HE HAS eaten cornflakes all over the world – under the Eiffel Tower, at the pyramids, in cold Alaska and in the hubbub of New York City.
In fact, Mick Hobday, from Fareham, reckons he has visited over 60 countries on his wacky travels.
‘It depends if you count Vatican City as a country, if you do, my tally is at 63,’ said the 33-year-old.
From what started as a quirky idea in Mexico, the corn flake traveller has been on a mission to travel the world.
‘I wondered if anybody had ever been to every country in the world. I thought that somebody probably had, so to be individual I thought about eating cornflakes. I liked corn flakes, so I thought I’d eat a bowl everywhere I went.
‘Over time people said to me “you know you should take this seriously” and then I set up a blog and started taking pictures.’
After graduating from the University of Nottingham with a degree in genetics, Mick soon found he had been bitten by the travelling bug.
Something, that with Mick’s lack of funds and his Type-1 diabetes, wasn’t the easiest of things to do.
‘When I graduated I was faced with the prospect of the real world, so I put it off and went travelling.
‘The money I had saved up let me travel for three years. When that ran out, I just kept on and I realised that you can travel for as little as three euros a day.’
Ten years on, Mick has returned home and penned an autobiography of his decade of adventures.
Mick’s passion for travelling and his self motivation to keep diaries, means he has a big catalogue of stories to draw from. From nearly being kidnapped by Al Qaeda to cycling up hills in Portugal, Mick’s adventures have spurred not only one book, but he has also published a spin-off book of his corn flake pictures.
Now, Mick, who married his wife Steph two years ago, is living in Hill Head while they save up to go off to India together.
‘We have enough for about four months, after that we will do some volunteer work for the experience,’ Mick said.
When they return home, Mick hopes to make a documentary about all the spiritual places he has visited.
After eating corn flakes in so many awe inspiring places, does he still tuck into a bowl in the morning? ‘I’ve actually started to go off corn flakes, I’m more of a bran flake man now.’
The Adventures of a Hardup, Diabetic Traveller with a Corn Flake Problem is an ebook available from Amazon for £3.33.
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