One Man’s Journey Inspires Kindness Around the World
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Leon Logothetis on his vintage motorcycle, Kindness One (Courtesy of Leon Logothetis)
Who: I’m a reformed ‘desk dweller’ and my name is Leon Logothetis. I’m an Englishman on a mission to inspire change through the power of travel and the healing nature of human connection. My book, The Kindness Diaries: One Man’s Quest to Ignite Goodwill and Transform Lives Around the World (Reader’s Digest), is being published on December 30.
Where: Where have I been? Well, everywhere really. Ok, nearly everywhere via a circumnavigation of the globe on my vintage yellow motorcycle, Kindness One. I relied on the kindness of strangers for food, shelter, and money for gas. But with a twist! Unsuspecting good Samaritans received life-changing gifts along the way: I helped people rebuild their homes, paid for their schooling, and left behind gifts big and small.
Logothetis, playing cricket with the friendly locals in the slums of New Delhi, India (Courtesy of Leon Logothetis)
Why: The reason I set out on this journey is because I used to work as a broker in the City of London and felt disconnected from the world. After watching the movie “Motorcycle Diaries,” I quit my job and started traveling. I thought to myself, “what better way to become connected again?”
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The inspiration for my journey around the world came from a deep desire to live an adventurous life. After years of traveling I realized that it was time to give back on my journeys, in addition to receiving the great blessings of being on the road. That’s why I created the project of repaying unsuspecting good Samaritans with gifts that would hopefully transform their lives in some small way. The first person who bought me gas (in Hollywood) I bought a round-the-world airline ticket and gave him spending money to change someone else’s life. Pay it forward.
Here are some of the other gifts that I shared along the way:
I gave 100 eye surgeries to Vietnamese people in need.
I put a homeless man up in an apartment and sent him to cooking school.
I bought an Indian slum dweller a rickshaw.
I bought a Montenegran farmer a cow.
I paid for the education of two Indian children until they were 18.
Having fun with the kids while visiting a local orphanage in Calcutta, India (Courtesy of Leon Logothetis)
And here are some things that other people did for me:
An international shipping company let me and my motorcycle, Kindness One, cross the ocean for free.
A homeless man let me stay with him outside and protected me for the night.
A slum dweller in India fed me and let me sleep in his house.
The opera house in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, let me perform at the opera.
A mechanic in India fixed my bike for free after it keep breaking down.
I received an amazing meal from an Italian man in a castle in Torino.
In Whistler, Canada, a five-star hotel put me up for the night.
What I Loved: The results were incredible and truly stimulating. I loved the freedom of being on the open road. I loved the opportunity to connect with people from all walks of life. I loved the chance to give back. I loved the adrenaline-pumping moments of not knowing where I would sleep at night.
What Did You Learn? One of the biggest takeaways for me was realizing that we are not as different as we might think. Travel has a tendency to open our eyes to the beauties of humanity and to wipe clean the prejudices we may have toward people who on the outside seem “different.” We are all different, yet we are all the same. Travel brings that into stark focus.
Related: Missing a Flight Changed My Life … Forever
Overwhelmed with love in a rural Indian village (Courtesy of Leon Logothetis)
Highlights: The beauty of traveling blind is that you don’t know where you will be staying each night. I had the privilege of staying in some wonderful locations and also some not so wonderful ones. I slept everywhere from the streets of Pittsburgh to a 300-year-old castle in Torino to the roadside home of an Indian pancake seller.
Learning about 96-year-old Kay in Delta, Colo. while she shares her life and wisdom (Courtesy of Leon Logothetis)
How This Trip Changed Me: I realized that although finances are important, the true wealth we possess is not in our wallets but in our hearts. I was sincerely touched by the amazing people I met who helped me come to this conclusion, from a homeless man in Pittsburgh to an Indian rickshaw driver in Delhi to an Italian man who lived in a 300-year-old castle to a Cambodian woman who lived in a shack without a proper roof. All these people showed me the diversity of the world we call home. All these people inspired in me the desire to live fully and give plentifully.
Related: Surviving a Life-Threatening Diagnosis — 12,000 Miles From Home
Fencing in the streets of Trieste, Italy with my new Italian friend, Alex (Courtesy of Leon Logothetis)
Parting Thoughts: The journey across the world was a life-defining moment. It showed me that anything was possible and it showed me that the kindness of humanity is alive and kicking. I am forever grateful to everyone I met and feel a sense of deep gratitude for their hand of friendship. If there is one final parting thought I would like to share, it’s that everyone should get out there and seize the day! Life is waiting for you to live it!
Another view of Logothetis and his motorcycle (Courtesy of Leon Logothetis)
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