A man who visited every country in the world without setting foot on a plane has named the one place that he really misses. Torbjørn “Thor” Pedersen, a Danish adventurer who set off on his mission in 2013, initially thought the gargantuan task would take only three or four years, but it would prove to be the start of a nearly decade-long journey.

Over the course of his travels, Torbjørn visited all 197 nations recognised by the United Nations and some with only limited recognition, bringing his grand total of visited destinations to 203. What sets Torbjørn’s achievement apart from other such globetrotting ventures is that he visited all of these nations without flying, but, unsurprisingly, it was not without its challenges. Even with his professional background in logistics and shipping, “nothing quite prepared” Torbjørn for the difficulties that lay ahead, including conflicts, visas, convincing ships to give him passage, and, fatefully, a global pandemic.

It was during this period that Torbjørn, facing closed borders due to the Covid crisis, was stranded in the place he misses the most for two years, but it led him to form “real friendships”.

In a recent magazine interview, when asked to name the place he’d “return to tomorrow” if he was able, he told Business Traveller Middle East: “Hong Kong. I was there long enough to form real friendships and get a deep understanding of (the place) – its culture, its landscape, and everything it has to offer.

“And then the project had to continue, and I was yanked out of it. I miss Hong Kong.”

Hong Kong isn’t classed as a sovereign country, but a special administrative region of China, a status the former British colony gained in 1997 after the expiration of the UK’s 99-year lease of the New Territories.

Its governance falls under the concept of “one country, two systems”, which involves China consenting to grant the territory a “high degree of autonomy”, according to the BBC.

Hong Kong is known for its vibrant markets, shopping, temples, dim sum, and East-meets-West culture, as well as sights such as Victoria Peak, The Big Buddha (a vast bronze sculpture on Lantau Island), and its impressive skyline.

It’s also home to the 800m-long Central–Mid-Levels escalator and walkway system, which has the reputation of being the world’s longest outdoor escalator system.

Speaking previously about his mission, Torbjørn said: “I got wind that no one in history has gone to every country in the world completely without flying and I was caught up in the idea that I might have my shot at doing something remarkable.

“The idea was to do it with public transport wherever possible so that means hundreds of buses, trains and ferries then you ask if you can get on someone’s fishing boat or a container ship.

“I have to spend a minimum of 24 hours in a country. What I do isn’t tourism, it’s like running a marathon or going to the moon, it’s an accomplishment.”