HADDON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (1010WINS) — A man from South Jersey will complete a seven-year trips around the world on Saturday — a journey on foot that he said was influenced by his friend's death.
Tom Turcich made his way through 30 nations on six continents and traversed over 25,000 miles. Turcich says his World Walk was inspired by his friend, Ann Marie, who was killed in a jet ski accident.
"Since her death I've decided to make the most of each day. I walk the world to become immersed in unknown places and be forced into adventure day after day," Turcich wrote on his blog.
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“I’ve had such a long walk home,” Turcich, 33, told NJ.com.
Turcich began the journey from his Haddon Township home on April 2, 2015, a day before his 26th birthday. The trip was interrupted by three breaks because of the coronavirus pandemic and some illnesses he had along the way.
He and his dog, Savannah, a companion he picked up on his journey, will finish through a cape under an archway.
Turcich has been documenting and posting his trip on social media with over 80,000 followers.
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He is expected to pass his family home on Hampton Road before reaching a welcome-home celebration on Saturday, where more than 500 people are expected to show up. The Haddon Township High School band will be there to perform in honor of the 2007 graduate.
A primary sponsor of Turcich’s journey, Bob Mehmet, president/CEO of Philadelphia Sign Company, will be speaking at the event.
Turcich says he has has learned a lot along the way.
“People are very small. So much of life is dictated by circumstances. That was drilled into me over and over — just meeting people in different parts of the world, who were just as capable as me, but in different circumstances,” Turcich told NJ.com.
Next up for the weary traveler: Turcich said he plans to do some photography, and take maybe a year to write a memoir of his journey.