A Hungarian man who lost his wife and child has decided to walk to every European Union capital city. The journey—planned to take 3.5-4 years—will begin from Hungary with just a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, and his dog.
"I've been through a very tough five years," he writes on r/backpacking. "I lost my wife and my child, went through depression and self-destruction, and then slowly climbed out of it and came to some realizations."
The dream has been on his bucket list since childhood. Now, at a turning point after profound loss, he's making it real. He's been training for a month, selling all his belongings, given notice on his apartment, and settled things at work. His savings should cover the first 1.5-2 years.
Ultra-long-distance walking trips as transformative travel
His plan joins a growing community of people undertaking multi-year walking journeys. Wired (the person, not the magazine) walked from New Jersey to California, then later across Europe. Another backpacker walked from Turkey to England, documenting the 8-month journey.
Unlike traditional backpacking trips with endpoints, these journeys function as lifestyle transformations. The walking itself becomes the purpose—healing, discovering, and rebuilding identity through movement.
"This isn't just about seeing capitals," one experienced long-distance walker commented on the thread. "You're giving yourself time to process everything. The walking meditation, the physical exhaustion that lets you sleep, meeting people every day—it's the best therapy that exists."
The practical challenges of multi-year walking trips
Reddit's experienced backpackers offered crucial advice:




