“Survival” is how the Lithuanian adventurer who crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a single rowing boat summarises the year 2023.
Exactly one year ago, 29-year-old Aurimas Valujavičius was completely alone in the middle of the ocean, having embarked on one of the biggest adventures of his life: rowing alone from Spain to Florida.
His quest captured the attention of the entire country and made the man from Kaunas into a national celebrity.
“It’s not about how famous you are, but what you are famous for. For me, that is very important. I want people to remember me for beautiful and great things, not just as some star that rose and fell,” says Valujavičius in an interview with LRT.lt.
For him, the year that started in the Atlantic has been the most impressive of his life so far.
“For me, 2023 started in the ocean. It was also about the beautiful commemoration of the flight of Darius and Girėnas across the Atlantic. I think it was quite successful. I didn’t have any big expectations for the year. I just wanted to cross the Atlantic, then build a house on the water and make a travel film.”
“This is probably my most exciting year. However, I say that after every trip. It means that I may be living quite well,” says Valujavičius.
Rough start
It was on the morning of the second Christmas Day, December 26, 2022, that Valujavičius began his odyssey across the Atlantic. Starting in Spain, it took him 120 days to reach Miami. During the most spectacular journey of his life, the Lithuanian identified with the ocean and found peace in it, but the start was still extremely difficult.
“I was very nervous because we had been waiting for good weather for a long time, and people were even hesitant about me sailing at all, they thought I would postpone my trip. There was also some friction between team members – we were all going to live together in Spain for a month.”
“Since the departure date was delayed, my parents had to fly back to Lithuania and could not see me off. There was definitely a lot of stress and anxiety. Finally, when everything seemed fine and I sailed into the Atlantic, my YouTube account was hacked on the first morning. Everything added up: I was angry, the waves were making me seasick, and I had no appetite, no humour or enthusiasm.”
“However, after three days, which were extremely difficult, my YouTube account was restored with the help of friends. Then I straightened up psychologically and got used to the ocean environment, the waves, the routine, and the real journey began. Since then, as the weeks went by, every day in the ocean was more and more enjoyable,” recalls the man.
Valujavičius believes that the 120 days he spent in the ocean made him a calmer person, no longer bothered by petty problems.
“Otherwise, everything has stayed the same, there have been no big changes. I just do what I love and move forward. It was the same before the Atlantic trip, and it is the same afterwards,” he says.
Being able to say ‘I’ve lived a good life’
Valujavičius’ journey across the Atlantic in 2023 became a phenomenon – the entire country was following his progress on social media.
“I didn’t think I would unite the nation in this way, but I knew there would be a big following and people would be interested. I realised it would be a ‘next level’ trip, but I certainly didn’t think it would unite the nation as much as an Olympic gold medal final. There was something like that.”
“I think people have organically realised that if some dude can paddle across the ocean by himself and enjoy it, then I can probably do something, enjoy it, and it’s not that bad around here. I felt a lot of support from people, there were hardly any negative messages.”
“In my opinion, this trip got so much attention because all the circumstances came together: daily feeds of negative information, the war in Ukraine, the politicians, the thefts, the deaths and so on. The media was dominated by negativity and my trip suddenly gave something positive and good emotion. I think that was also a big factor,” says Valujavičius.
True, this was not the first feat that the man was sharing with his followers on social media. He started back in 2015, but the first breakthrough came in 2019 when Valujavičius cycled around Scandinavia for 200 days. This was followed by a 3,000-kilometre kayak trip on the Danube River, climbing 12 different volcanoes in Chile, and a 10,000-kilometre cycling adventure in Indonesia.
“It’s all extremely satisfying. I have put a lot of effort and love into creating my content, and I still do every day. When people appreciate it, share it and love it, that is the best recognition and appreciation for any social networker or anyone doing a job they love,” says Valujavičius.
Speaking to LRT.lt back in 2022, the traveller repeatedly claimed that one of his biggest goals in life was to leave his mark in history and be remembered by future generations. The journeys that preceded this one only brought him closer to this ambition, but the odyssey across the Atlantic may have sealed his claim to fame.
“Maybe that’s the purpose of life – to be able to sit down in an armchair in old age and honestly tell myself that I have lived a good life. The other thing is your legacy – how people will remember you. I think that’s a very important thing, which is not very much appreciated these days by contemporary creators. Nowadays, everybody creates content to get more views, and I want to be remembered as a person, not as a star who suddenly came into being and quickly faded away,” he says.
Hitting the road again
At the beginning of December, Valujavičius officially announced a new journey, this time to New Zealand. He has set himself the goal of cycling around the country and will be sharing his progress every day on social media.
“The idea for this trip has been in the pipeline since 2018, the year I went to Bali. At that time, one of my friends was already living and working in New Zealand. Then he suggested that I come to make some money, to travel around the country.
He got the New Zealand visa back in 2019, but then the Covid-19 pandemic hit and his plans of going there had to be put off.
Valujavičius also says that he has already planned trips until 2028.
“They are arranged with the days crossed out in the calendar. I want to organise those trips. It gives me joy, pleasure and the quality of life itself is better. Being in Lithuania is a drag for me. I want to get on the road and have adventures again,” says the 29-year-old.
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