21 May,2017 02:32 PM IST | Mumbai | Vinod Kumar Menon
Frenchman Antony D’Oliveira's 'jumping' photos have earned him enough through crowd funding to travel across 40 countries in four years
Some of Antony D'Oliveira's jumps in Borneo and Australia
Twenty-four-year-old Antony D'Oliveira is living a dream - travelling the world without spending a penny of his own. A delighted and grateful D'Oliveira, who has 'jumped' across 40 countries, most of it crowd-funded, in the last four years, has painstakingly documented his every move on his Facebook page 'Jumps', where he posts pictures of himself jumping in each of the countries he has visited, earning himself passage for his next trip.
For the few weeks, he was in India, D'Oliveira covered J&K, Delhi, Agra, Mangalore, Kerala, Tamilnadu and Maharashtra before he reached Varanasi on May 8, and finally left for Nepal, where he is touring at present.
Bored with daily life
While in Mumbai in the last week of April, D'Oliveira told mid-day that he grew up in the suburbs of Paris, and dropped out of college at 19 after studying accounting for two years. He then took up odd jobs such as delivering pizza and being a salesman. He said, "I enjoyed what I was doing for a year, but soon got bored and wanted a break."
"I then worked for a few months more and after saving enough money for a trip to Australia, I set out. I was keen to see different people and learn about the life and culture of people outside Paris. I first flew to Perth in Western Australia in October 2013," recalled D'Oliveira.
Working and travelling
"I took up odd jobs in Australia, as I had a one-year work and travel visa to Australia. I wanted to jump to whichever country I wanted to. And, in England, I couldn't save a penny, I spent everything I earned on trying to survive there. I then discovered by chance that I could get crowd-funding for my travels. I began to post pictures of myself jumping online and voila, donations started pouring in to pay for my next trip," he said.
Incredible India
About, India, D'Oliveira says although he found the country incredible, he thinks the women here are not comfortable with him. "I don't think they are used to seeing foreigners," he says.
Any bad experiences while travelling? Yes, says D'Oliveira, he was robbed twice, once in the US (Miami) and once in Chile, where he lost everything. "That experience only taught me to travel light. Travelling with close to nothing means there is no fear of being robbed. It also means I can walk long distances and can run fast in case somebody tries to attack me," he says, laughing.
Any tips for travellers? "Travelling is not only about seeing beautiful landscapes and witnessing nature in all its incredible glory, it is also about learning how to travel better and better each day, adapting to time zones and weather conditions and people. I would recommend Jack-Kerouac's On the Road for all travellers. It certainly changed the way I travel."
