There are many ways to disappear and many places to go, but as I have said previously, most of them require a lot of planning. In order to survive in your new life, you will need to decide what you will do when you disappear. You may simply decide to walk out and keep going, to become a tramp or as the Americans say, a hobo or drifter. On the other hand, you may decide to join a foreign army or become a monk in some faraway monastery. No matter what you decide, you must always think it through meticulously.
Disappearing is not just leaving home and never being seen again; it’s leaving one life behind and starting a new one. No one simply walks into a new life; there has to be some planning and preparation beforehand. Additionally, you will need a set of skills to start your new life. For example, if you are to be a hobo or tramp, then you will need to know how to live rough; if you intend to join foreign army, you would be well advised to have some military skills. One of the basic skills you will need is to speak the language of the country you intend to live in, especially if that language is different from what you speak now.
When we were young, the older generation would ask us what we wanted to be when we grew up. The joke was always to say you were going to run away and join the circus. As silly as it sounds, it is possible to do just that, but in doing so you have to make a plan—a plan that involves having some talent that is applicable to working in a circus. You won’t be accepted without one.
Now there is a whole range of possibilities when it comes to disappearing, and some are more pleasant than others. The trick is to match your method of disappearance to your skills. It’s common sense, just like being in the military: if you’re a very good shot then you go to Sniper Division. The same rule applies—do what you’re best at—so if you’re good with electronics then become an IT employee. To help get your thoughts in order here is a simple list of just some of the possibilities.
Hobo life in the city is not good. Even if you manage to find an organized place to rest your head, you are still not safe.
This is the simplest and most affordable form of disappearing; all you need to do is walk out the door and never come back. The drawback to being a hobo is that it’s a really hard life (see Chapters Eight and Nine). You need no skills and very little money, but you will have to live on your wits and know how to survive.
Why would anyone want to live rough? Living rough generally means you are a nonentity as far as others are concerned. Most people will try to avoid you, and if you get any problems at all it will normally be from the police moving you on. Dropping down into the lower end of society has many advantages. It means you can avoid much of society’s red tape; you can beg, you can borrow stuff people leave lying around, and in most cases, you are free to travel within the confines of a country.
There are various stages of being a tramp or hobo. For example, you can be a real tramp and dress in stinky old clothes, never shave, never wash, and simply go around living rough. On the other hand, you could keep yourself fairly tidy, clean, and well-mannered, so that while you may look a little jaded, you will still be acceptable for work or odd jobs. One way of looking at being a hobo is to consider yourself a long-term camper carrying your tent and sleeping bag, spare clothes, utensils, and everything you need in your rucksack. When you think about it, many of the American forefathers were trappers and woodsmen who lived in the same way as a hobo does today. They carried most of their possessions with them, had a regular set of shelters, and simply lived off the land.
When you are out on the road driving an RV, you can stop where you like, you have a permanent bed, place to cook, shower, and most of all you can keep to yourself.
You could purchase or rent an RV and tour across America and beyond if you have the right paperwork and your rental allows it. An RV will provide you with a bed, cooking facilities, and the means of getting wherever you want (on land). The drawback is that it’s very expensive, as the average rental cost is between $100 to $600 per day depending on the size of RV.
The great thing about RV travel is that you are constantly on the move —or not, depending upon what you decide. You might find a great location by a lake and stay there for a few weeks. You can hide your RV away in the wilderness or you can drive into the city, as the RV offers a lot of freedom. It is certainly a good idea for those people who want to disappear but are still not convinced it’s the right thing to do.
In the UK, we have the Caravan Club, membership of which provides benefits such as special campsites; these are very much the same as RV Clubs in America. However, there is no law that states you have to join a club, and renting an RV is really simple.
To prove the point, I went online from here in Spain and inquired about booking an RV vacation in America. All they required was a full British driver’s license and a credit card (Visa or MasterCard). They also wanted to know my age. I found a number of well-established companies offering booking via the Internet, with elmonterv.com and roadbearrv.com being just two of the possibilities.
As the RV was just for one person (I said it was for my wife and I to allay any suspicion), I decided on a modest 25 footer as opposed to the lager 40-foot model, because I thought his would be cheaper and easier to drive around and park. Next I investigated places to stay, and I must say that America has an incredible network of beautiful places in both State and National Parks. Most provided basic power hookups shower facilities, laundry, and even Internet access. All of this makes disappearing sound very attractive. The great thing is no one really knows who you are—you are who you want to be! Providing you do not get stopped for speeding or any other misdemeanor, there is no reason why the police should pull you over. Even if you do get stopped, you will have your driver’s license and the vehicle’s registration papers: who’s to know that you left home in Spain simply to disappear? There will be limits due to financial constraints on how long you can rent an RV, but if you have the money you could always buy your own.
Working for an NGO in Syria is possibly not the best place to disappear, but it is a great way to hide.
With your own RV, you could travel the length and breadth of the North and South American continent. Likewise, in Europe you could drive from the UK as far afield as Portugal or Greece without being stopped (there are occasional checks at some border crossings). To supplement your travel costs, you could always look for work or do whatever you do to earn money. The only downside is that RV or Caravan travel costs money, not just the fuel but campsites, vehicle maintenance, and so on.
Joining an NGO will take a little time, and if this is the route you have chosen to disappear, then I suggest you start your planning at least eighteen months in advance. There is no real downside to joining an NGO, other than that they usually operate in the most awful places. If you choose to go down this path, you really need to do some research into what the NGO does and where. If you go to ngo. org/links/list.htm, you will get a list of NGOs that are affiliated with the United Nations. You can check out those that might be suitable for you to join.
Now it is only fair to warn you that joining an NGO to work overseas is not as simple as it sounds. In the first instance, most of your initial inquiries will involve a discussion on how much money you would like to donate or what you can do for the organization, which is more about raising money or organization awareness. Your best bet is to go for an NGO that supplies food to areas where there is famine.
Despite politics, NGOs often push for food aid when and where it is most needed. Because NGOs operate at the ground level during emergencies, they are first-hand witnesses of how food aid is used and when it is and is not needed. This means they need teams of dedicated people who will travel with the food supplies to make sure they get to the right people. So my advice would be to investigate how you get to be a member of such a team.
As a place to start, and to give you some ideas you can go to USAID, which will then transfer you to devis.com. There, you can look up careers. As I said, while working for an NGO is a great idea, it’s not easy. Remember that your end game is to disappear, and joining an NGO is only the first step in getting you overseas with a justifiable reason.
Sailing or getting on a ship and running away to sea are also great ways of disappearing. You have lots of choices and very few restrictions on where you can go. There is really no downside to this form of disappearance unless you plan to sail away alone.
The great thing about running away to sea is that you can go just about anywhere. However, bear in mind that water covers 71 percent of the earth’s surface, and that’s a lot of water! I have a problem with disappearing at sea, as man is not designed to live in water—we are a land–based mammal. Even so, it is an overriding fact that the sea is the perfect place to disappear and never be found as, if you fall overboard, that’s precisely what will happen. Your choices when considering going to sea are basically to go on a cruise and disappear, join a ship and work your passage, or get your own boat and just take off.
If you plan it right, you could always book a world cruise and disappear for some legitimate reason at a port of your choice. Let’s say that after two months, your world cruise ship pulled in at the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. This beautiful place is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, establishing British rule and granting the native inhabitants equal status—a great place to live out your days. You simply go ashore and walk off into the sunset. You will need to hide yourself away for a period of time, but camping out there is easy. True, you would have to plan it in more detail, but at least you will have started your disappearance by being at the other end of the world.
Because world cruises are not cheap, you might also consider working on a cruise ship. There are almost as many staff members on a good cruise ship as there are passengers. While the majority of work is ship related (engineers, etc.), there is also a great demand for catering staff, chefs, and the like. Then there is the entertainment and bar staff. Most major cruise ships have a very high standard, so you will need some qualifications.
Finally, you could always buy or lease your own boat and sail around the world at your leisure. While this might seem to be a very easy and logical approach to disappearing, you will need to have some sea-worthy training. You will need to be good at navigation and have a good craft; one that is easy for a single person to sail and one that will actually get you around the world. You’re going to need complete proficiency in sailing and seamanship together with a high degree of self-sufficiency. Handling a sailboat single-handedly will also require physical fitness in order to make sail adjustments and changes, such as wrestling the jib down and off the foredeck in a sudden storm. You will also need a boat that is equipped to sail the oceans of the world such as a recreational Westsail 32 round-the-world yacht.
Running away to sea will certainly convince people that you have disappeared, but you will have to touch landfall at some point, which can cause problems.
So while simply disappearing out to sea looks appealing, unless you have the aptitude and sailing experience, I would look elsewhere. I personally don’t think I could live with the thought of falling overboard in the middle of nowhere, with no one to even hear me, let alone rescue me.
Conversely, going to sea is not the only place to live on water. One of the most pleasurable ways to disappear—either in the short- or long-term—is to take to the inland water. The landmass of North America is dotted with huge lakes and wide rivers, and it is simple enough to buy or rent a houseboat and live in quiet, isolated tranquility. In the United Kingdom, there is a whole network of canals that were constructed during the Industrial Revolution. Today, these canals form part of a vast inland pleasure park where people take a holiday or live in residence on a canal barge. This offers those wishing to disappear into a more peaceful and tranquil life the ideal setting. Living on a narrow boat on the canal is perhaps one of the best ways a person could simply disappear. You are in the middle of civilization, but apart because you are on the canal. The chances of anyone spotting you are fairly remote, and even if they do, no one takes any notice of a barge on the canal.
The inland waterways where it is possible to live on a small canal boat exist around the world. These include America, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Holland, and Russia. Just like an RV, you can live happily on a canal boat without anyone finding you. No highway patrols, no permanent residence, no one to bother you.
Joining a foreign army is not so much about disappearing but more about moving away and being forgotten for a while. This has many advantages, as it will let your family and friends all believe you are alive and safe. The drawback here is the discipline and the fact that you might end up fighting in some remote corner of the world and get killed.
The traditional way for men to disappear was to join the French Foreign Legion. This was the last option of desperate men trying to escape any number of crimes, debts, or bad love affairs. Today, it is still possible to join the French Foreign Legion, however the rules have changed somewhat.
The French Foreign Legion is nothing like its portrayal on the cinema screen, where the men are defending some Beau Geste fort against overwhelming odds. The modern Legion is a professional fighting force with an excellent reputation around the world. This elite fighting force draws men—there are no women allowed—from all corners of the world.
Formed in 1831, the original Legion acquired a reputation for being a haven for cutthroats, crooks, and fugitives from justice. Few questions were asked of new recruits, making it an ideal repository for the scum of the earth, jilted romantics, and men searching to dull the pain of a lost love. Today, this Hollywood version of the French Foreign Legion could not be further from the truth.
The Legion today is 7,500 strong and still operates around the world. While most of its officers are French born, the majority of the other ranks are enlisted from outside France. So what does joining the Legion have to offer? The first thing is a lot of hard training, and if you’ve never been in the military before, you’re in for a shock. The recruit training is severe, and you will have to endure a fair amount of punching and kicking, as well as learning basic military skills. All recruits have to speak French, and if you don’t already, then you have to learn. This includes an awful lot of swear words, which seem to make up most of the vocabulary in the Legion. The Legion still drives its trainees to scrub floors manically, fold kit and uniforms with obsessive precision, and also do a lot of marching.
So if you plan to disappear into the French Foreign Legion, there are a few things you should remember. They do not take murderers anymore —you must provide your real name, and you must be willing to take the punishing training without complaint. On the upside, you will make friends in the Legion that will last you the rest of your life, find travel and excitement, and feel a part of something. You will also receive French citizenship should you wish it, and you will be well paid.
Author’s Note: During my military service with the SAS, I had the privilege to meet a Colonel in Northern Ireland named Anthony Hunter-Choat. As a young man, Tony had left school and decided to tour around Europe, finally ending up in Paris, where he joined the French Foreign Legion. After training in Algeria and becoming a parachutist, he was duly posted to the 1st Battalion, Régiment Etranger de Parachutistes (1e REP), with which he would be involved in continuous operations for almost five years. Wounded and decorated many times during his early career, he was cited as one of the plotters when the army tried to seize control in 1961 against de Gaulle. Subsequently 1e REP was disbanded; as its men were marched out of camp they sang Edith Piaf’s “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.” Shortly afterward Hunter-Choat’s five-year term of service expired and he returned home.
In March of 1962, despite being overaged he managed to join the British Army and get commissioned into the 7th Gurkha Rifles. A year later, he was in Borneo in what was known as the Indonesian Confrontation, where small patrols would carry out cross-border operations. Then, after a small spell as a battery commander in 3 Royal Horse Artillery, he was offered the command of 23 SAS Regiment.
It was about this time that I met Tony in Northern Ireland, where he was working for one of the security services. He was a soldier’s soldier: extremely likeable and a hard worker with a gift for motivating his men. After a brief spell at NATO head-quarters, he retired from the British Army, and went to work for the Sultan of Oman. In 1995, Tony was presented by the Sultan with the Omani Order of Achievement. After the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Hunter-Choat became head of security for the Program Management Office (PMO), which was involved in overseeing the distribution of billions of dollars of reconstruction funds to projects throughout the country. There he briefly became embroiled in controversy after the PMO awarded a contract worth $293 million to Aegis, a private security company headed by Tim Spicer. According to Vanity Fair, Hunter-Choat and Spicer had known each other for years. DynCorp, a rival to Aegis, lodged a protest with the US Congress, but this was rejected as there was no suggestion that Tony had behaved improperly. He was later responsible for the security plans for US Aid in Afghanistan. Sadly Tony Hunter-Choat died on April 16, 2012, but was a man who had lived his life to the fullest.
Tony Hunter-Choat, a man who knew what he wanted from life and went out and got it. He was one of the best and most intelligent soldiers I have ever had the privilege to meet.
Working for a private security company is a similar method of disappearing as joining the French Foreign Legion, but without your family fretting too much about you leaving. Other than the fact that it’s a dangerous life, there is no real downside, and the pay is excellent.
Working for a Private Security Company (PSC) is an exciting life and extremely well paid, but you will need the right skills.
In order to become employed by a Private Security Company (PSC), you either need a military background or the skills that they need. It is possible to learn the skills required, but it is difficult. The best advice I can offer can be found in one of my recent books, Soldier of Fortune Guide to How to Become a Mercenary. It’s not really about mercenaries, but more about the modern day private security officer. Not exactly the best way to disappear, but you will find yourself in places where few people will find you.
There are those people out there who would happily swap their current condition and life for the peace of a religious order. There are many religious orders around the world, and if you are a true believer, then you should try this for a few years. Provided that you enter this with your eyes and heart wide open, there are no drawbacks to this type of disappearance.
It is possible to join a religious order in many countries, and few ask more than you are sincere and honest. For example, a person who wants to become a monk must dedicate their life completely to the service of God and must give up just everything they own to live a monastic life in a place of prayer. There are many types of orders in various religions, such as Catholicism and Buddhism.
The Taktsang Palphug Monastery (also known as The Tiger’s Nest), is a prominent Himalayan Buddhist sacred site and temple complex, located on the cliff-side of the upper Paro valley, Bhuta. You could always find a hideaway like this, but unless you’re really devout, life would be boring.
The path to becoming a monk can take many years of commitment and study, so it is not something that one would enter lightly. In addition, you will have to dedicate yourself completely to the chosen religion. It is, however, a good way of disappearing completely— albeit a little unorthodox.
To become a Catholic monk, a person must be of honorable intent and sound of mind and body. He must be a Roman Catholic and have received the Sacrament of Confirmation; a ceremony usually performed in the adolescent years that makes a person an official part of the Catholic Church. Before joining, you must also make sure that you are leaving behind no responsibilities that can hound you, such as heavy debts or a criminal record.
The first step to becoming a monk in the Catholic Church is to visit a monastery, preferably several times. These visits should help the person decide if this is a life they could happily lead. The next step is to contact the Novice Master, who is responsible for overseeing the training of new monks. For some people, becoming a monk may be the ideal way of disappearing, or at least of getting yourself into seclusion where you will be safe and can live the rest of your life in peaceful tranquility.
It is also possible to travel to a foreign country and become a monk or nun. In this role, you would spend most of your life in prayer and being of benefit to others. While most Buddhist monks are in Asia, there is no barrier to a Westerner who believes in Buddha from becoming a monk. Although there is a great benefit in the life of a monk or nun, you must bear in mind that in doing so you are taking on a big and deep responsibility for yourself and for others.
No matter which religion you choose, you should always do your research before making any decisions, such as the various criteria for entering a specific religious order. Traditionally, a student requesting ordination will have completed several years of study and practice under the guidance of a qualified teacher. If your plan to disappear involves joining a religious order, then you should take your time to develop and understand the teachings of the religion you are about to join.
In the case of a becoming a Buddhist monk, it is possible to spend some time living in a monastic community where you will receive religious advice from resident monks or nuns on what it is like to become monastic. Always keep in mind that becoming a monk—even though your end in all this to disappear—is a serious undertaking. The vows of a Buddhist monk or nun are taken for life; therefore it is important that you reflect seriously before you go down this path.
For many years, I have been dealing with a company in Bangkok that specializes in military equipment. One of the salespeople in this company surprised me one day by revealing that he had been a Buddhist monk. He spent many years in India and Thailand solely dedicated to the Buddhist order. Then one day he simply walked out of the monastery in nothing but the clothes he wore with nowhere to go, no money, and he was all alone. Through a translation job, he became employed by the military company, and to this day he is one of the happiest people I’ve ever met. He is still a dedicated Buddhist, but now is married and has a family with a whole new life ahead of him.
You could always move to a foreign country and live in the wilderness. Your chances of being discovered are slim.
Moving to a foreign country is the number one method for disappearing. However, it takes a lot of planning, preparation, and determination, which few people accomplish. If you do it right, there are no real drawbacks and a new life awaits you. I will keep this section short, as the rest of this book revolves around most things you will need to know if you decide to take this route to disappear. My only comment is to plan very carefully where you want to end up, and do a lot of research beforehand.
It does not matter if you opt to move to a foreign country, join the French Foreign Legion, become a mercenary, or join an NGO: at some stage you will end up overseas. The secret here is not to end up in a place you really don’t want to be. Trust me, there are some great places in the world, but equally there are some dangerous crap holes—Northern Nigeria being one and Syria being another. Should you find yourself inplaces like this, you are in serious trouble.
Author’s Note: As I write this, the British news has announced that seven Christians who were working for a construction company in Jama’are have been kidnapped by Islamic terrorists and executed. This is not an isolated incident, as the Ansaru (a splinter group of the main Northern Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram) had been raiding and slaughtering any foreigner they could find in the area.
These are the poorest countries in the world, and places you should avoid. Haiti has over 77 percent of its 10 million person population living in poverty. There is little or no work, disease and pestilence are everywhere, and it has a crime rate that includes rape and murder on an hourly basis. Other countries to avoid include Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe, Congo, and Swaziland; the latter has a very low survival rate and the average life expectancy is just forty-eight years old.
You should also do a background check on any country you intend to visit just to ascertain how many people involuntarily disappear each year. While it should not affect you, in some countries people fall foul of government and thus are forced into disappearing, i.e. they are killed and their bodies disposed of. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International do their best to keep track of any forced disappearances and frequently publish their reports.
Chile, under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, saw the disappearance of literally thousands of people—both from the political opposition as well as anyone else he did not like. Many were tortured before being killed in what became known as the Caravan of Death. In truth, this was a group of army officers who flew the length and breadth of Chile by helicopter. They would stop at prisons or army garrisons where anti–government activists were held; each time they would select their victims who were then murdered in cold blood before being disposed of in an unmarked grave.
By comparison, there are many great places to start a new life. You may notice I mention places such as Canada, Malaysia, and Thailand a lot in this book. Apart from my personal knowledge of these places, they are, in fact, brilliant countries to disappear to. Ideally, you need a country that’s friendly to foreigners, has great weather, and an easy lifestyle with little or no pressure from the authorities (unless you have done something wrong, that is).
Venezuela is a really good place to disappear, and even if you get found by some skip trace expert, the chances of you being extradited at the moment are very slim. There are some 30 million people living in Venezuela and many come from Europe, Africa, and a dozen or so other places around the world. Because of this, it makes no difference if you’re black or white, as you will not stand out. In addition, the recently departed Prime Minister Hugo Chavez would not allow any Venezuelan to be extradited (unless it suited him) so if you can gain citizenship after five years, you will be untouchable even if you are found (that could change now that he is dead).
Other than a good ethnic mix, Venezuela offers lots of other advantages: the country runs mainly on hard cash, so financial records are few and far between. Likewise, you can put your card into an ATM machine without much chance of a trace being set off. The weather is just about perfect and the country offers mountains, desert, sand dunes, and sunny beaches for your pleasure. For those of you who are single or thinking of leaving a partner behind when you disappear, Venezuela has lots of healthy male and female companions waiting. In fact, it’s hard to walk down a street in Caracas without seeing a beautiful woman who will give you a wonderful smile.
For those of you who think you’re likely to get kidnapped the moment you step off the plane or killed on a street fight between rival drug gangs, forget it. While it does happen, you will find the people in Venezuela to be some of the friendliest in the world.
You will need to do some research before deciding to which country you will travel. Some are very poor and the lifestyle may not be to your liking.
I spent a wonderful four months in Venezuela and enjoyed every minute of my time there. It is certainly one of the places I would opt to disappear to. However, it would prove beneficial to have at least $50,000 at your disposal, as this will buy you a little time to get used to the place. Be frugal with your money; don’t flash it around, and don’t carry it all with you. If you should find yourself in Venezuela, go and see Angel Falls. It’s really worth the visit, as it is the highest waterfall in the world.
Feeling safe and secure is very important. A backstreet in Beirut can be a peaceful marketplace during the hours of daylight, with the bustling streets offering a degree of protection and normality. However, at 2:00 a.m. the market traders will have gone and the street will be empty.
Barry Davies
If you find yourself in a semi-hostile country, stay in a safe hotel and don’t walk the streets at night. This is my hotel in Tripoli just after the revolution.
When you arrive in a foreign country, the first question you must ask yourself is, “Why am I here?” Assuming you started in a safe location, what brought you to an unfriendly one? No one simply walks into danger, but the activities of someone disappearing might require you to do so. In planning your disappearance, you must understand the dangers both known and assumed, and make preparations for your safety. Should you walk, drive, or use public transport, and what is your alternative if things get rough?
Author’s Note: A couple of months ago I was in Libya. The streets were full of young armed men sitting behind heavy machine guns that had been fitted to Toyota pick-ups. This militia controlled the country, and it seemed that no individual was in charge. Feeling as though this was not a good situation, I stayed in my hotel and took a taxi everywhere. The area was known to be hostile (although being British, whom along with the Americans were well liked), and at night the side streets were full of small armed gangs. Normal activities calmed down, i.e. the local population moved about their business. Still, when you are the only stranger in the immediate vicinity and all eyes are on you, what do you do?
The logic of both geography and time provide us with situation awareness, and this is what you must learn and react to if you are to survive. Situation awareness is a mixture of visual and metal simulation triggers.
1. Ideally, at the first signs of a troublesome situation, you should walk or drive casually to the last known safe area and extract yourself. (In my case, the British Embassy, with whom I had already registered my presence.)
2. If this is not possible or your way is blocked, you must look for an escape route.
3. If none are available, prepare for an imminent attack, but keep moving. Always head for larger buildings as these indicate either government presence or major shopping areas where there are more people around.
4. Aggressively confront those blocking your path, but don’t start the confrontation.
5. If you have to fight and flee, do not become subject to capture. (Take aggressive actions.)
Don’t worry too much about them all having weapons. Trust me, most will not have them ready for instant use, and you only need to put a few meters between you and your assailants for them to miss if they do shoot. Few people are accurate with a short–barreled weapon at a range of more than 10 meters. That said, it has been my experience that if you do run, they will chase you because running is an act of guilt. If you walk away quickly, they just may not follow you and let you be. In such a situation, you are the only one who can make the correct decision.
It does not really matter how or where you go just as long as you keep in mind the end goal: to disappear and never be found. Becoming a monk or a hobo, driving around in your RV, or any of the above will really be down to you. Be innovative, think of a way to disappear and start a new life style, do your research, and look at how others have managed to do it.
Give yourself a trial run—go for a three month walkabout, plan to raise money for charity, or walk the entire length of America. Some years ago, this would have been a well-publicized event and open to exploitation and broadcast by the media but not any longer—everyone is doing it. See what reaction you get from your friends and family if you choose to disappear on a fund–raising walk for three months, as this will give you some idea of what to expect when you really disappear for good.
One simple way to disappear is to have a quest. Mike Howitt set himself a goal of walking to South Africa.
Mike Howitt, a pensioner of eighty years old, walked more than 10,000 miles to South Africa to scatter his wife’s ashes in the country she loved. Mike undertook this task as a labor of love and to fulfill his wife’s wishes. During this 10,000 mile walk, he passed through twenty-one countries, starting off in Leicester, England, and finally he made his way to Cape Town. He suffered many hardships and at one point spent twenty-two hours in a cattle truck, but never at any time was he threatened by violence or disaster. The total journey took Mike just two months to complete, during which time he raised over £6,000 for a local hospice.