Johnny Ward (born 1983)[1] is a Northern Irish entrepreneur, adventurer, philanthropist and travel blogger[2][3][4] known for visiting every country in the world.[5][6][7][8]
Early life and education
Ward was born in Galway, Ireland in 1983 to a single mother named Maura.[9][1] His family moved to Kilkeel, Northern Ireland soon after, and Ward largely grew up there.[10][2] His family often subsisted on welfare during his childhood.[11] Ward studied international economics at university in England, graduating in 2006.[10][12]
Travel and career
After graduating from university in 2006, Ward began to travel. He initially flew to New York City[10] and worked as a summer camp counselor in the United States for a brief period.[6][5] He returned to Ireland and took part in a medical research experiment to earn more money to travel.[5] He then travelled to Thailand where he taught English for a year before moving to Sydney, where he worked as a telephone sales representative.[2]
Dissatisfied with office work, Ward left his job and sought to make a living from travelling full-time. In 2010, Ward started a blog named "OneStep4Ward" to document his travels.[13][14] During this period, Ward based himself in Bangkok, Thailand, and also began investing in property.[3][14]
By August 2012, Ward had visited over 80 countries,[14] and over 100 countries by the end of that year.[15] In 2014, Ward was a founding member of the Professional Travel Bloggers Association.[16] By 2015, he had earned a total of around $1 million and had visited 152 countries.[12] Ward has recounted entering several countries through questionable or illegal means; it was reported that he "entered China illegally after a five-day trip up the Mekong River while stowed away in a cargo boat",[3] that he was arrested after paying a smuggler to take him from Liberia to Ivory Coast during the Ebola epidemic,[7][10] and that he was able to enter Yemen during an ongoing civil war by meeting a dignitary who "bribed Yemeni officials and I ended up hitching there on a cement cargo ship".[5] Shortly after arriving in Angola, Ward witnessed a person being shot only a few metres away from his taxi cab, which quickly left the scene.[2][10]
In 2017, Ward visited his 197th and final nation, Norway, chosen because its proximity to Ireland made it convenient for friends and family to join him for the occasion.[5][6][17]
Ward rowed across the Atlantic Ocean in March, April, and May 2021.[22] He also spent 2 months attempting to climb Mount Everest in April and May and successfully summitted the world's highest mountain on May 17, 2023.[23][24][25]
Blog
Ward started his travel blog, OneStep4Ward.com, in 2010 whilst living in Australia, and soon began making a full-time income blogging. His blog is often listed as Ireland's leading blog,[26] and one of the world's leading travel blogs.[27][28]
Upon reaching the South Pole on the 12 January 2024,[31] Ward became the first person in history to complete the Ultimate Explorers Grand Slam (the Explorer's Grand Slam plus visiting every country in the world).[32][33] Reportedly, around 500 people have climbed the Seven Summits, with 73 people having climbed the Seven Summits and reached both North and South Pole. Reports vary from 250 to 500 people having visited every country in the world, but no-one has yet completed the set.[34][35][36]
Ward co-founded the non-profit Mudita Adventures (formally the Giveback GiveAway) in 2015[37][38] with a view to 'Change Travel. For Good.' Since then, Mudita Adventures has built schools, dormitories, playgrounds and clinics for developing communities in 10 countries, donating over $200,000USD.[39][40][41]
In 2019, Ward helped his mother, who had previously been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, raise £14,444 to climb Mount Fuji in Japan, with the funds going towards the Cure Parkinson's Trust.[9]
In Quarter one of 2021, Ward rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, spending 51 days on a rowboat on a meat-free expedition. Raising over $20,000 for men's mental health and animal rights.[42]
In November 2021, Ward took a group of people, including his mother once more, to partake in the Serengeti Marathon in Tanzania, raising $16,000 (£14,000) for the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help find a cure for Parkinson's Disease.[43] In June 2023, Ward and his mother, Maura, undertook a 100km tandem cycle through the Jordanian Desert, raising $15,000USD in order to help find a cure for Parkinson's Disease.[44][45]
