Traveler T. ‘Bugsy’ Terpening, 68
World traveler, adventurer & conservationist

Traveler T. "Bugsy" Terpening, an outdoorsman, traveler, and environmentalist who was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as “the most traveled person on Earth,” died June 11, 2048 while attempting to traverse Greenland by snowboard and kite. The cause of death was apparent hypothermia, according to Icelandic authorities. He was 68.

Terpening founded Travels with Traveler in 2012, a successful travel guidebook publishing company. He ran the company as the chief executive officer for 24 years, but left in 2036 to pursue his passion for wind-powered sports.

Terpening was born December 25, 1980 in Whitethorn, California, attended kindergarten in Mexico and grew up in both Alaska and Hawaii. He earned a B.F.A. in photography at the Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland, Oregon, and a graduate degree in environmental writing at Prescott College in Prescott, Arizona.

“Bugsy” got his nickname from his mother when he was a child. “We never knew if he was named after Bugsy Malone from the gangster movie, Bugs Bunny from the cartoons or because he liked bugs and other creepy crawlies,” said Cedar Terpening, Terpening’s son. Whether consciously or not, Terpening lived up to his first name, Traveler. “My grandmother told me that Traveler’s name was intended to make those he met think of things they liked; namely traveling. People who don’t like traveling aren’t worth knowing anyway,” Cedar said with a laugh. “People always thought he was named after Robert E lee's horse!”

Terpening met his wife, Nicole Ziegler, in Bisbee, Arizona in 2004 on the set of the Stephen King movie, Desperation. They traveled extensively together, and eventually made their home outside Petersburg, Alaska, where Mrs. Ziegler lives today. “He built this house from the ground up with no power tools,” said Mrs. Ziegler in her home on Monday. “I see him in the architecture when I’m indoors, and in the trees when I’m outdoors.”

While CEO at Travels with Traveler, Terpening surpassed Kashi Samaddar of India as the most traveled person on earth. He visited 251 countries, writing travel guidebooks and promoting renewable sources of energy. He was presented with a Guinness Book of World Records certificate by the editor, Craig Glenday, for his contribution to travel and his record-setting achievement.

The island nations of the South Pacific remained a favorite region for Terpening, who returned frequently to help local governments fund and install wind turbines to harness the consistent ocean breezes. Some of these countries went on to create enough electricity to meet their own needs and sell the excess to other countries. Many of these island nations, just a few meters above sea level, were the first to be impacted by rising sea levels in the late 2020’s. Access to electricity helped these countries fund and power efforts to fortify their coastlines against the rising waters. Kalkot Matas Kelekele, the president of the island nation of Vanuatu, plans to honor Terpening posthumously for his contribution to his country. In a recent interview in the Vanuatu Daily Post, Mr. Kelekele extended his condolences to Terpening’s family and announced an alternative energy fund established in Terpening’s honor. “The fund will help other South Pacific nations meet the challenges of global climate change,” he said.

In 2037, Mrs. Ziegler, an esteemed linguist, was invited to the University of Moscow to study the influence of Central Asian languages on Russian. Terpening joined her and became fascinated by the phonetic spelling of many Russian words. Together, they wrote the book, 21st Century Spelling. The couple-turned-colleagues developed a system for teaching English spelling that revolutionized the way children learned to spell throughout Europe and America. Terpening’s longtime mentor and friend, Daniel Glick said, “Both their names are on the cover, but I think Nicole must have been the brains behind that book.” Mr. Glick added, “I remember editing an essay of his before he left for Greenland. It was typical Traveler: terrible spelling, great content.”

“Traveler lived a full life and did most of the things he wanted to do,” said his longtime travel partner and friend, Sailin Nelson. “When someone like that dies, it’s not so sad because you know they weren’t scared or full of regrets; you know they went out happy, and that’s a comfort to us all.”

Terpening’s friends and colleagues met the news of his death with tears but were relieved to know that he died doing what he loved. Icelandic glaciologists, Ingibjörg Grímsdóttir and Ólafur Haraldsdóttir, found his body while sampling ice from Greenland’s Tunu area, southwest of Uummannaq. “We found him wrapped in his kite and drifted in by snow.” said Mr. Haraldsdóttir. “He had this serene look on his face.” Mr. Grímsdóttir added, “Like he just lay down when he decided it was time.” On Tuesday the city morgue in Reykjavik, Iceland announced the cause of death was hypothermia.

In addition to his wife and their son, Terpening is survived by his Komodo dragon, Killer; his octopus Slimy; and his zebra, Fred. His wife and son will commit his ashes to sea from the MV Mischief on July 1, 2048. Friends and family are invited to assemble along the shore at Coconut Island, outside Hilo, Hawaii where the Mischief will depart at 6:30 p.m. and return an hour later. For more information please call Cedar at (907) 299-0681 or visit www.travelerwasarockstarandwewillmisshim.com.