I have changed, not only physically.”

The dream Transformed by Marthin Luther King into short trip: How did the idea of ​​giving up everything come about?

“I started traveling when I was young and always saw the idea of ​​traveling around the world as a wonderful and magical thing, but also too big for me. Then I found myself at a certain point in life where,

Although everything was perfect, I did not find myself satisfied, nor did I find myself happy

. I knew I had to change something, but I didn’t know where to start. So I told myself that maybe it was time to leave to fulfill this dream, for that flight I left in the stairs for some time.”

How did you prepare to face it?

“I have always been involved in sports, not for particular needs, or for anxiety or competitions, but because it makes me feel good. So perhaps my physical fitness was the least of the issues to consider. While I worked a lot on mental preparation, because I had such a choice I did not It is done overnight.

Everything that can happen for better or worse is evaluated, even if it is always the last word in life

. When I decided to leave, I started selling and giving away everything I owned and this was really the strongest mental push. The economic situation, last but not least, was the excuse that I put off. But I realized it was just an excuse: there is no ideal budget for such work. I will then leave and find a job as soon as I need it, and in fact, that was the case.”

How did you organize the trip from a logistical point of view?

“I organized quite a bit. At first, I only applied for the Russian visa before leaving and then all the other visas from one country to another,

Follow a little flow of emotions, advice other travelers, assess the weather, seasons and … any political crises

. I had no deadlines, so I planned only a few days in advance: that was enough. It was mostly a low budget trip, so for the most part, I slept in hostels and was hosted in locals’ homes, I also slept in stations and benches, but nights in hotels were happening too. So I’d say a little bit of everything, in addition to transportation: cars, trains, lots of buses, ships, motorcycles, and planes.”

What did he bring with him?

“I had an idea about this which later proved to be practical. I’d say I practically didn’t bring anything from Italy. No amulet, no good luck charms, nothing particular. Even the clothes, I bought them all new. All things. A little bit of technique that dries quickly.”

Focused on practicality

. In Italy I intentionally wanted to sell everything before leaving, so: cars, motorcycles, clothes, TV, washing machine. I kept nothing, because I knew that by doing so, I would never find any excuse to go home if things went wrong. I had nothing left in Italy and had nothing left where I was, the only way was to start where I was. It happened like this in Thailand, in Malaysia and it worked. I’m going back now because it’s time to come back.”

He left Italy in 2017: where are you with this company?

“I left Verona on August 30, 2017 with a bus that took me to Berlin, the first stop. In a few weeks I will be in Italy, I think in the middle of July, more or less. At this point they will be

Nearly five consecutive years of travel

, for a total of 50 countries crossed. To be exact 54″.

How and where did you face two years of Covid infection around the world?

“It’s part of my trip that I really love. I’ve been stuck in Malaysia for over a year and couldn’t leave the country except to go back to Italy and it was an unexpected choice, and I didn’t want to go home. So I stayed there, in the meantime I just ran out The money I earned working in a restaurant in Thailand earlier, and so on

I had the idea of ​​trying to make ice cream at home

. I was selling it in the china market and the chinese were crazy about this fruity ice cream made with durian. Less than three months later, I opened a shop in a shopping center in Georgetown, across from Singapore, and I also had two local girls who worked for me. But then another closure happened, they closed everything, bars and restaurants and from there I flew to Mexico to continue my trip.”

Next stop after Bolivia, where are you currently staying?

“I am in Santa Cruz, the industrial city of Bolivia, in the northeast, and in a few days I will travel to Brazil in São Paulo, on the last leg of my trip before landing in Europe and moving to Italy to return.”

How does technology help you in this journey? Would it have been different at other times?

“Certainly the trip would have been different without the technology, and I don’t know if it was better or worse, because there is no way to compare. But without a doubt, internet connection everywhere, GPS, different maps are tools that are widely used By all backpackers.Then there are all the apps for booking accommodation, searching for work as a volunteer, requesting free hospitality in traveler communities, translators of any language, open fundraising, and joining social projects.

Then there are social networks

Which was often more useful to me than those who followed me from home, because in my darkest moments, not only out of boredom, but also when I needed a word, social media helped me. Even a stranger in these situations can make a difference with a message.”

Who or what are you missing on this trip to Italy?

“I can say of Italy that I miss everything, though I knew what I would meet when I left. No country is pictured, and above all, sure, I missed food and wine, even if I ate everything. Coffee and people believed our music sometimes even the climate .

I miss Lake Garda so much

, where I lived before I left, although I am originally from Mantua. Obviously, I miss family and friends. I haven’t seen my mom and dad for five years. We agreed that if they did not come to see me, we would not meet soon, because for any reason I would not return to the end. And it was.”

Will another Eric return to Italy?

“Yes, I think another Eric will come back. Certainly physically, because I no longer have hair: I left it, and now I don’t have it anymore. And I think I’ve changed on the inside too. We’ll see that however, my friends will tell about this.”

A five-year trip like this isn’t a vacation, it’s school, it’s an impressive life lesson

It will be interesting to see how I will see my old life with these new eyes when I come home. I’ve asked myself this many times. I will see many changes.”

And what will happen next?

“I am sure that I will not stay in Italy, I do not feel that I am my country now and I do not have a country in the world, despite the fact that I have visited about eighty years in my life, where I would like to live forever.

Italy will always be there

above all for a vacation two months a year in the summer, in Lake Garda, in fact.

But I would like to live a little between America and Asia

After I published my book on this journey.

What is the best moment?

“It’s hard to answer. In five years of good moments, I’ve had many, fortunately. I also had some bad moments, but more than good. Almost a year of travel

I met my brother in Sri Lanka

, who came to see me and was very impressive. Two years after leaving

Join some friends in Thailand

While I was working in a restaurant. There were fifteen of them and they flew to me to celebrate my birthday.

Opening an ice cream parlor in Malaysia was a dream within a dream

And buy a bike in Mexico to get to Costa Rica. I’m a motorcyclist but haven’t had a bike in 4 years: that was also great fun. Then

Building a park in Medellin, Colombia

: I practically opened a fundraiser on Instagram and within a week we built a children’s playground in the slums of Komona 13. And the opening was an amazing thing: seeing all these kids laughing and jumping and playing.”

What message does it leave for readers?

“It depends a little on the people and the moments. What I’ve been through I can say what I did was show that time and money don’t stop the dreams we have anyway. If we want to get there, there are no excuses. I left when I was about 37, a perfect life, The kind one would expect from a boy my age, though not a lot of savings in the bank. How much money do you need for a round-the-world trip like this? The last two years, actually? Because the budget I was considering would allow me to travel for two years.

It was really the thing that made me feel alive and it is an experience like no other

. My advice is to simply try, take risks, not be afraid to fall, feel like and like children, fall, get up and get back into play.

We only have one life, and it’s a waste not to live it fully

completely”.