It took Sergei Lukyanov, a 60-year-old retiree from St. Petersburg, almost two years (676 days) to complete his lengthy 23,000-kilometers sojourn across 21 countries.
During his journey the elderly man travelled mostly on foot, carrying only the bare minimum of supplies and spending roughly $8.5 per day on food, with no sponsors to back him up.
"I just like it, that’s all. At my age you don’t have the urge to prove something. I’m just happy," Lukyanov said, according to the TV channel Zvezda.
After crossing Uruguay and Argentina, the stalwart adventurer reached Brazil during the Summer Olympic Games in Rio. After taking a flight to Tunisia, he then travelled to Italy by ferry and started the last leg of his journey, marching across Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland and Belarus.
During his triumphant return to St. Petersburg, Lukyanov was greeted by his family members and also by a host of fans that he'd gained during the journey.