A TEENAGER left crippled by childhood Leukaemia intends to tour the world in a wheelchair.
Albert Casals, 18, has no money with him and is making the journey in his chair – and by hitch-hiking.
The Barcelona-born student has already spent four years travelling the globe in this way.
Albert says the purpose of his life is ‘the search for happiness’ and that he likes nothing better than travelling and meeting different people.
He spends several months of each year on his journey and has already seen most of Europe, South-East Asia, Latin America and Japan.
In fact, he has already written a book about his adventures, in catalán, titled El món sobre rodes (‘The world on wheels’), which is soon to be published again in Castilian Spanish.
Albert initially made his journeys with his parents in tow – on a budget of just three euros a day – to avoid problems with customs because of being underage.
His mum and dad are now happy for him to go off on his own “because they know it makes me happy.”
He has dedicated his book to them, and keeps in touch with them by email when he is away.
Albert’s first trip was to Brussels. He says he has never been scared because “everyone you meet has something good about them.”
“I’ve lived with thieves and drug-dealers, and nothing bad has ever happened to me,” he reveals.
“If I’m staying with a fisherman, I’ll go sea-fishing with him, and so on.”
He has travelled Perú and Colombia by hitch-hiking, and the Greek islands by convincing ferry crew to let him on for free.
He has even crossed the Latin American rainforests in a raft, and was rescued by the drug-dealers he travelled with when he fell in the river.
Meeting so many people means he has around 900 emails a day to read and answer.
But Albert has done less sight-seeing close to home.
“I’ve seen the Sagrada Familia cathedral in my home city for the first time today,” he reveals.
Albert speaks English as well as his two native languages, and can also get by in French, Italian and Japanese.
His next hitch-hiking trip will be around Africa this May, as far as the island of Madagascar.
Albert reveals that although he has just finished his bachillerato (Spain’s answer to A-levels) he does not yet know what he wants to do as a career.
