The World Walk

The invigorating true story of a man and his dog who circled the globe on foot.

"Quietly stunning." —Laurie Woolever, New York Times bestselling author of World Travel with Anthony Bourdain and Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography

After the death of a close friend at seventeen, Tom Turcich resolved to make the most out of life; to travel and be forced into adventure; to experience and understand the world. On April 2nd, 2015, he set out to see it all—one step at a time.

The World Walk is the emotional and exhilarating story of the tenth person and first dog to walk around the world. Together, Turcich and his dog, Savannah, covered twenty-eight thousand miles over the course of seven years. Through deserts, jungles, cities, and mountains, Turcich meditated on what’s important in life and took lessons from cultures around the globe.

Rarely has there been a true-life tale of such scope. From sheltered suburbanite to world traveler, Turcich’s epic account runs the full gamut: He is held up at knifepoint in Panama and gunpoint in Turkey; wanders deep within himself in the deserts of Peru; watches a democracy fortify itself in Georgia; and takes it all in with his resolute companion by his side. His growth spans the most basic elements of surviving on the road—finding food, water, and safe places to camp—to humanity’s more noble aspirations, such as the benefits of democracy, the search for love, and the weighing of personal significance.

Accompanied by some of the author’s world-class photography, this tour de force of resilience and triumph of the human spirit will reaffirm to readers that the world is beautiful, people are good, and life should be a generous, vibrant adventure.

Tom Turcich is the tenth person to walk around the world, completing an extraordinary seven-year journey across six continents and thirty-eight countries with his adopted pup, Savannah. What began as a quest for self-discovery, evolved into a testament to human endurance and the unbreakable bond between man and dog. Turcich has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, The Guardian, BBC, The Today Show, and more. Now a sought-after motivational speaker, Turcich inspires audiences with tales of perseverance, adventure, and the transformative power of pursuing one’s dreams. He is also the author of the children's book Savannah's World of Adventure.

Praise for The World Walk

"Turcich deftly describes the ins and outs of an often grueling expedition during which his body was occasionally battered, but his ability to persevere ran deep. This spirited book about one man’s journey of self-discovery will serve as an inspiration for others who dream about a worldwide journey." —Booklist

"From the very first page, Turcich's combination of humility and self-assurance, his propulsive storytelling, facility with both tiny details, enormous concepts, and everything in between, compels the reader to keep going, step by step, through this quietly stunning narrative, whose conclusions feel deeply relevant to this fractured period of humanity." —Laurie Woolever, New York Times bestselling author of World Travel with Anthony Bourdain, Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography, and Care and Feeding

"One book that would’ve been a brilliant companion on my trip." —Suleika Jaouad, New York Times bestselling author of Between Two Kingdoms and creator of The Isolation Journals

"Turcich’s account of his 28,000-mile journey is simply astonishing. In understated prose, he tells the kinds of stories most travelers can only dream of. His tale is marked by action, adventure, and danger, of course, but it is guided—quietly—by friendship, love, curiosity, and a deep sense of humanity. With The World Walk, Turcich joins in the long and grand tradition of travel writers who discover our planet is, perhaps contradictorily, at once infinitely bigger and surprisingly smaller than they had imagined." —Jonathan Arlan, author of Mountain Lines: A Journey through the French Alps

“We are all the sum of where we’ve been and where we hope to end up, and Tom Turcich gives readers a world’s worth of revelation in his moving book. The World Walk will take you many miles, show you incredible beauty, pull you through harsh weather, and never leave you without a redeeming sense of place.” — Brian Reisinger, author of Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family’s Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer

"A remarkable story of perseverance and endurance enhanced by a warm, far-reaching humanity." —Thomas Swick, author of Falling into Place and The Joys of Travel

"The best adventures are simple, but not easy. Tom and Savannah's great journey showcases the generous spirit of the world, and the wonders that await once you step out your front door." —Alastair Humphreys, adventurer, photographer, speaker, and author of Microadventures: Local Discoveries for Great Escapes

"A captivating journey that celebrates the extraordinary power of perseverance and the beauty of our shared humanity." —Jaimal Yogis, bestselling author of City of Dragons