The Marco Polo Drive

Through winding streets, riverside paths and centuries of history, Tbilisi reveals itself one step at a time. Join Patrick Zhong as he runs through Georgia’s captivating capital, where old-world charm meets bold modern architecture and every turn offers a new perspective. A city that never stands still. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Georgia

In Georgia, music is more than a gift. It's a thread that binds generations, a language that lives in the walls of a childhood home, a love that never quite lets go. For Natalia Kutateladze, it all begins here, with her family, her city, and the songs that have always been part of her. Some things are inherited. Others become part of your soul. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Georgia

At the Kizilirmak Delta bird sanctuary in Samsun, Turkey, Patrick Zhong discovers that connection goes far beyond people. Watching injured birds being carefully rehabilitated and returned to nature step by step, Patrick reflects on something the journey has quietly been teaching all along: we do not just share the road with one another, we share the entire space with every living thing on it. Some leaders talk about protecting nature. The people here are already doing it. Because the further we travel together, the more we understand what we owe to the world around us. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Turkey

In Samsun, Turkey, Patrick Zhong meets Fatma Damla Altın (Turkish T20 Athlete) and Serkan Yıldırım (T12 Para-Athlete), two Turkish Paralympians with a perspective on travel that stops you in your tracks. They found that when you cannot see, you tend to think and wonder more, experiencing the world not once, but twice. And like Marco Polo, the road is not a choice. It is simply the way life unfolds. Some of the most extraordinary journeys are taken by those who see the world differently. Because the further we travel together, the more we recognise ourselves in one another. Athlete Accolades: Serkan Yıldırım
Turkish T12 Para-Athlete
100m & 400m Sprinter
Kobe 2024 World Championships Double Gold Medallist Fatma Damla Altın
Turkish T20 Para-Athlete
Long Jump, Pentathlon & Heptathlon
Paris 2024 Paralympic Bronze Medallist #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Turkey

At Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Professor Jeffrey Sachs receives an honorary award and takes a moment to reflect on what makes this city, and this institution, unlike any other. Founded as a bridge between the United States and the Ottoman world, Boğaziçi has always been a connector of ideas, cultures, and people. For Sachs, that spirit is exactly what the Marco Polo Drive is about: 15,000 kilometres from Rome to Hong Kong in electric vehicles, proving that a world built on peace, culture, and sustainable development is not just possible, it is already underway. The world needs more places like this. And more moments like this one. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Istanbultw

Some cities sit at the edge of history. Istanbul sits at its centre. Patrick Zhong, Jeffrey Sachs, and Turkey's Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek explore together what it truly means to stand at the crossroads of the world, where every conflict and every shift in the global order is felt first. Even Marco Polo's father and uncle were redirected through this very neighbourhood by Kublai Khan's own envoy. Seven centuries later, Istanbul remains what it has always been: a place where the world can come together. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Istanbul

Running through Plovdiv, Bulgaria with local guides, Patrick Zhong discovers what no morning tour could have shown him. Hidden beneath the city's streets lies a treasure that most visitors never find, a reminder that in a city with thousands of years of history, there is always something more to uncover. As Patrick puts it, this is exactly why running with locals helps. You move faster, you see deeper, and Plovdiv, a city of mysteries, reveals itself one hidden corner at a time. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Plovdiv

In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, former President Rosen Plevneliev reflects on the moment Pope John Paul II changed his life, a small boy living under dictatorship, watching a global movement bring freedom to southeastern Europe. Professor Jeffrey Sachs adds his own chapter: advising the Polish government on economic reform, sharing lunch beside the Sistine Chapel, and flying directly to Washington to secure debt relief for the world's poorest countries. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Bulgaria

Halfway through the 15,000km drive, Patrick Zhong sits alone in Aktau, Kazakhstan, a place so far from anywhere it feels like the edge of the world. The landscape is changing, the languages are changing, and so is he. With so much coming at him all at once, Patrick reflects on what it truly means to travel with a mission: the richness of slow travel, the stories of the people met along the way, and the landscapes that shift beneath you kilometre by kilometre. Because some moments on the road ask you to stop and just listen. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Kazakhstan

Running through Bukhara, Uzbekistan at night, Patrick Zhong uses Trip.com to uncover one of the Silk Road's most extraordinary landmarks, the Kalon Minaret, built in 1127, standing 46.5 metres tall, and the only structure left standing when Genghis Khan's army came through in the 13th century. Along the way, two local kids offer their own answer to what's cool about Bukhara: the people. Always kind, always ready to lend a hand. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Bukhara

In Venice, Beatrice Fontana, founder of RISA Venezia, filmed at Bevilacqua's historic workshop, one of Venice's oldest textile houses, challenges the way we think about waste. What the furniture industry discards is not waste, it is rare, precious material carrying the heritage, pattern, and history of centuries of Venetian craft. Every two inches of textile tells a story. Because the further we look, the more beauty we find in what others overlook. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Venice

The fastest way to understand a place is rarely by car. It is on foot. In Croatia, Patrick Zhong and Jimmy lace up for another run, setting off without much of a plan beyond seeing where the road leads. Along the way they talk about first impressions, favourite cities, why Venice still lingers in the imagination, and whether running is simply part of what makes us human. Every country on this journey will be different, but one tradition will remain the same. We run because it slows us down just enough to notice the people, conversations, and small moments that might otherwise pass us by. Long before maps or guidebooks, the world was understood one step at a time. Perhaps it still is. From Rome to Hong Kong, every run is another way of listening because together is further. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Croatia

Not every legend can make the journey in person, but Nile Rogers finds a way. Dialing in from afar, the iconic musician and producer reflects on why storytelling and human connection matter more than ever in a world still learning the lessons of history. Because war and conquest haven't worked. Little gestures, told through film and music, have. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #NileRodgers

Long before we share a common language, we can share a football. In Uzbekistan, Patrick Zhong joins a group of local children for an afternoon on the pitch, where conversation gives way to passes, laughter, and the simple joy of the game. Before continuing east along the Silk Road, he presents them with footballs and World Cup gifts, generously shared by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, a gesture that carries the spirit of the game far beyond the final whistle. Football has always travelled across borders with remarkable ease. It asks for no translation, no introduction, only a willingness to play. For ninety minutes, differences of nationality, culture, and language become far less important than teamwork, curiosity, and the excitement of the next pass. Along the Silk Road, ideas once moved between civilizations. Today, perhaps a football can do something similar, reminding us that the strongest connections are often the simplest ones. Sometimes peace begins not around a conference table, but on a patch of grass, with a ball at your feet and new friends beside you. After all, together is further. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #Uzbekistan #WorldCup

Travel has always been about asking questions. Running through Belgrade, Patrick Zhong is joined by an unexpected companion: Marco, a humanoid robot. Together they explore Serbia's capital, from the banks of the Danube to the centuries-old Belgrade Fortress, a place shaped by Romans, Byzantines, Hungarians, and Ottomans, each leaving their mark on the city that stands today. The conversation is playful, but it raises a timely question. As artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday life, could it also become a companion in helping us discover the world? Technology can tell us where a city begins, who built its walls, or how long its rivers have flowed. But the meaning of a place is still found by walking its streets, meeting its people, and seeing it with our own eyes. Perhaps the future of travel is not choosing between human curiosity and artificial intelligence, but allowing each to inspire the other. After all, every great journey begins with a simple question - and together is further. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #Belgrade #Travel

Here is a surprise duet in Ljubljana! @AnaBotin, Executive Chair of @bancosantander, joins Eva Arderíus, cellist at the Reina Sofía School of Music (@escuelarsofia), for an impromptu performance of Mozart's Turkish March on the piano and cello. An unexpected musical moment on the road that reminds us some connections need no words, because together is further. #TheMarcoPoloDrive #TogetherIsFurther #WhatsCoolAbout #SilkRoad #Ljubljana