"It’s so admirable when people break out of the ordinary to chase adventure and dreams"
Mazin and his father Hamed in Dubai
"For me the most fun part was to read all the stories of the people Kristján met along the way"
The locals in Myanmar
"First and foremost it shows how people can be nice and happy no matter the circumstances"
The desert in Chile
"I connected with the photos in the book and somehow found myself being present in the places he visited"
"Something changed within me. I gained humility towards life"
"Never stop daring"
Gísli, Kristján's dad
One day Kristján was invited to a motorbike trip around the west coast in Iceland. It was is first motorbike trip and he had no expectations. He fell for the experience to travel in this way, all the freedom that followed and to see the surroundings in a different light. He in fact was fell so much for it that two years later, 58 years old, is he starting his travel around the globe on a motorbike, a camera and an open mind. For 10 months he experienced first hand how people all over the world live and saw the world through a different lense.
"It was beautiful as well to read about all the love he received wherever he went and that people are usually nice and helpful"
A book that goes the whole circle
Last time the Sliding Through Foundation donated 37.000 euros to the project Óminni (e. Amnesia) by Kristján Ernir Björgvinsson, Sólrún Freyja Sein and Eyþór Gunnlaugsson. Óminni is a three episode educational series about the drug problem in Iceland which was broadcasted by the biggest media in Iceland. You can see a preview here down below (only in icelandic).
"Sliding Through is a travel journal that blows you away. You are basically a rider on his bike"
Sldiging Through documentary
A sneak peak into the documentary that was shown on the Icelandic National TV in 2018
Storytelling with Kristján himself
Kristján lectures regularly about his trip around the globe. This is not a story about a mad motorcyclist around the world but rather a human life research from a traveller on a motorbike around the world. Kristján is the first Icelander to travel alone on a motorbike around the world.
You can book a lecture from Kristján here:
kristjan.gisla@gmail.com
"As a coffee-table book it outperforms everything that is required, it grabs you tight with both hands"
"My first impression after reading is that it’s a beautiful, sincere and cherished book … like a beautiful painting"
Reviews
Ellert B. Schram
It’s absolutely mad to even just play with the idea to travel around the earth on a motorbike. That’s why Kristján is the only Icelander thinking about it, journey around the world in ten months. But he made it, he accomplished this milestone and has now published a book with travel diaries and photos. It’s not only an entertaining story but also very informative from A-Z. I can’t help but noticing that Kristján portrays all the people around the world as not only beautiful (see photos in book) but also very kind and loving. And it’s always the same wherever he goes, all around the world - a quest for freedom. But everything is subjective and ethics varies. That’s why the author concludes we need to control our temptations and grow in virtue. Kristján’s adventure around the globe is among the greatest and coolest things I’ve ever read and experienced. A book with photos and stories that appeals to everyone. At the end of the book the author writes: “Something changed within me. I gained humility towards life”.
Skúli Björnsson
Often you need courage to follow your dreams. Kristján Gíslason had that courage and went alone on a motorbike around the world in ten months. Sliding Through is a travel journal that blows you away. You are basically a rider on his bike. The story gives a clear picture of peoples’ circumstances on this earth but first and foremost does it reveal how happy and good people can be no matter the circumstance. The book is full of beautiful photos of the nature and the people he met along the way. This book is a must have for everyone who wants to better understand the world we’re living in.
Guðbjörg Andrésdóttir
My first impression after reading is that it’s a beautiful, sincere and cherished book… like a beautiful painting. The story had my attention the whole time and the beautiful photos gave me a better perspective of the world where he travelled. I would say the book appeals as much to women as to men. The book speaks to those who are interested in exotic cultures, regardless of age and belongs to the coffee table to flick through, enjoy and learn. I was especially drawn to the sincerity in Kristján’s storytelling and the beautiful photos. It also enjoyed to read about all the kindness he received along the way and that people are at their core very good and helpful.
Sindri Jensson
It’s so admirable when people break out the ordinary to chase adventure and dreams. Especially when people get older - to turn their lives upside down to travel to distant lands. Kristján’s story is sincere and it’s hard to take a break. The photos are incredible and as strange as it may sound very realistic, I connected with them and somehow found myself being present in the places he visited. For the last couple of days I’ve been carrying the book around me and wherever I go people show great interest in the book and can’t stop flicking through it. Sliding Through is much more than just a coffee-table book, it grabs you tight with both hands. Kristján is a goddamn rockstar!
Jökull Torfason
I think regularly about this book and this journey that my uncle pursued around the world. The book is exceptionally well written and reveals different and exotic worlds. I felt like I was traveling with him - I experienced the thrill to travel to distant lands, the frustration to deal with the customs, the joy he found in the unlikeliest places and last but not least the sorrow that followed Gísli grandpa’s death. I must admit I had a hard time reading the chapter about grandpa and grandma and his last encounter which he describes in the beginning of the book. For me the most fun part was to read all the stories of the people he met along the way and it didn’t matter where he was he seemed always to be surrounded by good people that had an interesting story to tell. It was also interesting to hear the stories from other travelers he met along the way. Relationships with loved ones can be put to the test with such a journey and I don’t doubt that my uncle has learned a lot about people on his journey. It requires an open mind, will and perseverance to finish such a journey and it is in fact an unbelievable achievement that he managed to achieve this milestone and finish the job.
