Taking weeks of practice and preparation, Dean Nicholson began his journey by traveling across Europe. When he reached the Balkan peninsula, the Bosnian border area, Dean accidentally heard a cat meowing on the side of the road, and from this moment Dean's life really changed.
The first photo of Dean and Nala was taken at the Bosnian border.
Nala met Dean when it was 7 weeks old, it ran after Dean and tried to get attention. Because the nearest town is many kilometers away, there is a high chance that Nala has been intentionally abandoned by someone. After deliberation, Dean decided to adopt this ill-fated cat. It got a comfortable seat on the cart and officially joined his journey around the Earth.
Along with Dean, Nala visited ancient European towns, cruised along the Danube, kayaked and even weathered Category 5 storms. The adventures of this incredible couple began to resonate on social media wherever they go.
Adopting Nala changed Dean Nicholson's entire perspective and purpose of his trip. Initially, Dean wanted to go fast and get to Asia as soon as possible. However, when Nala was sick due to the cold, Dean was forced to slow down, so he had the opportunity to admire the surrounding landscape and document his journey to post on Instagram.
Along with Nala, Dean became a true travel blogger, sharing photos and funny stories on his journey to gain more followers on Instagram. Dean raises donations to help cases of abandoned cats and dogs wherever he goes.
During their bike ride, Dean and Nala raised more than £100,000 for charities and local veterinary clinics.
Currently, Dean and Nala's Instagram page called 1bike1world has more than a million followers, and he has also released an autobiography called Nala's World. Nala also achieved a Guinness World Record when it became the most popular cat on Instagram.