Wow it seems that your fishing experiences parallel my own!
I fortunately had a job that meant I had to travel to many different countries. In 1983, not wanting to miss a fishing opportunity, I had a travel rod made for me. It was based on a powerful Zipplex blank that people were using for bass at that time. It is not telescopic like yours but is four sections kept in a length of plastic drainpipe.
It has caught me many many fish including a hammer head shark well into three figures taken using uptide casting methods.
Although it is 36 years old, it is still being used. It makes a good spod rod and is just about to come into use on a new lake I have found where there are lots of submerged fallen trees. It has the muscle to bully a big fish away soon enough.
I have attached a photo of the only souvenir I have of those days. The photo witnesses a fish that was bigger than the one caught by the “Extreme Fishing” chap who set out to catch one in one of his TV programs. I know on a carp forum people are squeamish about killing fish but this one fed several hungry Africans