A Dane named Torbjorn Pedersen went on a 10-year solo journey to all 195 countries of the world without flying and returned July 26, the Washington Post reported Monday.

Pedersen, 44, began the grueling 260,000-odd-mile journey in October 2013, fueled by the prospect of becoming the first person to make the journey without flying, the Washington Post noted. The journey reportedly took a decade, six years longer than he anticipated.

Pedersen reportedly “encountered hundreds of challenges, including visa problems, war zones and near-death scares, but he finished with a reformed confidence in himself and in the world.” He spent at least a day in each country, per the Washington Post.

Pedersen reportedly began the journey by taking a train from Denmark to Germany. The endeavor was funded by a Danish geothermal energy company grant, his savings and loans, the Washington Post noted.

Pedersen traveled across Europe in what was reportedly the easiest phase of his travels. However, he encountered his first difficulty trying to find means of transportation from Norway to the Faroe Islands. An even greater problem occurred, when he reportedly sailed past icebergs in a storm from Iceland to Canada. (RELATED: Katie LaFrance on How Globetrotting Can Broaden Your Perspective)

Danish traveler Torbjørn C. Pedersen (Thor) made history by journeying through 203 countries without flying, promoting peace and cultural exchange. An inspiring pioneer and #Salomon ambassador, his expedition showcased human potential and unity.#TomorrowIsYours pic.twitter.com/AWdbt2hPC8

— Salomon (@SalomonSports) July 30, 2023

He was treated for cerebral malaria in a Ghana clinic, escaped plunging down a cliff off a dirt road in Cameroon by seizing the steering wheel from the sleepy driver and had guns pointed at him in an African Jungle, per the Washington Post.

Some happy moments reportedly kept Pedersen going. These moments include the time a woman led a spontaneous singing session while in the back of a truck in Congo in 2015, proposing to his visiting girlfriend, Le, on Mount Kenya in 2016 and marrying her in Vanuatu in 2022 and watching “The Thin Red Line” on his computer with 80 people while power was out in the Solomon Islands, according to The Washington Post.

About 150 people received Pedersen on Denmark’s eastern coast — family members, friends and social media followers, per the Washington Post.

Now hoping to get speaking engagements and write a book, Pedersen shared one indelible lesson from the travels: the ordinariness of people’s lives. “People are just being people everywhere,” he reportedly mused.