Read the interview with Ludovic Hubler here

Ludovic Hubler is a mildly insane Frenchman who at the age of 25 decided to hitchhike around the entire world, including the oceans. It took him 5 years.

We like Ludovic.

Of course, it’s always slightly annoying to find more hard core travelers than oneself, I once thought I was pretty hot stuff to have hitchhiked from England to India but Ludovic is the undisputed hitchhiking star as far as we’re concerned.

He probably didn’t even read Road Junky’s hitchhiking guide before starting.

You can check out the whole beautifully told story in English, French and Spanish at ludovic’s hitchhiking site – just click on the flag to get the language you need.

He’ll also be talking live at the Road Junky Travel Film Festival Meanwhile, here are the stats he gives of his incredible voyage:

Below, I present to you some interesting figures from my hitchhiking tour of the world.

0 – Cents spent on transport to complete the world tour (apart from urban transport and two-way trips with a return to starting point). Goal realized.

59 – Number of countries crossed during the world tour (see the list by clicking the following link:)

170,000 – Number of kilometres covered between January 1, 2003 and January 1, 2008

1,300 – Number of cars and trucks that picked me up during the world tour

20,000 – Estimated number of hours spent waiting in service stations and on roadsides

28 – Maximum number of hours spent thumbs up waiting alongside the road to get a ride

25 – Estimated minimum number of seconds spent waiting for someone to pick me up (first car in Tarragone in Spain)

5 and a half – Maximum number of days spent in a single car (crossing a part of the Sahara)

1,700 – Maximum number of kilometres travelled in one car (between FlorianÃ³polis in Brazil and Buenos Aires in Argentina)

20,000 – Estimated number of people who refused to pick me up as a hitchhiker at service stations (for all kinds of reasons)

1,000,000 – Estimated number of cars that passed me without stopping while I was hitchhiking (excuse me for not counting)

10 – Number of boats I worked on in order to continue my journey (Canary Islands to Cape Verde, Cape Verde to Brazil, Ushuaia to Antarctica, Colombia to Panama, Panama to New Zealand (3 1/2 months), New Zealand to Australia, Australia to Indonesia, Yamdena Island to West Timor (Indonesia), West Timor to Flores (Indonesia)

22,000 – Number of photos I took during the world tour

450 – Number of different places I slept in during these 5 years of travelling the world, and therefore also the number of times I had to unpack and pack my bag

1 – Backpack for carrying my clothes … it lasted till the end despite numerous operations …

25,000 – Total cost of my tour of the world in Euros (including visas, insurance, food, admission tickets, internet connections, camera, portable computer, and fees). More details about how my world tour was financed are available at the following link. I will now take out a loan in order to write my book that I will pay back later.

10 – My daily budget in US dollars.

300 – Number of presentations I gave during my travels – in schools, universities, Rotary Clubs, and Alliance Francaises for an estimation of 50,000 people.

0 – Number of violent incidents. Yes, it is certainly possible to travel around the world without being attacked, robbed, or mugged.

7 – Number of kilos lost. Today I weigh 73 kg. The minimum was 70 kg in Indonesia; the maximum was 80 kg at the time of my departure.

1 – Planet – it’s superb – preserve it!!!!

Check out Ludo’s Interview here Read about another hitchhiker who hitched from England to India with no money