“Tom Turcich” may not be a household name yet, but he’s becoming famous.  He has more than 117,000 followers on Instagram and that’s growing exponentially. He has a website called theworldwalk.com. He’s been seen on “Good Morning America.” He’s getting tons of media attention, and is all over social media as well. 

He’s a great example of how to go viral on the internet, in a social media climate where millions of people are competing for “likes.”

What did he do right?

He walked his dog.

The 33 year-old man from New Jersey, and his seven-year-old rescue dog, Savannah, from Texas, have walked all over the world.

He’s walked more than 18,000 miles since 2015, with an average of 21 miles a day, and has visited 33 countries, according to his website.

Nothing special about that, you might think. According to trivia statistics, he’s the tenth person to set such a record. 

But it’s a record breaker for Savannah. Yes… some people are keeping track.

The Guinness World Records says the requirements for matching the record for walking around the globe is traveling 18,000 miles and crossing four continents. Tom passed that goal.

For the first four months of his travels, Tom traveled alone. Then he decided to get a dog, and he adopted Savannah at four months old and took her along with him on his travels. He traveled for seven years. 

His photos and incredible journey can be seen on Instagram with the handle @theworldwalk.

His website chronicles his journeys and features Tom’s journal writings about his experiences all over the planet, with excellent photographs that will make you hunger for a get-away. Tom admits it wasn’t all fun and games, and he had a lot of obstacles to deal with, including illness and the COVID-19 pandemic.  

A tired Tom and Savannah returned “home” in May 2022. Media attention may have pushed his likes and follower numbers sky high this week alone. 

Kudos to Tom Turcich and Savannah for their accomplishments.