, he adopted a dog, Savannah, and ever since they crossed every border together. Savannah is his best friend and the ultimate walking companion.
Very few people attempt to walk around the entire world, and even fewer actually manage to complete the journey. On May 21, 2022 Tom Turcich, from New Jersey, became the 10th person on record to achieve this remarkable feat, while his four-legged companion Savannah was the first dog to do so.
Turcich, who has been compared to Forrest Gump, the character Tom Hanks played in the 1994 movie, decided he needed travel and adventure in his life and began looking into all the different ways he could. After reading about Steven Newman, listed by Guinness World Records as the first person to walk around the world, and walking adventurer Karl Bushby, who has been circumnavigating the globe on foot since 1998, Turcich became set on taking on this challenge himself.
The inspiration for the trip stemmed from a sad loss in 2006, when his long-time friend Ann Marie died in a jet ski accident at the age of 17. Since his friend’s passing at Tom Turcich has had no doubt about his purpose in life - to walk around the world. After eight years of saving and planning, he left his home in New Jersey to embark on a seven-year trek across six continents. He’s since walked 28,000 miles across 38 countries.
He walked to immerse himself in unknown places, discover adventure and understand the world. Before the walk, he never gave a thought to photography, but his passion for photography bloomed out of his desire to share the world. He is the tenth person to walk around the world and the first to do it with a dog.
Turcich, who has been compared to Forrest Gump, the character Tom Hanks played in the 1994 movie, decided he needed travel and adventure in his life and began looking into all the different ways he could. After reading about Steven Newman, listed by Guinness World Records as the first person to walk around the world, and walking adventurer Karl Bushby, who has been circumnavigating the globe on foot since 1998, Turcich became set on taking on this challenge himself.
The inspiration for the trip stemmed from a sad loss in 2006, when his long-time friend Ann Marie died in a jet ski accident at the age of 17. Since his friend’s passing at Tom Turcich has had no doubt about his purpose in life - to walk around the world. After eight years of saving and planning, he left his home in New Jersey to embark on a seven-year trek across six continents. He’s since walked 28,000 miles across 38 countries.
He walked to immerse himself in unknown places, discover adventure and understand the world. Before the walk, he never gave a thought to photography, but his passion for photography bloomed out of his desire to share the world. He is the tenth person to walk around the world and the first to do it with a dog.
- The World Walk: One Man’s Journey Around the World Will Inspire You to Start Living Your Best Life
Sometimes life throws us a curveball. For Tom Turcich, that moment happened when he was just 17 years old and lost his best friend to a tragic accident. Faced with his own mortality, Tom decided the best way to honor his friend’s life was to do something meaningful with his own. Using his heartbreak as motivation, he decided to go on a walk….around the world.
Tom spent the next eight years planning and saving, and at age 26 he started walking. Seven years, six continents, and 25,000 miles later, Tom is one of only a handful of people who have traveled around the world on foot. In this exciting keynote program, Tom will share the adventures he and Savannah the Dog had as they walked around the world. Through stories, photos, and humor, Tom shares the important life lessons he learned by exploring the world at a slower pace. From getting sick in the Andes to falling in love, learn how Tom found his inner strength during the most challenging parts of his travel - and why finding this strength in ourselves is key to living a meaningful life.
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