Man throws darts at world map, visits whichever country he hits: 'Are you crazy?'

Fox News

5 days ago

A man has made travel an unpredictable adventure by throwing a dart at a map of the world while blindfolded — and visiting whichever country his darts happen to hit.
Sorin Mihailovici, 48, a small business entrepreneur, started the journey in 2012 after telling a friend he wanted to "wake up one morning and throw a dart at a map and go there."
Mihailovici began by visiting far-flung places like the North Pole, Russia and Indonesia, originally taking annual trips but now traveling to up to 16 destinations a year. The trips were initially funded by his savings and later through partnerships with companies, per SWNS.
He doesn't travel to the exact spot where his dart lands, but begins in the country's capital because some nations, such as Uruguay, are too small for precise targeting, said Mihailovici.
Mihailovici's favorite countries so far include Iceland, Argentina and Thailand, while Madagascar ranked "hands down" as his least favorite, he said, due to a "misconception" shaped by the animated movie sharing its name and locals who "didn't have the best intentions."
Praising Vietnam, Mihailovici, a Canadian, insisted its cuisine is "the best street food I've ever had," and noted it was the cheapest destination that he's traveled to, SWNS reported.
Some countries, especially in Scandinavia like Norway and Sweden, and places like Switzerland and the Maldives, can be quite expensive, he pointed out.
Mihailovici's travel show, "Travel by Dart," features footage from his trips.
He began editing and publishing the clips during the COVID pandemic, eventually selling the concept to a distribution company, as SWNS reported.
"While we were at home, I started editing all those materials from every country and created a season of 13 episodes," he said.
"Most of the time it's just me on location. I hire a local videographer, film and create episodes for YouTube — and over the years, I've started doing a show for Amazon Prime."
Despite the unpredictable nature of his travels, Mihailovici said he isn't afraid of dangerous destinations.
He was in Iraq recently, he said.
"People said, 'Are you crazy?' Maybe it was not safe, but nothing happened to me. We went to Baghdad and Babylon. It was great. I was eating camel every day," Mihailovici told SWNS.
He admitted he was "a little scared" about going to Iraq given the political situation, but was determined to follow through with wherever the dart suggested he go.
"It was great. I was eating camel every day."
"The idea is to visit the whole world, each and every country by dart," Mihailovici said.
"I did all the big ones that are larger on the map," he said.
"The smaller ones are hard to hit, and I'm also blindfolded [while throwing the dart], so I can't pinpoint it to a certain continent."
Mihailovici said he hopes to continue expanding his travel list.
He said Australia and Spain are his next dream destinations, though he admits they're "hard to hit" and plans another dart throw in August, according to SWNS.
Among the countries he's traveled to so far are Easter Island, Indonesia, Bermuda, Portugal, Cuba, Thailand, Colombia, Brazil, Italy, Iceland, Greece, Japan, Antarctica, Germany, Vietnam, India, Turkey, South Korea and Yemen, SWNS reported.
Mihailovici said hotels sometimes offer gratuities to be featured in his show, per SWNS.