‘Great adventure’: French duo reach Shanghai after 518-day walk across 16 countries

Two French adventurers have completed an epic journey on foot from France to Shanghai, arriving on Saturday after nearly a year and a half and crossing 16 countries almost entirely on foot.Loic Voisot and Benjamin Humblot celebrated their arrival on the Bund promenade, with Shanghai’s skyline in the background.The pair began their journey from Annecy in September 2024.“We were thinking about this moment almost every day for more than a year now, so it’s a really strong feeling,” Humblot was quoted as saying by AFP after reaching the destination. “I think first and foremost we’re proud, especially of having dared to do this… We weren’t sure we’d make it, but we told ourselves we’d try it out,” he added. The pair have known each other since the age of 10 and attended secondary school and university together.They said the idea for the journey emerged during a casual conversation after work, when they realised they both wanted a “great adventure.” They decided to travel to China without flying, citing environmental concerns, and planned to make the journey on foot.“When we talked about adventure, (China) came up quickly. Then we had this slightly crazy idea of going on foot,” Humblot said.Apart from a short stretch in Russia completed by bus for safety reasons, they walked for 518 days, covering around 12,850 kilometres (7,980 miles) before reaching Shanghai.“We’re both conscious of climate change, and the responsibility humans bear for it… there are some actions we can take individually,” Voisot, a climate consultant said, as cited by AFP. Around 50 people gathered at the starting point for the final 10-kilometre stretch, including local residents who had followed their journey on social media. Their following grew along the route, with media, French residents in Shanghai and others joining them along the way.The French duo said they faced significant challenges during the journey, including harsh winters and a desert crossing in Uzbekistan. “There were very hard winters, we had to cross the desert in Uzbekistan,” Voisot said, adding that he was proud of “having had the willpower to always keep going.”Humblot said they generally ate well during the trip but noted that they both missed French cheese.Asked what he would do first after completing the journey, Voisot replied that he would, “sleep a lot!”