Trip around the world. Walking. Without money.

On the eve of the 45th anniversary of the Canadian Jean Beliveau went bankrupt. To cope with it overcomes depression, Jean decided to travel around the world. Walking. Without money. He came out of the house and hit the road. Circumnavigate the globe took him 11 years.

The idea of ​​traveling came to Jean as he walked down the street and painfully thought of their financial problems. Who of us did not come up with the idea that if you just go and do not stop, you can work around the globe and come back where you started? The difference is that Jean is not just thought about it, and exactly and entered. He decided to get away from their problems and depression -
foot. The trip around the world, Jean took a comfortable three-wheeled cart, tent, sleeping bag and a first aid kit. Mobile phone, he did not take.
Early in the morning of August 18, 2000, on his birthday, with the help of Jean's son he rolled his cart on the street.


"We waited until 9 am, when friends came, and all could not understand, it's a happy day or sad, says Jean. - My father, my pregnant daughter, my wife Lucy - all were there. Lucy sent invitations to journalists, but no one in the end did not come. At the beginning of the tenth Lucy she told me: "I think you've got to go." We embraced, I just turned the corner - and the next time we saw each other only after many months »

. Turning the corner, Jean went to the south, in the direction of the United States. By the time he reached the US border, he was already in a form that was afraid it will take for the homeless and will not be allowed into the country.
"I had not yet mastered English very - says Jean - and the question of the border guard, what is the purpose of my visit to the United States, said:" I go to Mexico and America to walk. " The border guard paused and asked sympathetically: "Can you at least bring water?» »

Entering the United States from the North, Jean along the shore of the Atlantic Ocean came to the Americas, there took to the right and moved further along the coast of the Pacific. Alone crossed the Chilean Atacama desert, Argentina turned to the left and crossed to the other side of the continent. Here the water barrier appeared to Jean. Moved across the Atlantic Ocean on foot clearly was not possible.

Jean awhile in thought hovered on the beach. And then a miracle happened. The local airline, learning about his journey, gave him a plane ticket to the opposite shore. So, Jean moved to South Africa and from there moved on foot again.

In Libya, Jean was not allowed and he had to go around Morocco. Then Jean went to Europe and briefly looked to England. In Russia, he did not dare go out of the cold and instead went to India, China and South Korea, where, according to him, had met some of the most friendly people in the world. Then he passed through the Philippines, crossed Malaysia, Australia, and finally ended up in New Zealand, where he returned back to Canada.

His journey lasted 11 years. All this time they had met with his wife once a year - at Christmas
. Despite the fact that Jean was trying to save, as he could, he ran out of money from even at the very beginning - in Central America
. "I'm not very good at begging, but it came as something natural - he laughs. - I'm actually quite shy, but it turned out it only helps, because in a sense fascinates people. " However, money and food people usually give themselves to him without any requests.

"Hearing that I was going to cross the world on foot, people just thrust 20 or $ 50 in my pocket. I have to save on everything, and I have enough of this money for a long time. You know, in Indonesia and Africa is the perfect place to eat on $ 1 "- says Jean. It was more difficult overnight. Over four thousand nights spent on the road, it is not always easily able to find shelter.
"Most of the time I found a place to sleep: held for 3-4 kilometers until you find a safe area where you can put up a tent. And let me ask for the night. But it is not always easy. In America, for example, it happened that I knocked in seven in a row of houses, not yet found accommodation. Sometimes, because of the constant walk I felt so tired that he could not smile and explain in detail to people that I am looking for an overnight stay. Then I slept on the streets or in parks, near

homeless. " Jean has estimated that during the journey it sheltered 1,600 families, about the same number of nights spent in a tent, and the rest - in the fire brigade, police, churches, homeless shelters, hospitals and schools
. In Egypt for free Jean cured teeth in India received a gift sunglasses, and Alzhireperenes surgery and spent two weeks in the hospital for free. In the Philippines, while crossing a dangerous area on the island of Mindanao, he was accompanied by an army of thirty soldiers who were with him shouted: "We want peace." In the Chilean Atacama Desert Jean almost bitten cougar. And let him spend the night in a prison cell unoccupied, and the guard of the morning shift mistakenly refused to let him in South Africa.

But the main thing from what happened with Jean during his travels, were not even an adventure, and the changes that have occurred with himself. For 11 years, Jean has not earned a penny, and, nevertheless, they were, according to him, the brightest and happiest years of his life. Today, he is confident that material success is not a prerequisite for a happy life.

"I'm not the guy that went in the way, - says Jean. - I'm the same person, but now I feel rich. We are blinded by money - so much around the traps such as "buy it here, and you will be happy." I do not want to play these games - for their journey, I met a lot of happy people who did not have

money. " Jean returned home to Canada in January this year at the age of 56 years. He walked on foot earth, overcame a total of 76 thousand kilometers, the demolition of 49 pairs of shoes and crossed 64 countries. His journey was not only circumnavigation, but absolutely the first in his life. Prior to this, Jean nowhere and never traveled, unless, of course, do not take tours to Florida.
Home Jean back as in the beginning of the journey, bankrupt. Only more of it is not disturbed. "The experience and knowledge that I now have a much more valuable than money" - he said

. Now Jean one goal: not to disrupt the deadline, which is set to pass him the publisher of the book about his journey print

. Update: in the appendix to the book post - Finding yourself