My Journey to Every Country in the World
Feb 6, 2009, 7:29 pm
#46
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Posts: 102
I've been following this guy for awhile, he just finished up a three week trip through West Africa.. including going from Sierra Leone to Liberia overland. Sounded like Nigeria was the worst place of all. He's working on being the youngest to visit all TCC 'countries'.
http://www.leeabbamonte.com
I'm at 91/193 now.. should hit the halfway point this year.
I highly recommend Armenia btw.
http://www.leeabbamonte.com
I'm at 91/193 now.. should hit the halfway point this year.
I highly recommend Armenia btw.
Feb 16, 2009, 3:47 pm
#47
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I have issues with the TCC list..
It seems very misleading to count all Emirates as seperate countries, as well as Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah.... Cmon Bali is a part of Indonesia, not a seperate country! Turkey is the same damn thing whether its in Asia or Europe, so is Russia!
Prince Edward Island.... get real!
It seems very misleading to count all Emirates as seperate countries, as well as Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah.... Cmon Bali is a part of Indonesia, not a seperate country! Turkey is the same damn thing whether its in Asia or Europe, so is Russia!
Prince Edward Island.... get real!
Feb 17, 2009, 9:02 am
#48
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: PDX and Everywhere
Programs: *Alliance, OneWorld
Posts: 248
I have issues with the TCC list..
It seems very misleading to count all Emirates as seperate countries, as well as Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah.... Cmon Bali is a part of Indonesia, not a seperate country! Turkey is the same damn thing whether its in Asia or Europe, so is Russia!
Prince Edward Island.... get real!
It seems very misleading to count all Emirates as seperate countries, as well as Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah.... Cmon Bali is a part of Indonesia, not a seperate country! Turkey is the same damn thing whether its in Asia or Europe, so is Russia!
Prince Edward Island.... get real!
I am using the U.N. list, so only sovereign countries. By TCC standards I've probably been to 30+ more so far. However, while some of the TCC "countries" can be a stretch, it's true that some places are so remote or otherwise so different from the country they are attached to that you might as well keep up with them somehow. Think about the Faroe Islands, for example, or Easter Island, or even a place like Palestine that is not really a state yet but certainly doesn't belong to anyone else.
Anyway, each person should decide for themselves what their own rules and standards are for country-counting. For me, this is not a contest. It's a personal quest with personal meaning.
Feb 17, 2009, 4:41 pm
#49
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I'm not sure if your comments are directed at me (the OP) or TCC in general. If it's me, well, I don't use the TCC list. I am using the U.N. list, so only sovereign countries. By TCC standards I've probably been to 30+ more so far.
However, while some of the TCC "countries" can be a stretch, it's true that some places are so remote or otherwise so different from the country they are attached to that you might as well keep up with them somehow. Think about the Faroe Islands, for example, or Easter Island, or even a place like Palestine that is not really a state yet but certainly doesn't belong to anyone else.
Anyway, each person should decide for themselves what their own rules and standards are for country-counting. For me, this is not a contest. It's a personal quest with personal meaning.
I am using the U.N. list, so only sovereign countries. By TCC standards I've probably been to 30+ more so far. However, while some of the TCC "countries" can be a stretch, it's true that some places are so remote or otherwise so different from the country they are attached to that you might as well keep up with them somehow. Think about the Faroe Islands, for example, or Easter Island, or even a place like Palestine that is not really a state yet but certainly doesn't belong to anyone else.
Anyway, each person should decide for themselves what their own rules and standards are for country-counting. For me, this is not a contest. It's a personal quest with personal meaning.
I will agree with you on the Faeroes, Greenland, or places like Guam, Gibraltar, Norfolk, Reunion, Virgin Islands etc, etc, and most definitely Palestine or Gaza should be recognized. These are in their own way seperate entities and have a degree of autonomy in the way they are governed. But claiming Prince Edward Island, Alaska or Bali as a "country" is just dumb.
I am not going to drive around all the Emirates, just to pad my count, just as I refuse to divide the United Kingdom into seperate countries for the purpose of a "count"
btw, 82 and counting
turning 30 this year tho 
Will not reach a 100 until perhaps next summer, I am sure that will be a monumental moment
Jul 12, 2009, 7:03 am
#50
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Join Date: Aug 2006
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Posts: 248
Overdue Update from Hong Kong, Gate 44
Hey guys, I see it's been forever since I've updated this thread. My apologies, and at least this group will understand when I blame it on travel.
I'm writing live from HKG, on the tail-end of a fairly intensive RTW trip. At the moment I'm on a 9-hour (and counting) delay due to a problem with the aircraft on the Air Asia flight to KUL.
Overall, I'm up to 117 real countries now. It's been going well, but as most of you know, the higher the count goes, the harder it becomes to reach new places. I still haven't done much at all in the South Pacific, nothing in Central Asia, and less than half of Africa.
On the other hand, I've been to the Cook Islands courtesy of Air New Zealand, nearly been deported from Saudi Arabia, completed my visits to all South American countries, ordered 5k in Native American coins from the U.S. Mint, and requalified for AA EXP. (I do try to represent this community well.)
Here are a few recent travel posts for anyone who follows along from this thread:
FYI, after I get home later this week, my next trip will be to Nepal and Bhutan towards the end of August. The Bhutan dates are August 24-27th, in case anyone is planning something similar.
I'll also have a Los Angeles meetup on the evening of August 18th in between flights from PDX and to HKG. Any and all FT folks in the area are welcome - time and location to be determined when we get closer to the date.
Thanks for all your support and encouragement! Hope to see some of you somewhere, sometime.
All the best as I continue to wait on Air Asia,
cg
I'm writing live from HKG, on the tail-end of a fairly intensive RTW trip. At the moment I'm on a 9-hour (and counting) delay due to a problem with the aircraft on the Air Asia flight to KUL.
Overall, I'm up to 117 real countries now. It's been going well, but as most of you know, the higher the count goes, the harder it becomes to reach new places. I still haven't done much at all in the South Pacific, nothing in Central Asia, and less than half of Africa.
On the other hand, I've been to the Cook Islands courtesy of Air New Zealand, nearly been deported from Saudi Arabia, completed my visits to all South American countries, ordered 5k in Native American coins from the U.S. Mint, and requalified for AA EXP. (I do try to represent this community well.)
Here are a few recent travel posts for anyone who follows along from this thread:
- The Monster Trip of 2009
- This Is How It Begins
- Packing List
- French Guiana and the $100 Question
- The Outsider's Guide to the Cook Islands
FYI, after I get home later this week, my next trip will be to Nepal and Bhutan towards the end of August. The Bhutan dates are August 24-27th, in case anyone is planning something similar.
I'll also have a Los Angeles meetup on the evening of August 18th in between flights from PDX and to HKG. Any and all FT folks in the area are welcome - time and location to be determined when we get closer to the date.
Thanks for all your support and encouragement! Hope to see some of you somewhere, sometime.
All the best as I continue to wait on Air Asia,
cg
Nov 22, 2009, 1:23 pm
#51
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Just remembered about your blog.
Good to see youre getting closer to your goal.
I will finally hit 100 in 2010. On deck are Yemen, Armenia, Georgia, Nepal and India. Its getting harder and harder
Good to see youre getting closer to your goal.
I will finally hit 100 in 2010. On deck are Yemen, Armenia, Georgia, Nepal and India. Its getting harder and harder
Nov 23, 2009, 3:05 pm
#52
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: PDX and Everywhere
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Posts: 248
Thanks! Congratulations on nearing 100!
Yeah, it's going well over here -- I'm now at 122 (real) countries and counting. I agree that things will start getting more difficult in 2010 and beyond for me too.
Speaking of Armenia and Georgia, I was just there last week.
I was also in Azerbaijan, and it turned out to be a good starting point for overland travel in the region. If you go Azerbaijan-Georgia-Armenia, it's easier than the other way around due to visas and the lack of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. I flew into Baku on LH, took a train to Tbilisi, took a marshrutka (Russian mini-bus) down to Armenia, and flew out of Yerevan on OS.
Yeah, it's going well over here -- I'm now at 122 (real) countries and counting. I agree that things will start getting more difficult in 2010 and beyond for me too.
Speaking of Armenia and Georgia, I was just there last week.
I was also in Azerbaijan, and it turned out to be a good starting point for overland travel in the region. If you go Azerbaijan-Georgia-Armenia, it's easier than the other way around due to visas and the lack of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. I flew into Baku on LH, took a train to Tbilisi, took a marshrutka (Russian mini-bus) down to Armenia, and flew out of Yerevan on OS.
Last edited by deepbluesky; Nov 23, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Jan 6, 2010, 1:49 pm
#53
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Finally hit my 100th country (Qatar) this week.. though of those 100, 5-6 county 'visits' are questionable as they were airport transits.
I agree, Azerbaijan -> Georgia -> Armenia is pretty easy overall.. we did that route several years ago.
I agree, Azerbaijan -> Georgia -> Armenia is pretty easy overall.. we did that route several years ago.
Jan 7, 2010, 1:41 am
#54
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Posts: 248
I'm checking in now from Samoa, #124.
Jan 10, 2010, 8:20 pm
#56
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Posts: 248
Also, I read your recent trip report while in Fiji the other night. What a work of art! I hope you release all of them as some kind of compilation at some point.
See you soon...
Jan 10, 2010, 8:27 pm
#57
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A full time job and the mortgage is standing in the way of my efforts.
No travels planned until the summer, but I should add #100, and it will probably be Bhutan or India, depending if I visit a friend in Norway in June. A year late to my goal of 100 by age 30.
No travels planned until the summer, but I should add #100, and it will probably be Bhutan or India, depending if I visit a friend in Norway in June. A year late to my goal of 100 by age 30.
Jan 11, 2010, 11:04 am
#58
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Jan 13, 2010, 10:41 am
#60
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 356
Hello everyone… and greetings from Calcutta, India. I came in last week on SQ 011 from LAX to Narita, and then ANA 943 from NRT to Mumbai. I’m wrapping up the second part of my trip to India, and will then pick up my first OneWorld RTW ticket in NRT on the way back.
I thought I would use this chance to say thanks to everyone in the FT community for a great deal of inspiration and practical help.
In 2006, I returned to the U.S. after spending four years as an aid worker in West Africa. During my time in Africa, I visited a lot of countries and became comfortable with travel in the developing world.
When I relocated to the U.S., I began a graduate program in Seattle, and on a Circle Pacific trip I first had the idea of visiting every country in the world. At the time I had been to about 50 countries, including a lot of “hard” ones, but the task was still quite daunting.
Depending on how you count them, there are at least 193 countries in the world. The list I’m working with contains 203, including places that are mostly independent but not politically sovereign (Somaliland, Palestine, etc.).
Anyway, after a lot of thought last year, I decided to go for it. Every country in the world… why not? Nothing worth doing is ever easy. I’ll be 30 years old next month, and I put a time limit of five years on my goal—so hopefully I’ll have made it to every country by my 35th birthday in April 2013.
With 75+ countries visited so far, I figure I’ll need about 25 new countries a year to achieve the goal. I’ll be honest and say that I’m really not sure I can do this. I’ve been traveling to about 20-25 countries each year for the past few years, but they aren’t all “new” countries to me, and the more I travel, the harder and more expensive it gets. You run out of places like Belgium pretty soon.
Despite the challenge, though, I’m going to try. I finished my graduate program last week, and before I take on another commitment this fall, I’m doing a lot of traveling to get a good head start.
Now I’m in India, and after leaving here my OneWorld trip will take me to South America and North Africa, among other places. Later in the summer I’m going to Brunei, and I’ll try to get back to sub-Saharan Africa before the end of the year.
The help I’ve received thus far from the community here has really benefited me a great deal. Several folks improved my first OneWorld RTW itinerary, pointing out routes I hadn’t considered and getting me set up for my Platinum Challenge.
Others have helped with seat advice, meal requests, airline choices, flight changes, and all kinds of things either directly or indirectly through your posts to others that also help me.
I read the site every day and am really grateful to all of you.
You can follow my journey, as well as my weekly thoughts on personal development and entrepreneurship, on my new site:
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5
The site is non-commercial—but free ideas can have a lot of value for the right people. I’ve learned a lot from all the free ideas here on FlyerTalk, and I hope I can add value to some of you as well.
You guys are great. Thanks so much. I’ll be in touch.
Happy travels,
Chris
I thought I would use this chance to say thanks to everyone in the FT community for a great deal of inspiration and practical help.
In 2006, I returned to the U.S. after spending four years as an aid worker in West Africa. During my time in Africa, I visited a lot of countries and became comfortable with travel in the developing world.
When I relocated to the U.S., I began a graduate program in Seattle, and on a Circle Pacific trip I first had the idea of visiting every country in the world. At the time I had been to about 50 countries, including a lot of “hard” ones, but the task was still quite daunting.
Depending on how you count them, there are at least 193 countries in the world. The list I’m working with contains 203, including places that are mostly independent but not politically sovereign (Somaliland, Palestine, etc.).
Anyway, after a lot of thought last year, I decided to go for it. Every country in the world… why not? Nothing worth doing is ever easy. I’ll be 30 years old next month, and I put a time limit of five years on my goal—so hopefully I’ll have made it to every country by my 35th birthday in April 2013.
With 75+ countries visited so far, I figure I’ll need about 25 new countries a year to achieve the goal. I’ll be honest and say that I’m really not sure I can do this. I’ve been traveling to about 20-25 countries each year for the past few years, but they aren’t all “new” countries to me, and the more I travel, the harder and more expensive it gets. You run out of places like Belgium pretty soon.
Despite the challenge, though, I’m going to try. I finished my graduate program last week, and before I take on another commitment this fall, I’m doing a lot of traveling to get a good head start.
Now I’m in India, and after leaving here my OneWorld trip will take me to South America and North Africa, among other places. Later in the summer I’m going to Brunei, and I’ll try to get back to sub-Saharan Africa before the end of the year.
The help I’ve received thus far from the community here has really benefited me a great deal. Several folks improved my first OneWorld RTW itinerary, pointing out routes I hadn’t considered and getting me set up for my Platinum Challenge.
Others have helped with seat advice, meal requests, airline choices, flight changes, and all kinds of things either directly or indirectly through your posts to others that also help me.
I read the site every day and am really grateful to all of you.
You can follow my journey, as well as my weekly thoughts on personal development and entrepreneurship, on my new site:
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5
The site is non-commercial—but free ideas can have a lot of value for the right people. I’ve learned a lot from all the free ideas here on FlyerTalk, and I hope I can add value to some of you as well.
You guys are great. Thanks so much. I’ll be in touch.
Happy travels,
Chris