GeoWizard brings video game flavor to real-world adventures

I realized recently that it’s rare I watch something on YouTube unless there’s a unique hook or challenge attached. When it comes to games, it’s usually speedrunning attempts, Nuzlocke runs, catching a shiny of every Pokémon before moving on — that sort of thing — and this probably explains why I’ve found GeoWizard, a channel that introduces self-imposed restrictions to exploring the real world, so entertaining.

His headline series has a simple premise: attempting to cross an entire country in as straight a line as possible. As you can imagine, the obstacles when walking coast to coast across European countries are many and varied; there are fast-moving rivers, felled forests, acres of farmland patrolled by diligent farmers, and fencing of both the thorny and manmade, barbed varieties. Even with some wiggle room of a few meters either side of the imaginary path to help skirt around the worst dangers or most serious trespassing, GeoWizard — real name Tom Davies — does his utmost to stick to the route, and tackles whatever is thrown his way with gusto and a camera in hand.

While each attempt naturally lends itself to drama at regular intervals, they’re also a serious test of stamina, with early starts and long days walking over fields, valleys, and rolling hills. It helps that Davies is an effective storyteller and snappy editor to make these lengthy expeditions pacy and exciting, compressing hourslong treks through the countryside into tidy sped-up montages, before deftly teeing up the next spot of trouble to keep you watching.

In early missions, insurmountable problems eventually arise and things are called off. But with more attempts under his belt and lessons learned, preparation improves, largely in the form of a small support crew who bring with them vital equipment such as kayaks to help cross lakes, or offer a brief respite from the elements with a snack-loaded van. Eventually, the adventures expand from just Davies to a wider cast that, like any good series, you’re delighted to see continue popping up.

Thankfully, even as attempts begin to succeed and countries are ticked off the list, the channel keeps its low-budget charm. Everything continues to be recorded on a rain-splattered GoPro, and recaps are annotated with Microsoft Paint-style scribbles over Google Earth footage, giving it a homemade feel a million subscribers in.

If you’re interested, I’d recommend starting with Wales attempt two or Norway, then progressing to more Wales adventures, Scotland, and eventually England — and once you’ve had your fill, branching out to GeoWizard’s other challenge videos, from exploring cities without using roads to seeing how far he can go with just pocket change. And, if you prefer your adventures more sedentary, as the channel name suggests he’s also a proficient Geoguessr player — though a recent video hints that the two worlds may soon combine, and if so, it could make for his most interesting set of challenges yet.