Kiwi Flyer

That is not as crazy as it sounds. Some hard to reach places may be more accessible as a small group than as lone travellers.

ozstamps

I started a thread on that subject some years ago, which is still active and has many 100s of posts:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=298601

My tally is about 125 different real countries visited.

I am now running out of new ones to visit, and have visited less mainstream places like Cuba, Morocco and Burma in recent months - again.

Glen

deepbluesky

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate the support. Some people think this is a crazy goal, but I knew I could count on FTers to understand.

As to the number of countries, yes, that is a tricky one. Before I started the project I was using the TCC list, but that one really stretches things a bit with places like Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, etc. On the other hand, places like the Azores, Easter Island, and the Faroe Islands really are remote enough that they are worth noting somehow.

I decided to be safe and cull my list down to "real" countries. I also don't count airport stopovers but I do count short visits if needed, which is kind of the middle ground among various country-counting groups.

KiwiFlyer, it looks like we are almost exactly at the same status (70-80 real countries, 100+ TCC). ozstamps, it sounds like you are ahead of me for the time being. I have a few months in between one grad school program and another, so I'm planning to do some serious traveling between now and the fall.

Since it sounds like some of you are interested, I'll post my updates from time to time here in this thread. For now, I have a few more days in India, then back to NRT, over to HKG, back to the States, SJO for a couple days on the OneWorld RTW, and so on.

hauteboy

I think a country 'Do might be a good thing as well, for getting some harder to reach places. Libya comes to mind, they currently aren't offering visas to US citizens unless you have 3+ people. My trips I usually hit 3-5 countries at a time, using open jaw tickets then going overland between.

I'm similar to you and Kiwi Flyer as well; in the 70's on country count and over 100 on TCC.

kaukau

Mrs k. and I are departing from Maui in 2 1/2 hours on a 3 day trip where we will visit Paris, England, Rio, Egypt, New York, Rome, Venice, and the Riviera: all in three days!

How is this possible, you may ask?

Las Vegas, baby!

(Paris, Excalibur, the Rio, Luxor, NYNY, Caesars' Palace, the Venetian and the Riviera!)



Aloha kakou!

deepbluesky

I have the same strategy, and I really enjoy the overland travel part. Last year I did 36 hours on a bus through East Africa, and before that I did the Balkans in 10 days from bus to bus, staying a couple days in each place. The only problem with that now is that OW and *A are making it more difficult to do that with RTW tickets due to the increasing restrictions on surface segments. That definitely makes the travel life more difficult for me.

I did not realize that about Libya-- I'm actually hoping to go there in late April, and I will be alone, traveling from Tunis. My understanding was that a visa on arrival might be possible, but I'll check it out in more detail when I'm back in the States with better internet access next week.

Alternatively, if anyone wants to meet up in Tripoli the weekend of May 3, well...

Kiwi Flyer

deepbluesky - seems we are in the same part of the world at roughly the same time. YHPM.

DJ Bitterbarn

Best of luck on your adventure! That sounds like quite the goal, and I really hope you're successful on it!

I only set the goals of "at least half in my lifetime" and "all of the EU before I finish school here". The first is doable, but running out of time on the second one. Guess a few MRs are in order.

Now the second question: Is there any sort of tradition with this? Personally, I collect flags. As in the full-size flag of every country I've been to. Only rule is that it has to be purchased in the country of origin. Are you doing anything similar for your escapade, or just being there is enough?

NWA_5479

I really like the site! Thanks for the post. As Kiwi said, I think you will find advice (especially his; his trip reports are legendary) that demonstrate how easy it can be to get some places.

Now, are you attempting to be able to "say" you've been in every country, or do you plan on staying in every country (at least leaving the airport).

NWA_5479

Whoops. Duplicate.

hauteboy

BTW.. For Somalia, you could visit Somaliland and technically get credit.

The former British Somaliland capital is in Hargeisa and that region is safe.
Ethiopian airlines flies there a few times a week, or you can go overland from
Dire Dawa. We were able to get a visa ($40) at their liason office in Addis Ababa
when we were there a few weeks ago but then wasn't able to visit Hargeisa after
all as the return flights were full.

Kiwi Flyer

Thanks hauteboy. Now, can I rearrange my flights to/from ADD to give enough time to fit that in? Hmmm tricky.

When are you going back to visit Somalia/Somaliland?

deepbluesky

Hello all, and greetings from HKG Terminal 1. I'm really excited about my first OneWorld Explorer ticket.

I stopped collecting stuff a while back; it makes it easier to travel light. A long time ago my wife and I were getting teapots from different countries-- thank God we gave that up after country #4.

I do try to take back a dessert spoon from each airline I fly. People who come over for dinner enjoy looking at the collection. There's a funny story about taking a fork by mistake once that I'll have to tell sometime.

I try to spend at least a couple of days in each country, and sometimes a lot longer. But in some cases I will accept a short visit. I won't count airport stops unless I get desperate.

It's my plan to visit both, although as you point out, Somaliland is a lot easier and safer to get to. I was planning on going from Djibouti as I didn't realize there were flights from ADD. Ideally I would go in from one place and come out through another.

KF - not sure when I'm headed there, it will probably be a while.

hauteboy

Well my visa is good until April 18th.. all I need is another $0 ticket to Ethiopia and I'm there...
Most likely though we will do this if/when we return to the area for a Eritrea/Djibouti/Yemen trip.

It's easier to go overland from Dire Dawa/Harar in Ethiopia to Hargeisa. This can be done in a long day. Hargeisa to Djibouti overland I've heard can take 2 days and you'd need an escort.
Here's a report of someone who did this recently http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/47c37/21bf74/9/

Kiwi Flyer

Thanks hauteboy - yhpm.