Hitchhiker's guide to the planet: the story of a rebel, traveled the whole world in protest

For Huang Vilarino hitchhiking is more than just an imitation of poverty as a joke like to talk about Europeans wandering around the world. For it is the pursuit of a world in which he wants to live.

Half don Quixote, half-Che Guevara, Vilarino claims that his journey — a protest not only against boredom, but against the whole surface of a way of life in the modern world. "Office work much more dangerous than riding hitchhiking" — he wrote in one of his manifestos.

Over a lifetime, peaceful rebel hails from Argentina has driven more than 160 thousand kilometers — enough to 4 times to circumnavigate the globe — and caught 2350 ride in 90 countries. The opportunity to travel, relying solely on the kindness of strangers, Juan proves that it is possible to live in peace and to trust people and not to fear them, and that the culture of the peoples delimited lines on the map, and border posts and airports.

For the first time Juan Villarino succumbed to the call of the road, when he was 23 years old. Then, in 2001, in his native Argentina happened the economic crisis: inflation devalued the work of entire families, the friends of Juan took to the streets to protest, and the parents were forced to seek cheaper housing, where there was extra room for my son.

Then, Juan decided to leave his studies — he was trained in psychology at the national University of Mar del Plata.

Juan Villarino

Photo: Brent Stirton (Brent Stirton)

In 2003, Juan moved to Northern Ireland, where he tried working at a cheese factory, a security guard in a nightclub, and a porter at the hotel, sending a portion of their earnings to parents in Buenos Aires.

After a few years of work and 4 thousand dollars in savings, he took the most important decision in life — to live out their years traveling the world. With a budget of $ 5 a day, it started with the classic of the way all the hippies traveled from Europe to India, on the way stopping in Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

A pilgrimage to the Middle East was motivated not so much by the desire to fulfill the dream, how many political views and protest against the image of Arabs and Muslims, who cultivated the media during an American military campaign in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Juan talks to the driver in Namibia. Photo: Brent Stirton (Brent Stirton)

During his tenure working in Belfast Juan participated in the protests against the war in Iraq along with his friends socialists, but soon realized to myself, what's the point of such shares is not enough. Had to come up with something convincing, to find a way to really get people interested.

Experience travel in the Middle East formed the basis of his first book "the Hitchhiker's guide to the axis of evil" (Axis of evil — is a term to refer to the countries sponsoring, according to the United States, terrorism. — Approx. ed.). It Huang writes that travels the world to show human kindness, because "in our time, the demonstration of good human qualities already a political statement".

Juan Villarino

Farewell to the companions after a trip to Keetmanshoop. Photo: Brent Stirton (Brent Stirton)

Once on the border of Afghanistan Juan was nearly broke and not turned back, but, overcoming his fear, caught some ride and reached the city of Herat. There he found a bed and slept holding a knife under the pillow. The next day, to my shame, I found that the people — who, as he thought, unable to abduct him — made him Breakfast.

Traveling with a companion, which after some time had stolen, to Kabul and completing your first trip to Thailand, Vilarino for some time stayed at the property to work on the rough draft of my first book.

A local family. Photo: Brent Stirton (Brent Stirton)

Juan sold the first draft publishing house, and the book turned him into a cult hero in Argentina. Once in Buenos Aires, he was attacked by three robbers and recognizing Juan, expressed his admiration and offered him money.

From an article about Juan in the Argentine newspaper

Then in Argentina, he met his other half, Laura, and since the day they met together, they travel around the world with random companions. Together they wrote and published the book "Invisible road" (Invisible Routes), sales from which financed their nomadic lifestyle, as well as some educational and cultural circles, which they founded.

Photo: Brent Stirton (Brent Stirton)

They live on the road — without the workplace, housing and utility payments, spending $ 7 a day for two.

In an abandoned mining town. Photo: Brent Stirton (Brent Stirton)

Despite the idealistic mission of their wanderings, Juan and Laura — realists, and sometimes they have to be very clever, tricky to survive in nomadism.

Juan Villarino

Hitchhiking, according to Huang, is primarily a form of dialogue and well-organized communication and not a test of strength and endurance.

You should never try to catch a ride sitting — so you're hiding from the driver of your physical image, withhold information — and thus cause distrust. You need to look neutral — Juan specially dressed like a stereotypical "harmless" traveler: comfortable walking shoes, a large backpack, and most importantly — no sunglasses and hats, it's important to sound as open as possible.

Photo: Brent Stirton (Brent Stirton)

For a couple of homeless vagrants at Juan and Laura on a tight schedule is 8 am they were already on the highway, it's no time to drive for long distances.

One car per minute is abundance, one every 5 minutes — Juan begins to worry. Every 20 minutes — and it becomes clear that you're in the middle of nowhere. Once in Tibet, he waited for two days until he caught one driver.

Juan and Laura at the table mountain near Cape town. Photo: Brent Stirton (Brent Stirton)