GeoWizard

Last updated

GeoWizard
GeoWizard 2023 logo.png
GeoWizard channel logo
Personal information
Born (1990-09-22) 22 September 1990 (age 34)
NationalityBritish
OccupationYouTuber
Website officialgeowizardstore.com
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2015–present
Genres
  • Geography trivia
  • Wilderness adventure
Subscribers1.34 million [1]
Total views213 million [1]
YouTube Silver Play Button 2.svg100,000 subscribers
YouTube Gold Play Button 2.svg1,000,000 subscribers2021
Last updated: 23 December 2024

Tom Davies (born 22 September 1990 [2] [3] [4] ), known online as GeoWizard, is a British YouTuber and adventurer known for his skill in playing the internet geography game GeoGuessr and his "straight line mission" adventures, in which he attempts to cross regions on foot in as close to a straight line as possible.

Contents

Career

Growing up in Aldridge, West Midlands, Davies held a number of jobs before becoming successful on YouTube, including as a fishmonger, van driver, and bartender. [5]

GeoGuessr

Davies registered his YouTube channel, "GeoWizard", on 15 May 2015, [6] building it around the game GeoGuessr , [7] [8] a browser game in which the player must identify locations in Google Street View. [9] [10] As of June 2024, Davies has over 1.3 million subscribers and over 213 million views across all his public videos. [6]

Straight line missions

Davies undertakes "straight line missions", in which he uses a GPS device to attempt to cross a geographic area in a straight line. His first attempt, in 2019, was to cross Wales. Bad weather and steeper terrain than expected resulted in failure 9 mi (14 km) from the coast. [11] [12] [13] [14] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Davies and his friend Greg attempted to cross Wales, but the effort was aborted midway for health reasons. Later in 2020, Davies successfully crossed Norway in a straight line. [15] In early 2021, Davies and Greg attempted to cross Scotland but failed when they were caught by police for breaking local COVID-19 guidelines. [16] Their video was criticized for showing them crossing a live railway line, and Davies edited that scene out of the video following a visit from the British Transport Police. [16] [17] In October 2021, Davies and his brother Ben attempted to cross Wales for a third time. The pair managed to complete the crossing, but a GPS battery malfunction on day three caused them to temporarily leave the line, making it non-continuous. [18] Davies pursued a fourth crossing of Wales in late January and early February 2023, which proved a success. [19] He later noted that one of his main motivations for attempting it once more was due to competition, notably from Adam and Archie Fieldhouse, fellow straight-line adventurers who had successfully crossed Scotland, a feat that Davies was unable to do. [19] [20] The Fieldhouses would also act as a major motivation for Davies' straight-line mission across England in late January to early February 2024. [21]

No roads missions

In April 2022, Davies premiered a new type of adventure, called the "No Roads Mission", where he attempts to cross an urban area without walking down roads. His first mission was across the Black Country and resulted in a success. [22] In June 2023, he embarked on a mission, this time over two episodes, in which he, along with his brother Ben, attempted to cross Birmingham without using roads or the city's canal network, with some help from their uncle Ed (in place of Davies' wife Verity, who had been his assistant during some of his previous missions). [23] [24]

Other missions/adventures

In August 2022, Davies and a small support crew including Russ Cook dribbled a football across the width of Britain along Hadrian's Wall Path in a continuous run. Starting on the west coast, they walked and jogged the 73-mile (117 km) route in approximately 23 hours, stopping only for brief periods for food and water. Davies was the only member of the team to touch the football, making no hand contact with it at any point and becoming the first person to achieve this feat. The event was recorded and named "Dribbling Britain" [25] and raised £70,000 for charities supporting efforts to end youth homelessness, improve men's mental health, and reduce youth violence. [26] Later that year, Davies—along with friends Ben Cook and Adam Cook—ran across Wales from the border with England, near Anchor, to the coast at Aberystwyth, in under fourteen hours. Parts of the route were covered by more than one foot (0.30 m) of snow, with temperatures reaching −9 °C (16 °F). [27]

In December 2023, Davies and fellow straight-line mission YouTubers Adam and Archie Fieldhouse raced each other across the Isle of Man, in the channel's first "straight line race", which was won by the Fieldhouse team. [28]

How Not to Travel

In his series How Not to Travel, Davies and Greg embark on long journeys with little planning and the intent of using as many methods of transport as possible, such as hitchhiking, cycling, kayaking, or scootering. This series currently has two seasons: How Not to Travel Europe (2019–2020), documenting a journey from Geneva, Switzerland to Bratislava, Slovakia; and How Not to Travel America (2022–2023), covering a trip down the East Coast of the United States from Boston to Miami. [29] [30]

Music

Davies composes music under the name Amynedd, which he uses to underscore his videos. In 2020, he released the album 16-Bit Adventure. [31] [32] [33]

Personal life

Davies is married to Verity, [34] who has appeared in his videos and acted as support crew for his straight line missions. [35] [36] Davies has also said that as of the publication of his straight-line mission across England, he and Verity are expecting a child. [37]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todrick Hall</span> American entertainer (born 1985)

Todrick Hall is an American singer, rapper, choreographer, and YouTuber. He gained national attention on the ninth season of the televised singing competition American Idol. Following this, he amassed a huge following on YouTube with viral videos including original songs, parodies, and skits. A documentary series about his video-making process titled Todrick aired on MTV in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Scott (YouTuber)</span> English online and television personality

Thomas Scott is an English YouTuber and web developer. On his self-titled YouTube channel, Scott creates educational videos across a range of topics including history, geography, linguistics, science, and technology. As of August 2024, his five YouTube channels have collectively gained over 7.8 million subscribers and 1.87 billion views.

jacksfilms American YouTuber (born 1988)

John Patrick Douglass, better known as jacksfilms, is an American YouTuber, videographer, musician, and sketch comedian. He is best known for his series Yesterday I Asked You (YIAY) and Your Grammar Sucks (YGS), in which he commentates on content sent by fans. Douglass' career on YouTube spans over 18 years.

GeoGuessr is a browser-based geography game in which players are tasked with guessing locations based on Google Street View imagery. The game features multiple modes, such as singleplayer and multiplayer competitions. Launched in 2013 by Anton Wallén, the game maintained a relatively small but active player base until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic and social media led to a significant influx of new players. Since February 2024, the game has required a subscription to play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Markiplier</span> American YouTuber (born 1989)

Mark Edward Fischbach, known online as Markiplier, is an American YouTuber, actor, filmmaker, and influencer. One of the most popular YouTubers on the platform, he is known for his "Let's Play" videos of indie horror games. He was listed by Forbes as the third highest-paid content creator on the platform in 2022, and has won four Streamy Awards and a Golden Joystick Award. He has spun off his YouTube fame into a media career, venturing into acting and filmmaking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSI</span> English boxer, influencer and musician (born 1993)

Olajide Olayinka Williams "JJ" Olatunji, known professionally as KSI, is an English influencer, professional boxer, and musician. He is a co-founding member of YouTube group the Sidemen, the CEO of Misfits Boxing, and the co-owner of several businesses, including Prime Hydration and Lunchly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TomSka</span> British YouTuber and filmmaker (born 1990)

Thomas James "Tom" Ridgewell, known online as TomSka, is an English YouTuber, filmmaker, vlogger, comedian, actor, musician, and former animator. He is known for writing, directing, producing, and starring in his live-action sketch comedy YouTube videos and animated web series such as Asdfmovie, Crash Zoom, and Eddsworld where he both provided the voice and inspired the character of Tom and served as showrunner from 2012 to 2016. As of July 2024, his YouTube channel has over 7.33 million subscribers, and his videos have garnered over 2 billion views.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stampy</span> English YouTuber (born 1990)

Joseph Mark Garrett, better known as Stampylonghead, Stampylongnose, Stampy Cat, or simply Stampy, is an English YouTuber, actor and author best known for his Minecraft video game commentaries as the character of Stampy Cat. He is well-known for his child-friendly demeanour and incorporating storytelling and education into the Let's Play format. In 2014, he was one of the ten most-watched YouTube channels in the world.

jacksepticeye Irish YouTuber (born 1990)

Seán William McLoughlin, better known publicly as jacksepticeye, is an Irish YouTuber whose videos focus on gaming, comedy and vlogging.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VanossGaming</span> Canadian YouTuber and music producer

Evan Fong, known online as VanossGaming, is a Canadian YouTuber, music producer, and DJ. As one of the most popular gaming personalities on YouTube, his videography consists of montage-style videos of him and other creators playing various video games, such as Grand Theft Auto V, Garry's Mod, and various titles from the Call of Duty franchise. Born in Toronto, Fong dropped out of his Economics degree at the University of Pennsylvania to focus on his YouTube channel. On September 15, 2011, Fong registered his gaming channel "VanossGaming", where he would later find sustained success. Signing with multi-channel network (MCN) Machinima early in his career to monetize content, Fong was regularly the most viewed Machinima channel during his time with the MCM; "VanossGaming" was also one of the most subscribed channels on YouTube during the 2010s. Fong has since developed into a central figure in the video game commentary subculture.

h3h3Productions YouTube channel

h3h3Productions is a YouTube channel created and hosted by Ethan and Hila Klein, an American-Israeli husband-and-wife duo. Their content consists of reaction videos and sketch comedy in which they satirize internet culture. The H3 Podcast is their current podcast channel that has been running since 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaire White</span> American YouTuber and political commentator (born 1993)

Blaire White is an American YouTuber and political commentator. White’s videos have been centered around social issues such as transgender people, feminism, and Black Lives Matter. She has previously described her political views as centre-right, but her views have more recently been described as aligned to far right ideologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Meechan</span> Scottish YouTuber (born 1987)

Mark Meechan is a Scottish YouTuber, comedian, and former candidate for the European Parliament. He uses the pseudonym Count Dankula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MrBeast</span> American YouTuber and businessman (born 1998)

James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson, better known by his online alias MrBeast, is an American YouTuber, media personality, and businessman. He is known for hosting the reality television series Beast Games, and his fast-paced and high-production YouTube videos featuring elaborate challenges and lucrative giveaways. With over 340 million subscribers, he has the most subscribers of any YouTube channel and is the third-most-followed creator on TikTok with over 106.9 million followers. He also has over 63.9 million followers on Instagram and over 31.4 million on X.

<i>Abroad in Japan</i> English YouTuber based in Japan

Chris Broad, also known online as Abroad in Japan, is an English YouTuber, filmmaker, podcast host, author, and former Assistant Language Teacher. He focuses on creating videos about Japanese culture, Japanese food, and travel in Japan, primarily in the Tōhoku region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaiden Animations</span> American YouTuber and animator (born 1997)

Jaiden Dittfach is an American YouTuber and animator known for her story-time animations channel, Jaiden Animations. She made videos on a variety of topics, spanning from her experiences to personal stories. She now primarily creates videos centered around video game stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etika</span> American YouTuber and live streamer (1990–2019)

Desmond Daniel Amofah, known online as Etika, was an American YouTuber and live streamer. Amofah became known online for his enthusiastic reactions to Super Smash Bros. character trailers and Nintendo Direct presentations and for playing and reacting to various games. He resided in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, and his father is the Ghanaian politician Owuraku Amofah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agadmator</span> Croatian YouTuber and chess player (born 1987)

Antonio Radić, better known as agadmator, is a Croatian YouTuber and chess player. He has one of the most popular chess channels on YouTube, and was the most subscribed chess YouTuber from 2018 to late 2021, when he was surpassed by GothamChess. Although he does not participate in many international chess tournaments, he is active on various online chess platforms, including Lichess and Chess.com. On his channel, Radić reviews recent tournament games from top players, historical matches, and chess compositions. He occasionally features his own real-time rapid games, played on Lichess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Anime Man</span> Australian YouTuber

Joseph Tetsuro Bizinger, known online as The Anime Man, as well as his stage name Ikurru Kamijou, is a Japanese-Australian YouTuber, voice actor, songwriter, and podcaster. His video work focuses on Japanese popular culture, which consists of anime and manga reviews, and vlogs on Japanese culture and society. Bizinger is also known for his interviews with people in the Japanese entertainment industry, such as light novel authors, manga artists, and voice actors in anime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TommyInnit</span> English internet personality (born 2004)

Thomas Michael Simons, better known as TommyInnit, is an English YouTuber, Twitch streamer, comedian and author. He produces Minecraft-related videos and live streams, including collaborations with fellow YouTubers and streamers in the Dream SMP.

References

  1. 1 2 "About GeoWizard". YouTube.
  2. ↑ Gillibrand, Peter (13 May 2023). "YouTuber Tom Davies walks straight line across Wales". BBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  3. ↑ GeoWizard (18 October 2023). Guessing the date & location of more nostalgic photos with TimeGuessr . Retrieved 19 October 2023. "I'm gonna say 1990. The year I was born".
  4. ↑ GeoWizard (22 January 2023). Two Brits hike through rural Virginia and accidentally trespass... (How NOT to travel America #5)]. Event occurs at 40:28. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  5. ↑ Hall, Rachel (11 June 2021). "Straight story? The YouTuber taking a direct route to success". The Guardian . Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  6. 1 2 "GeoWizard – YouTube". YouTube . Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  7. ↑ Romano, Andrea (26 June 2020). "This Guy Only Needs 10 Seconds to Guess Which Country He's Looking at in Google Street View". Travel + Leisure . Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "This Geography Genius Can Figure Out Exactly Where a Photo Was Shot". petapixel.com. 4 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  9. ↑ Norman, Max (24 June 2022). "The Charming Bloke Who Dominates GeoGuessr". The New Yorker. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  10. ↑ Browning, Kellen (7 July 2022). "Siberia or Japan? Expert Google Maps Players Can Tell at a Glimpse". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "Un youtuber busca ser la primera persona en cruzar a pie un país en línea recta". Radio Mitre (in Spanish). 30 July 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  12. ↑ Jorge, Michael (30 July 2019). "Un youtuber está tratando de cruzar Gales a pie en línea recta, y lo está pasando mal". Gizmodo (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  13. ↑ "¿Lo logrará? Youtuber quiere ser el primero en atravesar un país a pie y en línea recta". HSB Televisión (in Spanish). 4 August 2019. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  14. ↑ "走一直線能有多難？ 瘋狂YouTuber挑戰直線穿越一個國家 - 生活". Liberty Times (in Chinese). 28 August 2019. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  15. ↑ Campbell, Oliver-James (16 February 2021). "Meet the Man Who Walks Across Entire Countries in a Straight Line". Atlas Obscura. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  16. 1 2 Cutler, Martin. "STRAIGHT-LINE YouTubers facing prosecution after crossing high-speed railway line and motorways on foot" . Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  17. ↑ Tom Davies (2 July 2021). British Transport Police knocked on my door because of this video (SCOTLAND PART 2) (video). GeoWizard. Retrieved 18 July 2023– via YouTube.
  18. ↑ Tom Davies (22 December 2021). The most action packed straight-line-mission to date (DAY 1: Ferns & Tractors) (video). GeoWizard. Retrieved 22 December 2021– via YouTube.
  19. 1 2 GeoWizard (23 April 2023). Crossing Wales in a straight line just became a race. (my fourth and hopefully final attempt) . Retrieved 9 June 2024– via YouTube.
  20. ↑ Archie Fieldhouse (10 April 2022). Can we finish a Straight Line Mission across Scotland!? #3 inspired by Geowizard . Retrieved 9 June 2024– via YouTube.
  21. ↑ GeoWizard (26 May 2024). I attempted to cross England in a completely straight line. (PART 1) . Retrieved 9 June 2024– via YouTube.
  22. ↑ Introducing the "No Roads Mission" ...a very urban adventure [PART 1] , retrieved 11 February 2024
  23. ↑ Tom Davies (16 June 2023). Can we cross the UK's 2nd largest city without using a single road? (video). GeoWizard – via YouTube.
  24. ↑ Tom Davies (28 June 2023). Dead rats, used needles and orange sewage [Birmingham No Roads Mission PART 2] (video). GeoWizard – via YouTube.
  25. ↑ Tom Davies (24 August 2022). I attempted to kick a football across Britain in under 24 hours [PART 1 of 2] (video). GeoWizard. Retrieved 9 March 2023– via YouTube.
  26. ↑ "Dribbling Britain Main Page". Just Giving. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  27. ↑ Tom Davies (21 May 2023). We picked the worst day imaginable to run across a country (video). GeoWizard – via YouTube.
  28. ↑ Tom Davies (4 March 2024) I raced my straight line rivals across the Isle of Man (and it was epic) , retrieved 9 March 2024 (video) GeoWizard – via YouTube
  29. ↑ Tom Davies (26 December 2019). How NOT to travel Europe (playlist). GeoWizard. Retrieved 17 February 2023– via YouTube.
  30. ↑ Tom Davies (4 December 2019). How NOT to travel America (playlist). GeoWizard. Retrieved 17 February 2023– via YouTube.
  31. ↑ "16-Bit Adventure, by Amynedd". Amynedd. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  32. ↑ Tom Davies (22 December 2021). 16-Bit Adventure (video). GeoWizard. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021– via YouTube.
  33. ↑ Kristoffersen, Kai Jæger (19 December 2020). "Dro til Norge for å krysse landet i en rett linje: – Var ikke forberedt på dette". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  34. ↑ GeoWizard (31 July 2023). Geoguessr Maps: Areas with Tragic or Disturbing Backstories #2 [PLAY ALONG] (video). Event occurs at 01:25. Retrieved 1 August 2023. I'm on my honeymoon right now as we speak [...] wedding was perfect by the way, couldn't have gone better.
  35. ↑ GeoWizard (19 January 2022). Can we complete this extraordinary straight line mission? [DAY 4: Come Here Coast]. Event occurs at 40:12. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  36. ↑ Tom Davies (16 January 2020). Real Life Geoguessr – Blindfolded and Dumped in a Random UK Location – PART 1 (video). GeoWizard. Retrieved 14 June 2023– via YouTube.
  37. ↑ GeoWizard (26 May 2024). I attempted to cross England in a completely straight line. (PART 1) . Retrieved 9 June 2024– via YouTube.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.