He got the lowest possible grade in gymnastics. Then he cycled to Africa.
Swedish explorer Johan Ernst Nilson joins Rajan Datar on Travel That Made Me to trace a 30-year odyssey sparked not with ambition, but with a schoolboy bet: could someone with the lowest grade in gymnastics cycle all the way to Africa?
Three decades on, that bet has become 196 countries, 80-plus expeditions, and 3,000 nights in a tent crossing jungles, glaciers, and polar regions from North to South Pole by ski, sled, dog sled, bicycle, and kite. He’s climbed the highest point on every continent. He’s survived hurricanes, frostbitten toes, and serious injury.
And yet, after all of it, he felt empty.
So what was the moment that finally changed that? The answer has nothing to do with the mountain peaks or extreme conditions and everything to do with learning to believe in the boy he once was, when no one else would.
Check out more from Johan:
https://johanernst.com/
https://www.facebook.com/johanernstnilson/
https://www.instagram.com/johanernst/
https://x.com/ExplorerJEN
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit travelthatmademe.substack.com
