Strange man spent a decade traveling the world

A Dutch blogger, who previously worked for the Dutch government, now calls himself a nomadic nomad and he probably has no plans to return to life. everyday before. Grond has traveled around 130 different countries and used to fly 58 flights in a year.

Before starting his “no stop” trip, he had to save enough money to keep traveling continuously for 3 years, and set a budget of 30 dollars/day.

Like the rest of the “backpacker” community, Grond, also known as “Traveltomtom” lived in cheap buildings and lived as frugal, as frugal as possible in order to reduce the cost of living. down.

Grond confided that he is fully qualified and comes from a financially stable family. He is from the Netherlands so he has a good passport. And especially Grond had to save a lot of money and limit himself to the budgets he had set out to be able to maintain that “road” for many years.

Traveling around the world: The life of a nomad

During a boom in social platforms, Tom Grond realized he could make money writing and publishing articles about his adventures around the world.

Grond created an Instagram account in 2014 and quickly built up a good foundation, amassing around 30,000 followers in a relatively short time.

Back then, while travel blogging was not a new phenomenon, “travel influencers” were people who made a living sharing their travel experiences around the world. around the world on media platforms, there is always room for development.

Grond gradually felt more attracted to hotels and organizations that offered free services rather than a promotion at work. But then Grond began to feel suffocated by the pressures of creating content on those platforms and felt that life right now was unbearable.

By managing a travel blog called Traveltomtom, Grond is able to further pay for his travel through profits from media platforms. This led Grond to transform himself from a traveller to a mid-range traveller. Grond shared that he will definitely miss the old days because of the unforgettable experiences and encounters but he will never want to sleep in those dormitories again.

Travel around the world: Goodbyes without end?

A life that changes places frequently has a downside: maintaining a strong relationship. Over the years, he has come to understand this more and more. “It’s impossible to keep a lasting relationship.” – Grond expressed. He always had to say goodbye, a separation every few days, and certainly a “struggle” with Grond with unending breakups.

Grond has had positive and memorable experiences, but the trials and tribulations of this journey make him appreciate and realize that he is far from precious people. However, Grond still keeps in touch with family members and even friends he has made through his travels. Grond is frank: “I don’t have time to miss other people.”

Grond’s temporary accommodation has improved, but Grond’s travel and experience routes have remained unchanged. He still looks forward to experiencing and meeting the locals with unchanging passion.

It’s not just media platforms that have changed Grond’s travel itinerary. The global pandemic has brought the whole world to the brink of a standstill in 2020, and the impact of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has made international travel increasingly difficult.

Traveling around the world: Changing perception

Of all the places Grond has visited, Syria is the most impressive. It was an expensive tour because he had to pay for security and the like. Everything is in “ruin”. Everything was destroyed except for the determination and will of the people here. “They had nothing left, but they were determined to rebuild everything, and were full of confidence that they would return to normal. That trip changed me in so many ways.” Grond recounted.

Grond later traveled to Pakistan and Iraq and was amazed at the novelty he received in return. That’s what drives Grond to explore new countries because it must be a great thing to go to these places and change your perception. This inspired Grond a lot. However.

Grond is not in a hurry to complete this challenge, he wants to wait for the right moment and remain slow and slow in his plans. That’s why it’s inevitable that other travelers are slowly ticking off the countries they’ve visited.

He left behind the tiring track of pursuing goals like getting a degree, finding a job, building a career and a family.

Travel around the world: Travels are still waiting

When seeing people trying to tour every country, it seems to become counting for them. People often ask “How many countries have you been to?” I really don’t want to be a part of that track anymore.” – Grond confided.

According to Grond, he has at least 71 of the nearly 130 countries he has visited more than once. For example, 4 times to Pakistan temple, 17 times to Thailand, and especially Grond to visit Turkey twice a year.

Grond does not have a fixed schedule for his trip and will try not to plan ahead. Everyone was always asking Grond when he would come home. But for him, Grond is truly homeless and doesn’t know when he will stop traveling around the world.