EvBeing Editors Elias Vrohidis is a Greek adventurer, author, and motivational speaker. Probably best known for adventurously travelling in-depth the African continent and Asia on his motorbike. To travel with a purpose to understand our world, Elias spent 223 nights camping, heard incredible stories, spent some more time closer to nature, also spent several nights in police stations but survived. Meeting people in life and exploring the real world and not the touristy attractions is Elias’ principal goal.
TRAVELLING THE WORLD WITH A PURPOSE IS BETTER
The most beautiful in the world is, of course, the world itself states a well-known quote. Our world is filled with beautiful places and breathtaking landscapes. But to explore the real beauty of our world, one has to know different cultures, mingle with the locals, and transform himself through the journey. Elias has been a Greek adventurer who hits the road to learn more about the world. That’s what Elias Vrohidis, an out of the ordinary traveller from Greece, is for, and here is an interview to get to know him a little better.
Hello Elias! How many countries have you visited? Tell us about the itineraries, the length of your travels, and the cost of each trip
I have completed two long overland expeditions. I set off on the first one when I was at the age of 23. The plan was to explore 4 countries in 10 months, but I ended up visiting 14 Asian countries in 27 months! Since then, I realized there was no point to make a schedule! My second overland mission started in 2013 and lasted 3 years. I travelled all around Africa, visiting 39 countries in total and covering 96,000 km (59,653 miles), which is more than 2.5 times the earth’s perimeter on the equator! Obviously, I made plenty of detours, because my desire is to visit every interesting place in each country and not just to cross it. My budget is very low, so I achieved to travel in Asia spending just 354 euros per month and that includes everything! In Africa, which is much more expensive, contrary to what people think, I spent 408 euros per month on average.
What’s the best lesson solo and adventure travel has taught you? How did travel shape your personality?
I wouldn’t say that my personality changed. I knew what I wanted since I was young and that hasn’t changed. What has changed is my perception of the world we live in. I realized that the image the media portray about our world is quite stereotypical and does not fully represent reality. Having spent years in Asia and Africa, I am thankful for having a more realistic point of view of how our world is. How people live, and why they are so poor when there is so much wealth in their country. I feel that understanding is the first step on a tough project to make our world a better place. Therefore, understanding is what I seek to achieve through travelling.
What skills did you have to support you on your adventure?
More nearly, about the skills I gained, solo adventure travelling has taught me to be careful about my decisions and to think about my safety first. When I travel alone in some of the remotest and most inaccessible parts of our world, I know that a wrong move can threaten my health or even my life. Hence, I learned from a young age to act responsibly. Also I learned to take care of myself and my motorbike that I depend on during my expeditions. I have attended a first aid course and I have read a lot about tropical diseases and how I can protect myself from them. Also I have volunteered in a car repair shop to get some mechanical knowledge and to be able to fix my motorcycle wherever I am.
TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH A PURPOSE
Tell us 2 favourite places you have travelled to so far and why you love them
Oh, it’s difficult to choose just two… Our world is such a marvelous place! I love mountains, so my favourite place is the Himalayas. I’ve spent four months riding and trekking there and I loved the scenery, the people and the adventure. If I ought to choose a totally different place, for coastal scenery, that would be North Mozambique! Unfortunately, there is often civil unrest or even war in that area, which means that very few travellers visit it. Happily, I was there at peaceful times. I was struck with awe when I realized how beautiful, exotic and unexplored its beaches are. Despite the suffering people have endured there, they were very friendly and also untouched by tourism. That offered me a really authentic African experience and memories which I have so close to my heart.
What are 2 of your least favourite destinations?
Nigeria would be my least favourite destination. I knew that it would be the most difficult country I would have to cross, but I had no other option. The worst problem in Nigeria are the policemen and the army officers. Like in many other countries, especially in West and Central Africa, those are the worst criminals. They legally hold guns and power and that’s a deadly combination. In the first 30 minutes I have been in the country, I was already robbed by three policemen! That’s a place I’m not looking forward to going back to if the situation does not drastically change.
Elias was held at gunpoint by angry, armed-to-the-teeth Israeli soldiers
I am not looking forward to visiting again Israel. I knew that it is a war zone and the place where the worst apartheid system of our times is still at work against the Palestinians. But that’s why I wanted to visit that historic and bloodstained land. I wouldn’t say the landscape is particularly beautiful, but that’s not the reason I was there. I just wanted to see with my own eyes what the situation looks like. It was more like an educational trip for me. Experiencing a military occupation, accompanied by plenty of human rights abuses against innocent people who were unlucky enough to be born in Palestine is not pleasant. Yet I was held at gunpoint by angry, armed-to-the-teeth Israeli soldiers when they thought that I was a Palestinian.
Who was the most memorable person you have met during your travels?
Oh, I’ve met so many amazing people during my travels! As most people who have travelled around the world say, Iranians are probably the most friendly nation! I had countless examples verifying that, but I’ll never forget Ahmed and his family in Ahvaz. I had just entered the city to buy engine oil and I asked Ahmed where I could find some. He couldn’t speak a word of English, but we managed to communicate. I ended up staying with him for three days and meeting his whole extended family! They would hold large banquets for me and they would do their best to keep me entertained in their city. When I was leaving, Ahmed was so touched and his eyes were wet.
How did you immerse yourself in the African culture?
Describe us a ceremony you joined in Africa which will be forever etched in your memory.
While I have been in some ceremonies in Togo, those were not pleasant, since they were memorials. Those memorials are expensive for the family of the deceased, since they have to feed every visitor, so they often delay them a lot. Relatives and friends of the family come from far away to attend those memorials. If the deceased was an old person, the memorial is a cheerful celebration with loud music and dance. But if the deceased was a kid, then it’s a grievous ceremony.
How do you keep the peace when travelling in difficult situations?
Travelling the extreme way brings numerous problems and sometimes I encounter several at the same time. For example, during bad weather, I was in the middle of Kazakhstan’s steppe. The rain made the terrain muddy and very slippery. My motorbike fell on the ground several times in a few hours. That drained me and affected my motorcycle too. On top of that, I was lost for three days in that steppe, dozens of miles away from any road. My food, water, and petrol were all limited, so I had to be very careful about my next move.
TRAVELLING WITH A PURPOSE-THE STORY OF A GREEK EXPLORER
Image Credit: Mad Nomad
Tell us a hard situation you have handled
In situations like the aforementioned, I’ve learned to sit down, relax and think about each problem individually. Then nothing looks so bad. Soon I fixed my motorcycle and lifted it from the ground. I soon called it a day; Then I pitched my tent, cooked a simple meal, and let my body rest. I knew I had petrol for at least 600 km totally. The ancient mosque I was looking for in the middle of the steppe was 200 km away from the road. So, I decided that if I cover 250 km and I won’t find it, I would follow my trace on the GPS and go back to the road. This way I would have enough petrol and I wouldn’t be in danger.
What would you do differently next time?
In the end, I found the ancient mosque, so I wouldn’t have done anything differently. When the imam saw me on my motorbike and I told him where I was coming from and what I had endured during the last three days, he brought me food and water, even though it was daytime during Ramadan! I really felt honoured by the ancient tradition of hospitality for which the Central Asian nomads are famous.
You travel on a budget…
Spending about 354 – 408 € per month, it looks like I was spending much less than most Westerners spend at home! But it has not been easy. The largest expense is usually the accommodation, therefore I saved a lot of money by camping in the wilderness. That’s my favourite way to spend a night! When I was in an inhabited area, I couldn’t wild camp. In those cases, I was often taking part in online hospitality exchange networks, like bewelcome.org. I have been an active member of such networks for many years. I host travellers wherever I settle down for a while and other members offer me their place to stay, anywhere in the world. That’s also a lovely way to meet the locals and experience the real side of a country and not only facade that is set up for tourists!
How do you cut travel costs?
Most of my hard-earned money was spent on food and petrol. Expensive tourist activities were simply off-limits for me. The motorcycle I chose is a small one, a Honda XR 250. That is to say that its engine is quite economic on fuel, therefore I saved a lot of money on that too. The motorbike itself is an old and simple one, so its spare parts are not extremely expensive either. Also, I always avoid expensive touristy restaurants. I was eating wherever the locals were eating. The meals cost as little as 0.50 euro and I never had any health issues because of that. When I was camping in the wilderness, I was cooking my own meals on my little stove.
How are you funding your road trips?
My secret is not that I have a lot of money, but that I spend very little! I am happy with less! When I work in Greece or elsewhere, I don’t spend much. I try to save money for travelling. I’ve studied informatics and I used to work in that sector when I was younger. But I soon realized that I don’t want to spend my life in front of a computer screen. Now, after working in various fields, I work as a skipper on sailboats and that’s something I love! So, I save money while I work, but also, I try to work during my travels. While I was travelling in Asia, I was writing articles for Moto magazine, the most popular motorcycle magazine in Greece. When I was traveling around Africa, I took a break in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to work in the restaurant of the Greek community for 2.5 months.
Let us know about the best local food recipe you have tasted
One of my favourite cuisines is Ethiopian! The base of each meal is the injera, the Ethiopian flatbread. It is made out of teff, the smallest grain in the world. It is mostly cultivated in Ethiopia and today it is considered a superfood! Injera usually is served laid on a large, stainless steel tray and it is topped with the main dish. That is often “tibs”, a stew made with mutton or goat. But my favourite is the vegetarian “injera bayonet”. This is a blend of several dishes that can include stews made with powdered chickpeas, beans, lentils, and cabbage. Also, the dish may include carrots, beetroots, spinach, rice, potatoes, tomatoes, and lots of spices!
Which is your favourite drink?
When I had a fresh juice of exotic, tropical fruits accompanying my meal, I was feeling I’m in paradise! Those are served in large glasses, similar to the ones we serve beer. You choose your fruits, such as bananas, mangos, papayas, avocados, guavas. I was usually choosing three of them. They produce a thick juice of each one and they don’t mix them. Then, the drink is served in different layers and you get a colourful and yummy glass!
What’s in your suitcase before every trip?
Travelling by motorcycle makes you a minimalist, but I was always one. When you ride a lot on rough trails, it does not matter what you carry, but what you don’t carry! Each kilo you carry and have to keep balance on a tough terrain makes things harder. I was always carrying the essentials, but everything needed to be self-sufficient like the consumable parts of my motorbike, such as tubes, spark plugs, filter, oil. Also, I had tools, camping and cooking gear, food, water, and some electronic equipment like a mobile and a camera. It saved me a lot of weight not to carry many clothes. I had one piece of clothing for every weather condition. For example, if I was wearing a pair of trousers and a T-shirt, I did not have extra clothing in my luggage. I only had a sweater for colder weather. Also, I had a couple of pairs of underwear! Every few days, I was washing my clothes and I was using them again.
How do you film your adventures? What is your camera and gadget equipment while on the road?
My first overland journey across Asia began in 2007. I had a good compact digital camera. My budget didn’t allow me to buy a video camera, since they were expensive and bulky. Before my second expedition, which started in 2013, mirror-less cameras had appeared on the market; a miracle for my needs! They are compact but their quality is similar to that of big, professional cameras. On top of that, those can film quality videos too! Small action cams had also been launched at that time and one of them was added to my kit. A small, telescopic tripod was handy for filming myself and it made up my photographic kit. On our next expedition to America, we will also have a drone for breathtaking aerial shots!
In 2007 Elias set off solo from Thessaloniki, Greece by his small motorcycle, on a journey to 4 countries, for 10 months: Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and India. During this trip, there were many changes in his schedule. He ended up returning to Greece after 2 years and 2.5 months, having covered 73,000 km, after travelling to 14 Asian countries! Follow Elias adventures and amazing documentaries in the Mad Nomad Channel
You are a nature lover and you love to camp. How can someone be a responsible traveller?
What’s important is to leave each place as you found it. I don’t leave rubbish behind me and when I need to go to the toilet, I dig a hole and bury everything. I don’t light campfires either, since those can turn into a disaster. Before opening the throttle and riding away from my camping spot, I look at the place for the last. I am happy when I see that you cannot even tell that somebody camped there!
Finally, what’s next for you Elias?
“Mad about Americas” is the name of our next adventure which will take place on the American continent. We plan to explore the whole continent from Patagonia to Alaska. We hope that it will last longer than my previous expeditions, longer than three years! There are plenty of beautiful places to visit and exciting cultures to take in. Let’s hope that by the end of this year the pandemic will eventually be under control and the borders will be open for us overlanders to hit the road!
“I travel therefore I am” (in Greek) is Elias first book, a 496-page book featuring his exciting adventure including also a photo album of 80 fascinating photos of Africa and the Middle East. Everything comes from Elias’s personal diary and also introduces the culture, history, religion, and challenges Elias faced on his adventure. By buying a copy of “I travel therefore I am“, you offer Elias the gasoline to travel 250 km and explore the world with a purpose. To find out more about Elia’s adventures and books check his website Mad Nomad.
Mad about Americas by Elias Vrohidis
On our future expedition “mad about Americas“, everything will be easier, since Angeliki Doucas will join me in her campervan. I will be riding the same motorbike. I will also carry the same equipment to reach remote and inaccessible places, where the 4×4 van can not go. But, the campervan will serve as a house or our adventure base. We will be able to carry all the gear we need for the activities we plan to include in our next trip. We will experience enduro motorcycling (off-roading), kayaking in lakes and rivers. Also, we will do sailing, paragliding, horse-riding, and trekking in areas that are inaccessible to all other means of transport. That’s something new, perhaps we have never done before! We named it “Action Traveling”!
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Big Thanks to Elias that took time out to give us this interview – much appreciated Elias and good luck with your next expedition!
To stay connected with Elias follow up with his adventures on Facebook and Instagram
To meet travellers from around the world that love to travel solo, we have interviewed ten top travel bloggers. They let us know their tips to travel alone and adventures while they are on the road.
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