This man has visited every country on Earth and made $1.4m - and you can do it too

Would you like to visit every country on the Earth?

How do you think this man paid for all his travels?

Have you ever dreamed of leaving your 9-to-5 routine behind?

Irishman Johnny Ward did, and has just completed a 10-year goal to visit every country in the world. In this trip he has visited 197 countries. It ended in Norway earlier this month. In Norway he celebrated the achievement with his girlfriend and family. But it wasn't all fun and excitement along the travels. He encountered corrupt border agents. He travelled across war zones and spent nights in police jails and hospital beds. He saw a man shot in front of him in Angola and heard bombs in Mogadishu, Somalia.

He initially paid for his travels by teaching English. That was before going on to start a travel blog,. The travel blog expanded into a media brand that has more than 100 separate websites. He says he has earned over $1.4 million from advertising revenue on his websites. He has bought property in London and Bangkok, and will never need to work an office job again. On his website, One Step 4 Ward, he records his travels and also offers advice to those wishing to emulate him.

Where did this desire to travel come from?

It's the freedom - travel is a symptom of that. Growing up poor, with no father, meant he hated being stuck and he didn’t like to report to bosses. He tried to create a life where he could make the choices he wanted.

His first trip

He had been working on a summer camp for disadvantaged kids in New York all summer.  Then he traveled around the US. When he got back to Ireland he was broke. He was desperate to travel but his mother couldn't help so he had to do it himself. He needed a few thousand dollars to pay for an English teaching qualification. He then got his flights to Asia and then signed up for medical research. In medical research you lock yourself in a hospital and they test drugs on you before they can release them to the market. It was lonely and difficult but it set him up. And within a couple of months he was living in Thailand, teaching English. So he felt it was worth the effort for him.

Where does he want to go to next?

He says he is off to Spain and then to Norway and onwards to Bangkok. He lives part of his year in Thailand.  Next month he will be racing tuktuks around Sri Lanka and having a couple of days in the Maldives. Then he will be back to Thailand to build a playground for disadvantaged kids on the Burma/Thai border through the charity his friend and him started, called GiveBackGiveAway. The rest of the year is busy; he is also planning a round-the-world-trip without taking a flight.

Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.

 The answers are below the table.

A=3, B=1, C=8, D=5, E=2, F=7, G=4, H=6

Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.

1.      I have the same routine every day, I get up at 7 and shower then make breakfast.

2.      I encountered my friend on the street, it was a surprise to see him in Paris too.

3.      Initially learning a new language is hard, but as you study more then you begin to expand your knowledge and you learn faster.

4.      He emulated his father by going to the same university and studying the same subject.

5.      High debt is a symptom of spending and borrowing too much money to pay for things.

6.      I remember being a student; I felt broke all the time.

7.      The education that my parents paid for me set me up for all my life.

Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your answer.

1.      How do you feel about your routine? Do you think it is possible to do as this man in the story did for you or people in your country? Why or why not?

2.      How would you feel about traveling the world and encountering people very different to you?

3.      If you did the same as this traveler then where would you initiate your journey?

4.      Do you believe traveling expands your mind and thinking? How?

5.      Do you think many other people will emulate this man?

6.      What do you think our need to travel is a symptom of? Is it the same for all people who travel?

7.      Is being broke always a bad thing? Why or why not?

8.      Did someone set you up with your education, or did you set it up yourself?