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Exclusive: Meet Paul Tingaud, a French adventurer with an ambitious goal: to explore the globe without setting foot on an airplane.
At just 24, Tingaud has made impressive progress on his quest, journeying from Paris to Kuala Lumpur in a little over nine months, all on his own.
His challenge? The enormous Pacific Ocean stands in his way as he attempts to reach Australia.
“Honestly, except for Australia, the journey has been surprisingly straightforward,” Tingaud shared with nine.com.au regarding his travels.
“Even traversing Russia, there’s always a solution. You always encounter someone willing to assist, whether it’s finding a bus station or something else,” he added.
Tingaud studied environmental law and is a firm believer in protecting the planet.
Though he loves to travel, he didn’t want to contribute to the tonnes of carbon emissions pumped into air during flights.
“The day when I finished my studies, I just wanted to travel and I just thought, ‘OK, let’s do it without planes’,” Tingaud said.
“It is the fact that I am not taking a plane that has made me travel for so long.”
The unpredictable nature of his transport has taken Tingaud to some unusual places, including Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
His dream of ending up in Australia has presented a unique problem for the anti-frequent flyer.
Tingaud is travelling on a shoestring budget of just €800 (approx. $1425) per month.
Without hopping on an expensive cruise ship leaving from a port in Malaysia or somewhere in Indonesia, Tinguad has hit a snag.
“If I could get on a [cruise], that would be amazing, but those things are very expensive,” he added.
“And also very polluting.”
Tingaud is closer than he’s ever been to Australia: just 4204 kilometres away.
Now, his only hope is jumping aboard a ferry, boat or containership headed Down Under.
He is willing to “do anything” to make it to the Australian coastline without flying – including working on board a boat or yacht to pay his way.
But he may face some issues without a valid work visa or qualifications to work on a yacht.
“I don’t care where in Australia either, because, if I find a boat, it depends where the boat will bring me,” Tingaud added.
“And I guess I just find a work where I arrive.”
Tingaud is hoping he can harness the powers of social media to get to Australia.
He shared a call-out on Facebook asking for help, but hasn’t found a solution yet.
“It feels a bit weird when you don’t know what will happen,” Tingaud added.