How Nomad Shubham Put a Small Village in Bihar on the Global Travel Map

Nomad Shubham, whose real name is Shubham Kumar Panjyara, is a 22-year-old Indian travel creator and extreme traveller from the Munger district in Bihar. Widely known as the King of Hitchhiking, he is recognised as the youngest Indian to have visited every country in the world, largely by land, lifts, walking and human trust rather than flights or luxury travel. With over 3.9  million subscribers on YouTube, Shubham’s work stands apart for its raw, human storytelling. His videos are not about hotels, aesthetics or curated itineraries. They are about people, uncertainty, language barriers, kindness from strangers and learning cultures the hard way.

Early Life: Growing Up in Rural Bihar

Born on 2 December 2002 in Makwa village, Munger, Shubham grew up in a financially modest household. His father, Satish Kumar Satti, is a retired teacher and farmer. The family also cultivates mangoes and tobacco, and life revolves around the land, seasons, and limited resources.

A strong influence on Shubham’s worldview was his grandfather, a freedom fighter, whose stories of resilience and sacrifice shaped his independent spirit early on.

He studied at KM Academy, Asarganj, and performed well academically, scoring in the 9.2th percentile in Class 10. Like many middle-class Indian students, he followed the expected route after Class 12 and moved to Kota to prepare for the IIT-JEE, chasing stability and security.

Also read: The Fearless Life of Amrutha Jayachandran includes Romancing the Waves & Conquering the Peaks

The Turning Point: Kota, YouTube and a TEDx Video

Life in Kota was intense and mechanical. During breaks, Shubham began watching random travel videos on YouTube. One TEDx talk, “How to Travel the World With Almost No Money” by Tomislav Perko, changed everything. He watched it repeatedly and became fascinated by hitchhiking and Couchsurfing.

The idea that travel did not require money, only courage and adaptability, stayed with him. He began travelling within India quietly, often without informing his parents.

Just six months into coaching, Shubham dropped out of IIT preparation altogether. It was a decisive break from predictability. He chose uncertainty.

First International Leap: Russia at 16

In August 2018, at just 16 years old, Shubham made his first international trip to Russia. He travelled to Moscow, visited Red Square, stayed near the largest ISKON temple, camped overnight by the Barents Sea, and tried horse meat for the first time.

From Russia, he travelled through Kazakhstan and parts of Central Asia. That journey changed his understanding of borders, people and survival.

In September 2019, he officially launched his YouTube channel, Nomad Shubham, recording his first vlog in China and uploading it from Mongolia. He chose to speak mostly in Hindi, keeping his tone simple, conversational and honest.

Life on the Road: Extreme Travel by Choice

Shubham does not travel as a tourist. He travels as a participant in daily life.

Over the years, he has:

• Hitchhiked 50,000+ kms
• Visited over 170+ countries
• Travelled on an average budget of Rs 500 a day
• Slept on roadsides, gas stations, fire stations and police stations
• Camped in the Arctic Circle
• Walked across parts of the Gobi Desert with limited water
• Hitchhiked across Siberia and the Pamir Highway in temperatures as low as -43°C
• Reached Oymyakon, the coldest inhabited place on Earth, where temperatures fell below -60°C

In Oymyakon, he recalls being dropped by a trucker at 2 am, cold, confused and numb, calling out for help until a stranger let him in for the night.

Dangerous Encounters and Survival

Shubham’s journey has been physically and mentally risky.

• He was detained multiple times in China for being “suspicious”
• He spent nights at police stations across countries.
• He was detained for eight hours by Afghan military forces in Taliban-controlled areas and asked to leave the country.
• He narrowly escaped frostbite while changing a tyre in sub-zero Yakutia.
• He openly acknowledged harassment in Thailand and stated that being a man gives him safety privileges that many women travellers do not have.

Despite repeated warnings, he continued choosing offbeat, lesser-known routes.

Languages, Cultures and Human Connection

Shubham is fluent in Hindi, English, Bhojpuri, Maithili, Urdu, Arabic, German, Persian (Farsi), Russian and Tajik. Most of these languages were learnt organically on the road.

His videos focus on people rather than places. He regularly interacts with vendors, truck drivers, fellow travellers, villagers, policemen and strangers, often using Google Translate, gestures and patience.

One of his widely shared videos compared general class train travel in India and China, sparking conversations around infrastructure, dignity and public transport culture.

How He TravelLed on ₹500 a Day

Shubham’s travels are not funded by luxury sponsorships. Over the years, he has supported himself through:

• Online tuition and Skype classes
• Hostel reviews
• Volunteering via Worldpackers
• Couchsurfing
• Booking referrals
• YouTube monetisation
• Part-time work while stranded during COVID

In one year, his total travel expense was approximately Rs 1.6 lakh, including visas, food and transport.

He cuts costs by:

• Hitchhiking instead of flying
• Staying with locals
• Camping and self-cooking
• Avoiding tourist-heavy attractions

Content Style and Influence

Shubham avoids cinematic edits and polished storytelling. His videos are handheld, spontaneous and conversational, often filmed on basic equipment.

By speaking in Hindi and regional languages, he has connected deeply with Indian audiences, especially young viewers from small towns. His work has been followed and appreciated by global platforms and even senior Indian public figures.

For many Indians without privilege, he represents the idea that the world is still accessible.

Personal Life and Values

Despite global recognition, Shubham continues to live with his family in a small house in his village in Bihar. He remains unmarried and deeply attached to his roots.

He enjoys:

• Bollywood and Bhojpuri music
• Reading Munshi Premchand
• Cooking, chess and spending time with animals

He once planned to pursue higher studies in Germany, but dropped the idea due to financial constraints.

Why Nomad Shubham’s Story is Worth Knowing?

From sleeping on frozen Russian highways to staying with truck drivers, soldiers, mayors and villagers, Shubham’s journey challenges the idea that global travel is reserved for the privileged.

From Munger to the world, his story demonstrates that curiosity, trust and courage can take an Indian teenager farther than money ever could.

His life remains raw, risky and refreshingly real.