He set out to walk around the world. After 27 years, his quest is nearly over

Nature of the journey & continuity

• Commenters clarify the walk is “continuous” in route, not in time: he frequently pauses for months or years, then returns to the exact stopping point.
• Some see this as standard “section hiking” and still impressive; others feel that for a decades‑long, sponsored “around the world” quest it’s less epic than imagined.
• Distance and pace analysis shows his original 8‑year estimate assumed ~20 km/day every day; reality over 27 years is closer to ~6 km/day when breaks and setbacks are included.

Visas, borders, and legality

• Many threads focus on how modern visa regimes make uninterrupted long‑term overland travel nearly impossible.
• Schengen’s 90/180‑day rule, lack of an EU‑wide long‑stay travel visa, and post‑Brexit status for UK citizens are dissected in detail; consensus is that bureaucratic constraints largely force his breaks.
• His detention for crossing into Russia at a non‑official point divides opinion: some call the arrest foreseeable and justified; others see it as rigid bureaucracy unable to handle edge‑case adventurers.
• This spirals into a long philosophical debate on borders: are strict territorial controls “natural” (parallels to animals, immune systems, IT firewalls) or a relatively recent, often harmful political construct?

Ethics of the quest: admiration vs abandonment

• Many admire his persistence through extreme environments and state harassment; some compare him to other long‑distance adventurers and polar rowers.
• A substantial subthread reacts strongly to reports that he effectively abandoned a very young child for this project.
• Some label it selfish and unforgivable, arguing we shouldn’t celebrate feats built on family neglect; others point to complicating factors (marital breakdown, relocation of the child, military constraints) and a later partial reconciliation.

Human nature, media, and travel

• His observation that almost everyone he met was kind resonates with many long‑term travelers, who echo that everyday in‑person interactions are far better than online discourse or news suggests.
• Others counter with experiences of frequent scams, theft, and refusals of help, arguing that travel also exposes a “worst of humanity” side.
• Several note how modern social media amplifies negativity and outrage, while the physical world of ordinary people remains mostly decent.

Adventure culture and commercialization

• Commenters share numerous examples of global walkers, cyclists, bikers, unicyclists, and tuk‑tuk travelers.
• There’s disagreement over YouTube‑driven adventure: some say turning journeys into content undermines authenticity and local connection; others argue online communities can be motivating and supportive, not necessarily corrosive.