It was September 1995 and Thomas Jonglez was in Peshawar, the northern Pakistani city 20 kilometres from the tribal zone he was to visit a few days later. It occurred to him that he should record the hidden aspects of his native city, Paris, which he knew so well. During his seven-month trip back home from Beijing, the countries he crossed took in Tibet (entering clandestinely, hidden under blankets in an overnight bus), Iran and Kurdistan. He never took a plane but travelled by boat, train or bus, hitchhiking, cycling, on horseback or on foot, reaching Paris just in time to celebrate Christmas with the family.

On his return, he spent two fantastic years wandering the streets of the capital to gather material for his first “secret guide”, written with a friend. For the next seven years he worked in the steel industry until the passion for discovery overtook him. He launched Jonglez Publishing in 2005 and moved to Venice one year later.

In 2012, he set off on a six-month family trip: by train from Venice to Pyongyang (North Korea) via Paris, Moscow and Beijing. Next he travelled through Japan, Micronesia, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tahiti, Easter Island, Peru and Bolivia before arriving in Rio de Janeiro, where he spent seven years. He returned to Europe in 2019 and rediscovered the charms of the old continent and his hometown.