Eleven-year-old from Malaga gears up for 20,000km world cycle to help 56 shelter dogs

Samuel turns twelve just weeks before he leaves Malaga on November 15, 2026. He plans to pedal 20,235 kilometres across 20 countries over 594 days, stopping at 56 animal shelters along the way. At each one he will film a single dog and shares its story so donations go straight to that shelter’s own link. No middlemen, no foundation, nothing held back.

His parents will ride every kilometre with him. Dutch by nationality and born in Belgium, Samuel has already lived in France and a mountain village in Andalucia before settling in Malaga. He speaks Dutch, English and Spanish fluently, which means he can chat to shelter staff himself from Morocco to Turkey and beyond. Food comes high on his list of things to look forward to, though the shelters top it.

How a simple idea grew legs

Samuel first said he wanted to cycle around the world. No route, no plan, just that. The family had talked for years about a big camper-van trip, but the numbers never stacked up. Then he asked why they could not do it on bikes instead. Three bikes and a tent suddenly made the whole thing possible.

He grew up with rescue dogs and the simple rule that a dog you find is a dog you keep. So the purpose became clear: stop at shelters because those dogs deserve better. At six he had already walked ten days of the Camino de Santiago on his own legs. This time the classroom moves with him, with geography under the wheels, languages in the next kennel, maths in daily distances and budgets.

Ordinary bikes, no shortcuts

Electric bikes looked safer at first. Batteries over 160 Wh cannot fly on passenger planes, and the route needs three flights. A motor that packs up in Laos or Morocco is no roadside fix either. So the family switched to ordinary touring bikes. That means shorter days of about 50 kilometres, rest days every three or four, and a flatter route with mountain passes cut out wherever possible.

Nineteen months instead of eighteen. Twenty thousand kilometres will be under his own steam.

Samuel was disappointed at first, then simply said he would do it the hard way. Everything that holds up, or does not, will be down to the frame, wheels and parts.

Real cost and real help needed

He leaves school, his own room and his mate José behind. This is no holiday or stunt. It is getting up on the mornings nobody wants to. Bikes, ferries, visas, food and safe places to sleep for nearly two years will cost more than the family can cover alone. Training happens now on a bike that is still too big for him.

Supporters can still make a difference. Three proper touring bikes sized for a growing twelve-year-old, panniers, a solid tent, helmets, spare parts, a tough camera and basic kit remain on the list.

Ideal arrival is by October 1 so everything can be tested. Partial help counts too. Anyone who manufactures any of it or simply wants to chip in for the daily costs can get in touch. Donations can get to him via PayPal at paypal.com/paypalme/samuelcyclestheworld.

Spain already struggles with hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats entering shelters each year, as Euro Weekly News has reported in coverage of the abandoned dog crisis and local rescues such as ACE in Mijas and Axarquia Animal Rescue. Samuel’s films will send money and attention straight to the places that need it most, one dog and one country at a time.

He says that he already knows he will cry somewhere. He is going anyway.