GeoWizard adds the flavor of video games to real-world adventures
I recently realized that I rarely watch anything on YouTube unless there is a unique hook or challenge associated with it. When it comes to games, it’s usually speedrunning attempts, Nuzlocke running and catching a glimpse of each Pokémon before moving on – that sort of thing – and this probably explains why I found GeoWizard, a channel that introduces self-imposed limitations to exploration the real world, so entertaining.
His headline series has a simple premise: try to cross an entire country in as straight a line as possible. As you can imagine, the obstacles of walking coast to coast through European countries are many and varied; there are fast-flowing rivers, cleared forests, acres of farmland guarded by industrious farmers, and fences of both the thorny and man-made barbed varieties. Even with some wiggle room of a few meters either side of the imaginary path to avoid the worst hazards or most serious violations, GeoWizard – real name Tom Davies – does his utmost to stick to the route and tackles anything in his path comes. With great enthusiasm and a camera in hand.
While each attempt naturally lends itself to drama at regular intervals, they are also a serious test of your endurance, with early starts and long days of walking across fields, valleys and rolling hills. It helps that Davies is an effective storyteller and snappy editor to make these long expeditions fast and exciting, compressing hours-long treks through the countryside into neat, sped-up montages, before deftly popping into the next spot of trouble to catch your eye keep.
In the early missions, insurmountable problems eventually arise and things are called off. But with more attempts under its belt and lessons learned, preparation is improving, largely in the form of a small support crew that brings essential equipment like kayaks to cross lakes, or provides a brief respite from the elements with a snack-filled snack. van. Eventually the adventures expand from just Davies to a wider cast that, like any good series, you’re excited to see continue to pop up.
Fortunately, even as its efforts begin to succeed and countries are checked off the list, the channel retains its low-budget charm. Everything is still shot on a rain-splattered GoPro, and the recaps are annotated with Microsoft Paint-style scribbles over the Google Earth images, giving it a homemade feel that a million subscribers have signed on to.
If you’re interested, I recommend you get started Wales try two or Norwayand then on to more Wales adventures, Scotlandand finally England – and once you’ve had your fill, head over to GeoWizard’s other challenge videos, from explore cities without using roads Unpleasant see how far he can get with just change. And if you prefer more sedentary adventures, as the channel’s name suggests, it’s one too skilled Geoguessr player – although a recent video indicates that the two worlds could soon be combined, and if so, it could make for its most interesting set of challenges yet.