My life-defining walk across the world with my best friend
Rescue puppy Savannah saved American Tom Turcich from an existential crisis as he found his life's purpose on their record-breaking walk across the world
American Tom Turcich was always terrified of death. As a boy he used to try to imagine what it would be like. When he was a teenager, Tom's childhood friend Ann Marie died in a tragic accident. One of the nicest people he knew, her loss made him realise death could happen to anyone at any time. A chance viewing of Dead Poets Society in high school led Tom to embody its core message of 'carpe diem'. Tom decided that the ultimate way of seizing the day was to walk the world. He became the tenth person ever to do it and his rescue dog Savannah, who he picked up as a puppy along the way, made history as the first dog to do so.
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Emily Naylor
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
Film archive: Dead Poets Society / Touchstone Pictures / Peter Weir
(Photo: Courtesy of Tom Turcich. Tom and Savannah standing in the middle of an empty road in Croatia with the ocean behind them. Savannah is in between Tom's legs looking content with her tongue out. Tom is wearing shorts and a T-shirt and is carrying a rucksack.)
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- Tue 30 Dec 2025 12:06GMT麻豆社 World Service
- Tue 30 Dec 2025 18:06GMT麻豆社 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Tue 30 Dec 2025 23:06GMT麻豆社 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Last Wednesday 03:06GMT麻豆社 World Service
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