Out of shape and out of step with the modern world, wannabe hobbit, Tom Fremantle, struck off through the States, alone and on foot.

Pushing all his kit in a hiking trailer called KOKO he took whatever the road threw at him—coyotes and tarantulas, typhoons and trailer parks, sun, snow and sandstorms —as he trundled from shiny San Diego on the Pacific coast to sultry Savannah on the Atlantic.

He crossed paths with rodeo riders and magic mushroom-chewing chefs, with Vietnam vets and crack-shot cowgirls, with reformed Klansmen, wise hobos and countless cops—not forgetting, the “Angel of Pie Town”.

This is a 3000-odd mile journey through a USA in a state of flux, a land full of fear, guns and rattlesnakes yet brimming with big-hearted strangers.

Finishing up in the English village he was born in (via a brief yomp through Ireland and Wales), Tom Fremantle saw both America and his “home” through fresh eyes.

NOTE: Travels with KOKO is the first in a trilogy of “world walk” books. The next, Small Steps, Big World, covering the author’s journey across Europe, Ukraine and the Middle East, is out next year.

Tom’s Previous Reviews

Between September, 2018 – November, 2023, I clocked up over 11,000 miles, walking the length of America and Europe, a swathe of the Middle East including Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria (the only country I needed four wheels instead of two feet), Israel and the West Bank, India, Indonesia (plus Borneo), Australia, New Zealand and Iceland.

This time included a near three-year Covid hiatus, during which I did a number of smaller walks including a 500 mile hike from Lithuania to Lviv in Ukraine; a 200 mile yomp through the UK from St Austell in Cornwall to St Paul’s Cathedral and finally a 26 mile marathon through London (dressed as a dog, along with several family members, don’t ask!).

Thanks to everyone’s staggering generosity over £45,000 has been raised for a variety of wonderful causes including Hopefull (serving love and pizzas throughout war-torn Ukraine), the Alzheimer’s Society, Backpack Bed for Homeless (Australia-based), Autism Early Support, previously called the Circle Centre (educating and supporting children with autism and their families) and Medical Detection Dogs. For more information about any of these great causes please refer to the Charities Page.