A HOMELESS man who set himself a charity challenge of visiting every capital city in mainland Europe without spending a single penny has published a book on his adventure.

Kris Mole pulled off his challenge after spending 165 days visiting 26 cities and travelling 9,763 miles.

At 24, he had found himself homeless in Brighton and was a self-confessed "slacker" - having already spent most of his adulthood drinking, gambling and avoiding responsibility.

But when his aunt Susan Proto was diagnosed with cancer, Mr Mole, of Southwick, looked at his life and decided to change. He set himself the challenge of visiting every capital city in Europe on a budget of nothing to raise funds for those with cancer.

In 2007 he flew one-way to Stockholm with a vow not to return home to England until he had visited every capital city in the mainland European Union. He set himself eight simple rules, most importantly that no money would be spent or handled during the journey, and no credit cards would be used either.

To make things more difficult, he decided he would rely solely on freebies and the kindness of strangers.

During this time he was thrown off trains for not having a ticket, scrounged lifts, hiked along motorways and slept rough. He went for days without food but found he was often welcomed to sleep on strangers' sofas.

He said he was astounded by the number of acts of kindness he received during his journey, which completely changed his perception of the world.

He said: "There were so many people who helped me when I didn't expect it. They would help me and they got nothing out of it."

When he finally arrived back in Sussex, he had been on the road without any money for 165 days, visited 26 capital cities and travelled 9,763 miles.

His trip raised £1,600 for Cancer Research UK.

On his return he temporarily found himself homeless in Brighton, but is now - aged 31- back on his feet, working as an English teacher in Spain. He regularly returns to see friends and family.

The colourful story of this six-month trip was first told through a series of online blogs, and he gained support from readers through his journey.

In putting pen to paper to tell his intrepid story he was also keen to raise more money for the cause.

Ten per cent of all royalties of the sale of the book - called Gatecrashing Europe - will be donated to the charity and he plans to make a more substantial contribution again in the future.

He has done a book signing in Waterstones, Brighton, and left a copy on the shelves which features a handwritten, personal message.

The paperback costs £10.99 and can be bought at valleypressuk.com/books/gatecrashingeurope/