TED: John Francis walks the Earth

Any man in this world whose nickname is “The Planetwalker” deserves an article dedicated to him on Hejorama (and on
Wikipedia). While he’s technically stayed on the American continent, John Francis, a.k.a The Planetwalker, has walked for more than 22 years, covering the 48 mainland states of the USA as well as part of South America. And for 17 years, he’s remained totally silent.

Why? Please watch the fantastic video above to find answers to all the questions that you’re surely asking yourself by now. It’s going to be the most interesting 18 minutes of your day for sure. And you’ll have a good laugh too. Francis is a truly fascinating person -and a great banjo player.

On top of that, Francis shares two very important Hejorama values: walking and listening.

During our travels, we always take the option of walking when it’s possible. As we say in our Manifesto(point 10): “We get lost. The best experiences come from unexpected situations and encounters. We’re always walking off the beaten path.”

And listening is just as important to us. Whenever we travel and meet people, we ask them to tell us their story. We learn a lot from people all around the world because we take the time to listen to what they have to say instead of doing all the talking.

Alex