French traveller stuck in Malaysia in attempt to make it to Australia without flying

Tuesday, 25 November 2025 11:21

The 24-year-old has been successful in his solo mission so far, making it from his hometown of Paris to Kuala Lumpur in just nine months.

Exclusive: French traveller Paul Tingaud has a lofty plan: to see the world without taking a single plane trip.

The 24-year-old has been successful in his solo mission so far, making it from his hometown of Paris to Kuala Lumpur in just over nine months.

After leaving in February this year, Tingaud has hitch-hiked, cycled, taken the bus, slept on trains and boarded just one boat to get from France to Malaysia without needing to hop on a flight.

Do you have a story? Contact reporter April Glover at april.glover@nine.com.au

The only problem? The vast Pacific Ocean means he is now stuck trying to get to Australia.

"Apart from Australia, honestly, it has been super easy," Tingaud told nine.com.au of his travels.

"Even crossing through Russia, you always have a solution. You always find someone to help you, find a bus station or anything."

Tingaud studied environmental law and is a firm believer in protecting the planet.

Though he loves to travel, he didn't want to contribute to the tonnes of carbon emissions pumped into air during flights.

"The day when I finished my studies, I just wanted to travel and I just thought, 'OK, let's do it without planes'," Tingaud said.

"It is the fact that I am not taking a plane that has made me travel for so long."

The unpredictable nature of his transport has taken Tingaud to some unusual places, including Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.

His dream of ending up in Australia has presented a unique problem for the anti-frequent flyer.

Tingaud is travelling on a shoestring budget of just €800 (approx. $1425) per month.

Without hopping on an expensive cruise ship leaving from a port in Malaysia or somewhere in Indonesia, Tinguad has hit a snag.

"If I could get on a [cruise], that would be amazing, but those things are very expensive," he added.

"And also very polluting."

Tingaud is closer than he's ever been to Australia: just 4204 kilometres away.

Now, his only hope is jumping aboard a ferry, boat or containership headed Down Under.

He is willing to "do anything" to make it to the Australian coastline without flying – including working on board a boat or yacht to pay his way.

But he may face some issues without a valid work visa or qualifications to work on a yacht.

"I don't care where in Australia either, because, if I find a boat, it depends where the boat will bring me," Tingaud added.

"And I guess I just find a work where I arrive."

Tingaud is hoping he can harness the powers of social media to get to Australia.

He shared a call-out on Facebook asking for help, but hasn't found a solution yet.

"It feels a bit weird when you don't know what will happen," Tingaud added.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.