IBERIA PARISH — A journey that started as a hobby has taken travel influencer Jack Kadis thousands of miles across the country, bringing him face-to-face with people who have become part of his story along the way.
Kadis is walking the outline of the United States, documenting the experience through online videos. He said the connection between his walking journey and the content he creates has helped shape the adventure.
"I started a video as a hobby, and three years later, it's taken me places. I think it's interesting the way that the walk that I'm doing shakes hands with the video that I film," Kadis said.
Those videos have helped Kadis build an online following of nearly 140,000 people, but they have also introduced him to strangers who have welcomed him into their communities.
One of those people is Franklin resident Tyler Verdin, who reached out to Kadis as he was making his way closer to Louisiana.
"Maybe he can stop in Franklin or when he does, I can go to the Lamplighter. I work at the coffee shop— maybe just have a meal, have a coffee, show him around, and that's what we did," Verdin said.
Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Kadis set out to cover the outline of the U.S. primarily on foot, carrying little more than his phone and backpack as he documents the people and places he encounters.
His journey also caught the attention of train enthusiast Stewart Schweers, who traveled from Texas to South Louisiana to photograph trains. When Schweers learned Kadis would be passing through New Iberia, he decided to make another stop along his trip.
"I left Lake Charles this morning and made my way south of Lafayette towards New Iberia and then he said he was going to be here at the New Iberia Amtrak station. Neat little serendipitous moment combining meeting Jack with, you know, photographing a train," Schweers said.
As Kadis continues his trek across the country, viewers have compared his adventure to some familiar stories of exploration.
"A lot of times I hear people comparing me to Forrest Gump. I hear them telling me that I'm free will maxing. I hear people saying all these kinds of things," Kadis said.
While his time in Louisiana is coming to an end, Kadis said the goal remains the same: continuing forward and experiencing as much of the country as possible.
"I try my best to wake up and then sleep somewhere that I wasn't the night prior. And you just keep that going for long enough and you'll have gone a distance," Kadis said.
