This Thai Vlogger is Traveling from Thailand to Mexico Without Flying
We all love a good travel story, but as transportation and flying become more accessible, we rarely find anything out of the ordinary anymore. Theerat “Touch” Wattanakijrungroj however, has an incredible narrative about the sojourn he’s currently undertaking.
The 30-year-old Thai adventurer is traveling from Thailand to Mexico without hopping on a plane. “Flying is the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to [get to Mexico]. But you will miss so many interesting things along the way,” he said.
Touch, who first traveled to Mexico at 17 as a student on exchange, has since fallen in love with the world. On that trip, he’d spent a year with a local host family, immersing himself in the vibrant culture of South America. Then, after graduating from university at 23, he saw the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (inspired by James Thurber’s short story of the same name) and began to daydream for himself.
“The film inspired me and made me realize that I wanted to try solo backpacking!” Touch shared. “For my first solo trip [at the age of 23], I traveled from Thailand to Nepal. I had an amazing 70 days in Myanmar, India, and Nepal, though I did have to take a flight from Myanmar to India due to a border problem.”
Today, he’s undertaking a much grander adventure, heading back to Mexico to revisit his original host family from 2010: “I just have to embrace whatever is going to happen on this trip; it won’t be good or bad, just different. I lowered my expectations and just did it.”
Since leaving Bangkok, Touch has visited a host of exotic locales. He’s passed through Lijiang, China, Taraz, Kazakhstan, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. “I’ve met so many nice people along the way. I realized that sometimes, it’s not just about the place, but it’s about the people. You can love a city with no beautiful scenery if you meet nice people there!”
Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone he’s met has been particularly friendly, “My bag, passport, and camera were stolen in Phnom Penh on the third day of my original journey. I needed to go to the Thai embassy; I panicked for a while but then just calmed myself down and let it go. I had to go back to Thailand and spend an additional three weeks [back home] to process all the documents and visas again.”
But, Touch admitted, it’s during these bad times that he’s able to learn more about life. After all, “bad shit makes for good stories,” he laughed. Touch is also a firm believer in the law of attraction; so, despite his three-week setback, the adventurer knows that it’s just part of the story. “I’ve had a lot of experiences traveling, and I’ve seen a lot of good and bad in the world. I just embrace it all. But I do believe in the law of attraction: good people attract each other, and I believe I’m one of the good ones, so I’ll just be myself and explore the world. I’ll solve problems along the way – that’s part of the experience.”
As of interview time, Touch had been passing through Aktau, a city by the Caspian Sea; he was about to cross to Uzbekistan. “It’s been almost three months since I started this trip, but I have no idea when I’ll arrive in Mexico. I don’t want to hurry things, but if I have to guess, maybe I’ll get there by mid-2025.”
Of course, a burning question people have had for Touch is a matter of pragmatism: finances. “After working hard for so many years, I finally have enough money to [go back to Mexico]!” he shared. A multipotentialite, Touch has worked as an emcee, DJ, teacher, photographer, videographer, and swing dancer (among many others). “I believe that when I do the things I love, money will come. I enjoy working and it pays off. I’m not rich, but I have enough to travel the world. [For this trip], I set the budget at about USD30,000. Hopefully that’s enough, but if not, I can work along the way because most of my jobs allow me to work remotely as a freelancer.”
Touch has realized however, that at the moment, money isn’t his biggest priority. “Now that I’m 30, things are more complicated in life, and it wasn’t easy to let go of all [my responsibilities]. But I learned that sometimes, time is more valuable than money.”
Ultimately, Touch’s goal as a traveler is to inspire others to do the same. “Thai passports aren’t very strong; we have to arrange a lot of documents for visas. But again, it’s not impossible. I’m also making videos for this trip hoping it could help inspire people in some way. I put English subtitles on my videos in case foreigners want to follow my journey too.”
See more of Touch’s journey on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
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