Anthony George, now 74, was diagnosed with lung cancer 12 years ago and given just three months to live.
He gave up work as a road sign maker, which he said he would never have done if he hadn’t been unwell.
Positive Anthony bought a Ford Transit van for just £1,000, which he converted, and has spent the last decade travelling the world in, between treatments.
He’s shipped his van worldwide for trips to Canada, America and Australia, as well as driving from the UK to the Arctic Circle and back.
Foodie Anthony, from Bristol, made a 20-country trip through Europe to taste as much cheese as he could – and has also completed road trips through England and Scotland.
Despite three operations to remove tumours from his brain over the years, he is determined to keep travelling and says cancer inspired him to change his life for the better.
Dad-of-three and grandad-of-six Anthony, who has also worked as a mechanical engineer and a truck driver, has so far spent tens of thousands and racked up 111,000 miles in his van.
He said: “Honestly I don’t regret the diagnosis at all – it forced me to stop working which freed me up to do better things with my life, like all this travelling.
“Actually I think I’ve been very lucky.
“Otherwise I think I’d just have kept on working.
“I didn’t want to stop working – I didn’t have a choice – but I’m glad I did.
“Not that it hasn’t been a huge struggle sometimes – it really has.
“I’d be lying if I said chemo wasn’t horrible, but you just get on with it.
“And I’ve been able to learn so much about the world.
“The time since 2012 has been truly wonderful!”
Anthony, who is separated, was first bitten by the travel bug when he and some friends spent six weeks driving to Mongolia in 2012 before he got ill.
He was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer soon after, and given three months to live, he had six months of chemo and 20 sessions of radiotherapy at Southmead Hospital.
But the cancer had spread to his brain, and he had an operation to remove his first brain tumour in 2013.
He quit his job, decided to do some more travelling, and bought his T-reg Ford Transit.
Friends joined Anthony along the way on his trips – for portions of the journey – with Tony at the wheel throughout, in 2014, they drove from the UK to the Arctic Circle
After the five-week drive, they took a mini cruise from Thrumso at the top of Norway.
Anthony had the van shipped to the US and spent three months driving it along Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica, in 2015.
He then drove to Canada via Yellowstone National Park and the Rockies.
After a second operation to remove a brain tumour in 2016, he embarked on an 18-month drive to Australia.
This took him through Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Khazakstan, China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, before shipping the van’s final leg to Australia.
He stayed five weeks, flew home and had the van shipped back.
Later he drove from Land’s End, Cornwall, to John O’Groats, Scotland, and back down the east coast, over five weeks.
Tony had his third brain tumour removed in September 2023.
The medics also removed scar tissue from previous operations which were causing Tony to have seizures.
Anthony is still recovering from a stroke he had in February, where he lost the use of his right-hand side.
But he’s determined to keep travelling and said he will complete his trip to Japan.
“I’m really coping well,” he said.
“I have the use of my arm back now and my leg is coming back – I can wiggle my toes now.
“It’s a struggle to walk but I’m doing it.”
East Asia contained some of the best scenery and food for Anthony, he said.
But he couldn’t pick a favourite part of the world.
He added: “I have met amazing people, seen fantastic scenery and eaten great food all over the world.
“I wouldn’t have done all this if I hadn’t been given three months to live.
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“I do it all because I can – because I survived it and I’m okay.
“I just didn’t believe them at first – I just didn’t feel unwell – not until after the chemo and radiotherapy.
“I’m lucky to be 74 and never really had coughs or colds or headaches or anything.
“I’m so glad I’ve had the opportunity to do all my travelling – it’s given me a real sense of purpose.”
