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Gloucestershire man sets travel record around Seven Wonders

Travelport Jamie McDonaldTravelport
Jamie McDonald began his trip in at Great Wall of China and ended it six days later at Chichen Itza in Mexico.

An adventurer has set a new record for travelling around the Seven Modern Wonders of the World in six days, while raising money for charity.

Dubbed "Adventureman", Jamie McDonald, from Gloucestershire, embarked on the journey to raise money for his charity, the Superhero Foundation.

The trip consisted of 13 flights, 16 taxis, nine buses, four trains and one toboggan.

He described this challenge as his "most complex, complicated trip yet".

Mr McDonald gained the nickname "Adventureman" after embarking on various international trips.

In the past, he has run solo across America and cycled 13,670 miles (22,000km) from Thailand to the UK.

Travelport Jamie McDonaldTravelport
Guinness World Records confirmed the journey was achieved in six days, 16 hours, and 14 minutes, using only public transport

His latest trip in March saw him become a world record holder, after completing the 22,856 mile (36,783km) journey across nine countries in only six days.

He said: "With travel, there are just so many variables - weather, restrictions, delays, customs, traffic, cancellations, you name it.

"When you're attempting to set a world record, speed and agility are absolutely key."

'Give back'

When he was diagnosed with a rare spinal condition called syringomyelia during his childhood, doctors warned that he could lose his ability to walk.

Despite the diagnosis, his health improved, thanks to various doctors, hospitals and his family.

Travelport Jamie McDonald at the Taj MahalTravelport
Adventureman's second stop was the Taj Mahal in India

The experience made him want to give back to children in similar situations.

Money raised through the challenge will be used to continue the Superhero Foundation's work: to help families in need by funding treatments, therapies and equipment which isn't freely available through the traditional or local healthcare support system.

'Ultimate test'

Mr McDonald credited travel company, Travelport, for making the journey possible, which was completed entirely with public transport.

The company set him the challenge in order to test its modern retail platform, Travelport+.

Travelport Jamie McDonaldTravelport
Adventureman said: "There was no other partner besides Travelport that could've made this all possible"

Greg Webb, the company's chief executive, said: "This epic adventure was the ultimate test for our platform.

"This trip also proves that, after a few challenging years for the industry, travel is most definitely back and better than ever."

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