An Odd Odyssey

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If there's anything we've learned in the nearly three years this show has been on the air, it's that people travel for all kinds of reasons. Sure, vacations and business trips are standard issue stuff. But we've heard from listeners who took exotic trips because they saw a movie like The Man Who Would Be King or who literally found some money on the street and took that as a sign to hit the road.

The other day I heard one of the more bizarre reasons to travel. Edward Furtak of Australia quit his job as a courier, bought a used fire truck, and told his wife he might not be back for a few months. Then he drove into the desert and set up camp. After three months, his worried family reported him missing. After six months, he drove into a small town and called his mother to wish her a happy birthday. Then he returned home. How did he explain his odyssey? "I was turning in to a chain smoker and had ulcers," Mr. Furtak said. "I really needed to have a holiday, needed to get out in the middle of nowhere where I just couldn't have a smoke."

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