He started his first cross-continental adventure on June 18, 2014, taking his 14-year-old son with him as he drove from Yibin to Beijing and then through Russia to Milan, Italy, in two months.

His wife complained about him being away for such a long time, but Chen was insistent on continuing his adventures.

On Feb 13, 2015, Chen left Milan bound for the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, which he reached 10 months later.

"I received a lot of help getting the necessary documents as I traveled across countries," he said.

"I planned to go to America from Africa, but I ran out of money and had to go back home."

Chen started to plan his third cross-continental trip in July. He shipped his SUV from China to San Francisco, and flew to the city with two travel companions - a friend and a freelancer - who are both intrepid travelers.

Chen said each of them spent close to 200,000 yuan ($29,400) for their journey across North and South America.

As Chen drove through unfamiliar landscapes, he shared pictures and videos on his WeChat and Douyin accounts. A video of a bear that he filmed at Yellowstone National Park in the United States was viewed 6 million times.

His next goal is to set foot in Antarctica.

"There is never an end to the journey of life, as there is never an end to one's dreams," he said.

Xinhua