He shows how to travel the world – for free

By Erik Bergin on May 18, 2012

TRAVEL FOR FREE. It has been all over the internet the last few days, the story about how 35 year old Michael Wigge traveled 25,000 miles, of 40,000 kilometers, around the world – without any money. A German resident out of Berlin, he hitchhiked, worked out barter deals and took odd jobs to make his way around the globe in an unusual journey which eventually landed him in Antarctica in November 2010.

He crossed the Atlantic working on a container ship, earned money in Las Vegas by participating in street pillow fights for $1, and, the Daily Mail reports, “collected tips for ‘pushing heavy tourists up the hills’” in hilly San Francisco, a pursuit resulting in $300 that was spent on a flight ticket to Costa Rica, where he got a job as a butler for the German ambassador.

According to the newspaper, a job in Peru as a porter for tourists walking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was the worst he had during his journey. “I was the worst porter the Andes had ever seen”, he explained.

Portraying himself as a 35 year old reporter, filmmaker, comedian and writer on his website, Michael Wigge now probably hopes he can eventually make some money from the project. A TV series about his trip is on schedule in May and there is also a book on the way.

 → 15 ways to travel for free (almost)

 Comment: A genuine budget travel project – or a PR stunt?

 

About Erik Bergin

The editor of the Traveling Reporter works as a business news editor, and is a frequent traveler. When not doing any of that, he spends time on his boat and tries to figure out where to travel next. Two of his top destinations are the Philippines and San Francisco. Email Erik! Follow the Traveling Reporter at Stumbleupon, Tumblr, Chime In, Pinterest, Google+, Weibo, Storify, Facebook, Traveldudes, Myspace.