What sounds crazy at first, a man from Leipzig has been putting into practice since March 2025: Robert Friedrich is on his way to Singapore - largely on foot. Within more than two years, the 35-year-old wants to walk the distance of more than 15,000 kilometers from Saxony to Southeast Asia.
After a separation and the looming end of his job - as he tells it - Friedrich decided to look for new paths in life. "I simply thought about what could be a nice adventure and a new purpose in life. And then I came up with the idea of traveling the world on foot," says the Leipzig native.
Wedding in Syria and balloon ride in Turkey
The 35-year-old only has the bare essentials in his luggage: a hiking rucksack for clothes and food, a tent and his camera equipment, which he uses to document his journey. For a while, he also pulled a transport trailer behind him, but he said goodbye to it in the course of his journey. The Leipzig native tries to hike around 30 kilometers a day.
According to an interview with the German Press Agency, Friedrich is currently in Iraq, on his way to Baghdad. For security reasons - as he reports on Instagram - he is also apparently reluctant to sometimes take a lift. The Federal Foreign Office advises against visiting the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It warns against traveling to the rest of the country.
Before traveling to Iraq, he had traveled through Eastern Europe, Turkey and Syria, among other places. In addition to travel highlights such as impressive waterfalls in Serbia, a friend's wedding in Syria and a hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, he raves about the human experiences he had on his trip.
On his hikes, locals would always offer him food, a place to sleep or even money. Some travel acquaintances are also simply interested and listen to his story. "There are many, many human highlights that I can't quantify at all," says the 35-year-old.
Family, friends and followers always with him
More than 30,000 people now follow the "man with the beard" on Instagram. Here, Friedrich documents his experiences on the hiking trails of this world: contact with locals, special culinary experiences or breathtaking natural backdrops and sights.
Of course, his travels are a big topic among his family and friends. He regularly calls his loved ones from home. Over the Christmas period, Friedrich interrupted his hike for a visit home in Leipzig. Thanks to his social media presence, however, he is already present to many relatives and friends from afar. "My grandpa is 86 years old. He made himself an Instagram account in assisted living so he could watch my videos," says Friedrich.
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