There are journeys that unfold like chapters in a long-forgotten novel, footprints pressed into dusty earth and dreams carried in the heart. For two young men from Annecy, the world was not to be measured in flight paths or city skylines viewed from afar, but in the slow cadence of steps taken over day after day, across borders and landscapes, until the horizon became a milestone.
In September 2024, Benjamin Humblot, 27, and Loïc Voisot, 26, set out from the serene shores of Annecy in southeastern France, not with the roar of an engine but with the quiet determination of boots upon the ground. Their destination: Shanghai, a city of glittering lights on the eastern edge of the world. Their means: travel by foot, wherever possible, guided by conviction and curiosity.
Over the course of 518 days, they walked—across sixteen countries, through shifting seasons and cultures, over nearly 12,850 kilometers of terrain. In each village and town, along ancient roads and across vast fields, their steps became a rhythm of discovery. The journey was not uninterrupted; a segment in Russia required a bus for safety, a reminder that even the most deliberate paths must sometimes bend to circumstance.
They spoke of why they chose this method: not simply to reach a distant shore, but to honor the planet as they traveled. Avoiding air travel, they embraced the slower pace of life on foot, a testament to a personal commitment to ecological consciousness.
By the time they neared the Huangpu River and the Bund promenade in Shanghai, their long journey drew communities to join them for the final ten kilometers—French expatriates, local supporters, journalists, and those drawn by the simple poetry of two friends completing what once seemed an impossible odyssey.
At the end of their trek, in the shadow of Shanghai’s iconic skyline, both men spoke with a mixture of exhaustion and elation. They described the moment as one they had imagined countless times, a day both distant in memory and immediate in feeling. One spoke of the intensity of finally arriving; the other shared a gentle philosophy: that every dream—no matter how wild—moves forward one step at a time.
For now, rest comes first. But beyond recovery, there is a subtle question lingering on their lips—what horizon lies beyond the next? Their walk reminds us that the scale of the world is not only measured in kilometers, but in the depth of experience, in the human stride that dares to cross continents and return with stories to tell.
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Sources : Le Parisien CNEWS (with AFP) TF1 Info Yahoo Actualités France Sud Radio