Highlights
- Dutchman Tom Boerman wants to be the first person to cross all continents on foot
- He has been walking for 425 days covering Europe, the US and is now in Australia
- Mr Boerman took to this extreme adventure after battling drug addiction and depression
In May last year, Tom Boerman left the Netherlands, his home country, to . He has been at it for 425 days now.
He doesn't count kilomteres because walking is his life.
He started in Europe, crossed the Atlantic to continue his journey in the United States, and has now arrived Down Under. He also has the ambition to walk in Antarctica.
Tom Boerman at a Dutch consulate in Europe. Source: Tom Boerman
On 6 July, he began the Australian leg of his adventure from Cairns, which will conclude in Melbourne. Or perhaps, extend further down to Adelaide. It is expected to take him approximately four months to walk along the east coast of Australia.
He says he’ll do a lot of roadwalking, so he can connect with the locals. Mr Boerman travels with his cart which has the Dutch, Australian and Nepalese flags hoisted on it as he raises money for a charity in Nepal.
The 34-year-old grew up in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, a small village under the smoke of Rotterdam. Always fascinated by sports, he grew up in a big family and often needed space. Outdoor activities were his way to get some time alone.
“Cycling, athletics, running, hiking and mountain climbing have been important sports for me. They have given me a physically strong foundation to embark on this extreme and challenging adventure,” he tells SBS Dutch.
The idea of becoming the first human being to cross all continents by foot came when Mr Boerman was going through a rough time.
I was addicted, depressed and suicidal. I had no idea where to go and looked with great amazement at my own life and that of the people around me
He realised he needed a change.
This is when he sold all his belongings and checked in at a rehab facility, where he stayed for more than a year and then decided he wanted to travel the world.
Tom Boerman started his adventure in Australia on 6 July. Source: Tom Boerman
The love affair with long-distance walking began in New Zealand where he walked 3000 kilometres through the wilderness.
I’ve always been a fan of Columbus, the early explorer, and thought that I could do something similar but in a modern way
"So, I thought I’m going to do something that can’t be found on the internet. I’ll try to be the first human being to cross all continents on foot,” says the avid walker.
Mr Boerman started his adventure on 8 May 2021. The same day Anton Nootenboom started his bare feet walk from Cairns to Sydney, to raise awareness for Men’s Mental Health. The two have become friends and speak to each other regularly.
What we do is pretty unique. You have to deal with your emotions, and you want to share your stories, but people don’t understand what you’re going through. Now we have each other and that is beautiful
In Europe, he had some bizarre experiences.
He was fined in Bulgaria for walking on the left side of the road. The next day, when he walked on the right side, he was fined again by the same police officer.
In Croatia, he was put in jail because the authorities didn’t believe he was not travelling by car or bike.
“You end up in situations you couldn’t have imagined, but I like that. I had trouble crossing the border with Turkey because they refused to let me through. So, I crossed the border with drug smugglers,” he tells SBS Dutch.
Tom Boerman enjoys the view in Turkey Source: Tom Boerman
“My ideal rhythm is 8-8-8, ie, eight hours each of walking, rest and sleep. But it has turned out to be difficult to achieve. The reality is that it’s often 10 hours of walking, and the six hours that I should rest, I spend with the people who host me. They offer their hospitality and I share my stories with them. And the number of hours of sleep also changes every day," Mr Boerman adds.
One day you’re sleeping in a limo in someone's driveway and the next you're lying among the goats in Jordan
In this oddessey of sorts, he has endured some extreme weather conditions. Of the first 53 days of his adventure, it rained for 41 days. He then found himself swirling in the sandstorms of the Jordanian desert, followed by a tornado on the second day in America. Heavy thunderstorms hit all night, while he was camping in a tent along a river south of Chicago.
“Everyone told me that the conditions in Australia are perfect at this time of the year, so I decided within three days to pack up and book a ticket to Australia,” he says.
So, Mr Boerman’s decision to come to Australia was taken unexpectedly.
He was only halfway on his journey to the US, but due to the scorching hot weather conditions, it was too dangerous to cross the American prairies, where he would spend seven weeks with no shade at all.
This, in combination with an expiring visa, forced Mr Boerman to leave the States.
It’s been 10 days since Mr Boerman arrived in Cairns.
He has spent this time with a Dutch family there, who picked him up from the airport and gave him a very warm welcome. He has adapted to the climate of northern Queensland by now, and is ready for the Australian chapter of his adventure, which started yesterday.
“I walk for the talk. I want to discover other cultures. And I want to show that humanity still exists,” Mr Boerman says.
Mr Boerman intends to walk on all continents including Antarctica through 50 countries and clock over 40,000 kilometres. Source: Tom Boerman
I’ll knock on people’s doors to ask if they have a place to stay for the night. I have slept at the most special and strangest places and I think this will be no different in Australia
Tom Boerman will walk the coast from Cairns to Sydney, and will then head inland towards Melbourne. By his own estimation, this will take him nearly four months, but he is not in a hurry.
“I live by the day and I might even walk all the way to Adelaide. They say the coastline is beautiful there,” he signs off, all set to hit the footpath.
SBS Dutch recently interviewed Tom Boerman about his walk around the world. You can listen to this interview in Dutch .
