M'sian hitchhikes across 22 countries with just RM800
Published on: Friday, August 12, 2016
PETALING JAYA: Most Malaysians will think twice about travelling with strangers. But not Petrina Thong. Over a span of more than a year, the 29-year-old freelance scriptwriter hitchhiked across 22 countries with only US$200 (RM800) as pocket money. Her exploits were published in the UK's Daily Mail, Thursday, where she recounted her "self-challenging" adventures from Sweden all the way back to Malaysia.
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Thong flew to Stockholm in June last year with the sole intention of seeing how far she could travel just by hitchhiking. "When I flew to Stockholm last year, I went with the intention of experiencing hitchhiking, simply because I couldn't imagine doing it," she told the Daily Mail. "I figured I might as well try it out, thinking I would travel about three to six months, depending on how long I can survive with a budget of $200." The money ran out after just three months, but she survived through various means, even resorting to digging through trash cans for food or consuming people's leftovers.
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"Once evening came, I'd look for places to camp or get invited home by randoms," she said. Thong said she felt fortunate to have met many amazing and kind people who were more than willing to help her along the way.
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However, she also recalled some frightening moments, especially when she had to cross the border from Iran into Pakistan through the mountainous region of Baluchistan. "Due to cases of travellers getting kidnapped, I wasn't allowed to travel by myself," she said. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
