An adventurous Brit believes he has hacked the Journey system – touring 9 European international locations for only a penny.
As the price of dwelling disaster grips the nation, daring Kerr Rawden challenged himself to trek from Weymouth within the south of England to Turkey – the place he would cross the Bosphorus Bridge into Asia.
And in a surprising journey that noticed him staring down jackals in wolf-infested Bulgarian forests, flogging kebabs to cannabis-smoking hippies in Amsterdam and kayaking a surprising 200km down the empty Danube, the 29-year-old accomplished his mammoth problem in only one month.
Armed with only a towel, adjustments of garments, a hammock, a torch and his trusty penknife, he set off to journey the continent in a surprising solo journey.
Kerr – who runs a gardening firm in Somerset – mentioned: ‘I needed to do it to push myself to get out of my consolation zone, and do one thing loopy, do one thing that may have me on my toes after a time frame the place I felt a bit stagnant in life right here within the UK.
In a surprising journey that noticed him staring down jackals in wolf-infested Bulgarian forests, flogging kebabs to cannabis-smoking hippies in Amsterdam and kayaking a surprising 200km down the empty Danube, the Kerr Rawden accomplished his mammoth problem in only one month
Armed with only a towel, adjustments of garments, a hammock, a torch and his trusty penknife, the 29-year-old set off to journey the continent in a surprising solo journey
Kerr challenged himself to trek from Weymouth within the south of England to Turkey – the place he would cross the Bosphorus Bridge into Asia
‘I might seen somebody in America do one thing type of comparable so I needed to type of one up them and do it throughout Europe in locations the place I haven’t got the appropriate to work and communicate the language.
‘And it was an effective way to type of see Europe in a special type of manner. I needed to satisfy folks, see lovely locations, and I liked the concept of getting throughout that bridge to Asia and with the ability to say I received throughout Europe for a penny.’
Kerr, who was born in Kenya and spent a lot of his childhood within the Spanish mountains, determined to set out on his mission after failing to get onto Netflix sequence Alone.
A eager survivalist, he grew annoyed whereas dwelling again within the UK after the pandemic pressured him dwelling from Indonesia.
He had spent the primary six months of lockdown remoted on a distant island – the place the looming risk of provide ships not coming drove him to develop his expertise, spearing fish and studying to make fireplace by way of friction.
However – regardless of spending a lot of his twenties travelling – Kerr has lived at his household dwelling since returning and was prepared for one more journey.
Utilizing his gardening field firm Completely satisfied Growers as inspiration, he set his purpose as a Turkish orphanage, who he would donate seeds to to assist them develop their very own sustainable meals.
He’s going to go to it at a later date, the place he’ll educate the kids learn how to develop and domesticate the vegetation.
He began his journey with only a penny – which he needed to flip into sufficient cash to get him in another country
The mammoth trek included a surprising solo kayak 200km down the river Danube
Documenting his journey for his YouTube channel KerrBear Adventures – he’s hoping to boost consciousness of how one can stay sustainably and get monetary savings in the price of dwelling disaster, and says he’ll donate a seed for each new subscriber he will get.
Wanting again on his journey from the bridge overlooking the sting of Europe, he continued: ‘It felt actually good. It was an enormous dopamine dump. It was a large rush.
‘It had solely been a month, but it surely felt prefer it had been three months and fascinated with all of the issues that had occurred in such a small time frame that had enabled me to get there, all of the those that had helped me, all this loopy or silly little hustles that I had performed.
‘All of the moments – the lows, like waking up in poo or working out of meals and water on the Danube.
‘However then the highs as effectively – it was a rollercoaster of feelings.
‘But it surely was actually satisfying and exhilarating to have made it that far.’
Kerr began off his mammoth journey in Weymouth, stringing up a hammock beneath the pier and slowly buying and selling his penny for a pen, then a pound, and at last making some cash promoting bottles of water for £1 every to vacationers.
The entrepreneur – who was rapidly moved on by the harbourmaster from his tenting spot – was then capable of make sufficient cash to journey to London by catching spider crabs and flogging them to a Chinese language restaurant.
Even from the beginning he needed to have his wits about him – whereas tenting beneath the pier the primary evening he woke as much as discover the tide had are available in and he was stranded in his hammock
He was capable of make sufficient cash to journey to London by catching spider crabs and flogging them to a Chinese language restaurant
When on the capital’s streets he turned this right into a small fortune by heading to the jewellery quarter – and trawling the streets with a flashlight on the lookout for diamonds.
Documenting his journey on his YouTube channel, he purchased a passage to Amsterdam, the place he made cash by amassing refundable bottles from bins and offered hen kebabs to folks having fun with town’s hashish legal guidelines.
From there, he hitchiked to Germany with at grand whole of £59.86 – the place he labored at a fishing competition in Bavaria who gave him free food and drinks.
Transferring from there to Prague, he had extra money than any level on his journey, after amassing extra refund bottles – and he endered the Czeck Republic with £72.81.
However, after shopping for a second-hand kayak in Bratislava he was again all the way down to £7.71, and by the point he reached Budapest he had simply 59p – the place he needed to resort to dumpster diving for meals.
However, after promoting his boat, he was again as much as practically £50 when he arrived in Romania, and from there he hitchhiked by way of Bucharest earlier than crossing Bulgaria on foot.
By the point he reached the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul he had simply £3.05.
However not all was clean crusing – regardless of beautiful views and pleasant locals, Kerr advised of terrifying moments in his journey the place he discovered himself gripping his penknife for the phantasm of safety.
However not all was clean crusing – regardless of beautiful views and pleasant locals, Kerr advised of terrifying moments in his journey the place he discovered himself gripping his penknife for the phantasm of safety. Pictured: Below a bridge in
Whereas kayaking 200km alongside the Danube in an inflatable boat, in a terrifying second he ran out of meals and water
He desperately hoped for a café to refuel on the river banks – however at one level needed to resort to survivalist foraging
He mentioned: ‘I introduced a Swiss military knife with me and there have been two moments the place I took it out of my bag and put it in my pocket.
‘The primary was in Slovakia – it was alone Danube once I pulled up off the river amd it was just about darkish.
‘I used to be hiding beneath a bridge and sleeping within the kayak – it was a tiny little industrial city, rundown, and I used to be instantly harassed. I went again to my bush and hid there until morning.
‘The opposite time was in Bulgaria as I used to be making my strategy to the Turkish border. I believed I might camp within the woods that evening then do the border crossing within the morning.
‘These phrases are filled with bears and wolves – folks advised me about this, however I had realised how everybody has this nation or those that they’re a bit scared or that they do not know a lot about and there is a little bit of prejudice. So I began to type of probably not taking folks’s warning severely.
‘I did not see a bear or a wolf, however a jackal crossed proper in entrance of me as I used to be strolling to the waterfall.
‘This large canine – I used to be terrified. I froze the place I used to be standing.
‘And the jackal sauntered alongside in entrance of me. After which he turned and noticed me.
In a single low level, he slept at a truck resting level and awoke surrounded by human poo
At factors, the journey was extra civilised – in Germany he labored at a fishing competition in return for food and drinks
‘Fortunately the jackal was extra fearful of me than I used to be of him and he bolted – however I believed: “I’ll take my knife out of my bag and put it in my pocket, simply in case.”‘
Even from the beginning he needed to have his wits about him – whereas tenting beneath the pier the primary evening he woke as much as discover the tide had are available in and he was stranded in his hammock.
And whereas kayaking 200km alongside the Danube in an inflatable boat, he ran out of meals and water.
Desperately foraging to outlive, he collected whelks and boiled them in an previous beer can over a fireplace.
He mentioned: ‘After I was on the Danube, I ran out of water a pair occasions. There was a day the place I used to be paddling with out water worrying: am I gonna get to somewhat cafe or one thing.
‘Ultimately I did and I managed to refill some water. However then I ran out of water once more and I used to be pressured to do that impromptu survival problem.’
It took him nearly every week in whole solitude to finish the journey by way of the river – and he even paddled nude for stretches after seeing noone for days.
As he kayaked nearer to cites, he discovered himself rocked by the wake of giant ships as he desperately tried to remain afloat and keep it up paddling.
Desperately foraging to outlive, he collected whelks and mussels and boiled them in an previous beer can over a fireplace
On someday, whereas paddling the Danube, his total meal was a single mussel (pictured)
Kerr despatched his household photographs daily – however made positive to maintain the worst of his experiences out of his texts.
He added: ‘They know I am type of I do that type of factor. Possibly not one thing this loopy, however I am at all times out tenting and getting myself in sticky conditions.
‘After I first advised them they have been like: “What? Why!”
‘It was a however of a shock however in addition they understood that I simply needed to go on an journey and see what occurred.
‘It is all concerning the expertise. That is what I used to be on the lookout for.’
And never every little thing went to plan – Kerr introduced his financial institution card as a backup simply incase he realised he had received in too deep, and misplaced it whereas simply half manner by way of the journey.
He had additionally deliberate to ship two of his vegetation to the Istanbul orphanage, however the journey was an excessive amount of for the dwarf inexperienced bean plant and the venus fly entice was left behind on the practice in Germany.
Kerr continued: ‘I ought to have put much more planning into it. I had a number of obscure concepts however I feel within the video it comes throughout like I’ve deliberate it much more than I really did.
After shopping for a second-hand kayak in Bratislava he was again all the way down to £7.71. Pictured: Leaving Slovakia
Kerr has advisable anybody who desires to go on a ‘loopy journey’ to comply with in his footsteps – however says they need to be much more ready than he was
‘Numerous the time it was just like the evening earlier than and I used to be like: “What the hell am I gonna do tomorrow?”
‘After I was on the Danube I did not see anybody doing the identical factor the entire time, aside from one different German man who had began within the Black Forest in Germany and was making his manner all the way down to the Black Sea.
‘He was a canoe teacher for 20 years and he was doing it correctly – and he was like: “You are an inflatable kayak with out with out the lifejacket on. You are an fool.”
‘That was once I realised I actually did not put a lot thought into this.
‘It was unbelievable. And if somebody desires and needs to go on a loopy journey, go for it.
‘However maybe put in a bit extra planning than I did!’
