Tom Turcich, joined by his dog, Savannah, speaks to admirers upon concluding his worldwide walk in Haddon Township, New Jersey, May 21, 2022.Joe Warner | For NJ Advance Media
Tom Turcich spent seven years walking around the world with his dog, spanning six continents and 28,000 miles.
Now, he’s telling his story in a new book.
“The World Walk” is Turcich’s 296-page memoir of an improbable journey that began on April 2, 2015, the day before his 26th birthday, when he walked out the front door of the Haddon Township home where he lived with his parents and sister.
“It’s a great adventure story of connecting and learning how to exist in the world,” Turcich, 35, told NJ Advance Media on Monday.
He will be signing copies of the book Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at Inkwood Books in Haddonfield.
The book cover features a photo of Turcich with Savannah, a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever who was a pup when he adopted her while traveling in Texas, several months into his journey. From there, Savannah was with him every step of the way, stealing the hearts of countless admirers through photos and videos posted by Turcich to social media.
Turcich’s book was mostly finished when Savannah died in May as he held his faithful companion in his arms on their 3,183rd day together.
“It was edited a little bit after she passed. She’s the real hero of the story,” Turcich said.
Tom Turcich sharing some final precious moments with his dog, Savannah, before she died on Sunday, May 19, 2024.Photo courtesy of Tom Turcich
These are busy days for Turcich, who now lives in Newport, Kentucky.
In addition to the release of his book, Turcich got engaged last week to his fiancé, Bonnie Snyder. They met when he was walking through the state of Washington, in the latter part of his journey.
“I surprised her with a trip to Paris and proposed under the Eiffel Tower,” Turcich said.
He made it back to New Jersey in time for a preview party for his book Saturday in Collingswood.
Turcich and Savannah traveled through 35 nations in seven years. They reached Antarctica via a 6,600-ton research vessel and saw a colony of Gentoo penguins. In Kurdistan, they were joined by a guide and horse to explore the mountains.
“A grand meditation, one step at a time,” is how the global trip is described on the book cover.
Their journey was perilous at times.
Turcich previously said he and his dog received a police escort while walking in Algeria and nearly froze while camping in South America. He contracted a bacterial infection in Europe that forced him to return to New Jersey for several months of recovery before continuing the round-the-world journey.
The trip included two other breaks over the years and Turcich and Savannah never made it to Australia.
Tom Turcich and his dog, Savannah, taking a break in Costa Rica during their seven-year journey around the world, which concluded in 2022.Photo courtesy of Tom Turcich
A crowd was waiting when their adventure concluded May 21, 2022, with a homecoming celebration at a restaurant in Haddon Township.
He has been working as a motivational speaker, in addition to writing his book, since returning.
“There’s definitely a surprising effect of long-term traveling. It changes you in a lot of positive ways, but it also has lingering effects that aren’t so positive and may leave you a bit jaded,” Turcich said.
“The World Walk” is being published by Skyhorse Publishing and distributed by Simon & Shuster.
“There’s definitely some stories that were not shared before,” Turcich said.
Turcich has said his worldwide journey was inspired by the death of his friend, AnneMarie. He was 17, and she was 16, when she was killed in a jet ski accident. The trip was also inspired by the exploits of Karl Bushby, a former British paratrooper who for two decades has been attempting to become the first known person to walk an unbroken path around the world.
Asked what he hopes readers might take away from his book, Turcich said, “I hope it makes then a little more confident to go out in the world, and fail, and be a little more trusting of the world.”
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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.
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