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Visiting Every Country On Earth
Most travelers have a "life list". That is to say, a list of travel destinations that are amongst their "must see", such as the Great Pyramids or Machu Picchu. Others set goals to visit certain countries, selecting ones that appeal to them on some level. That's exactly what Chris Guillebeau did when he was 22 and working in Africa for an international charity group. At the time, Guillebeau says, that he was traveling a lot within Africa itself, and making frequent trips back to Europe as well. He was visiting a lot of unique and interesting places, and remained fascinated with the cultures that he saw.
Then, in 2006, at the age of 28, he set a goal for himself to visit 100 countries before he turned 30, somehting he accomplished last year. But in this interview for the New York Times, he admits that about halfway through his quest to reach triple digits, he began to realize that he was setting his sights too low, and has now set a new goal for himself - to visit every country on the planet before he turns 35.
Of course, with all of this travel, Guillebeau knows all the tricks to make things as easy as possible. He generally has upgrades to first class on domestic flights, many of which he trades away to other passengers, and he recently talked his way onto a flight to Karachi, without the proper paperwork or visas to enter the country. He also knows how to play the system to get as many frequent flier miles as possible, something he shared with us a few months back.
I have to hand it to Chris. When he creates a life list, he doesn't think small. My question is, what do you do when you hit age 35 and you've already visited everywhere? He better hope Virgin Galactic expands its routes, and quickly.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, Antarctica, Budget Travel












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tina Marshall Apr 24th 2009 12:35PM
Hello! Ever visited Peterman's Eye Travel? It is a great travel community for curious and wandering minds....thought I'd share!
http://www.petermanseye.com/travel
Cheers!
Morgan Apr 27th 2009 3:10PM
I love to see publicity about this guy! His writing can get a little controversial, I guess, but he's got some amazing stories, great tips, and a very up-front and logical business plan.
Chris Guillebeau Apr 24th 2009 6:59PM
Thanks so much, Kraig! I really appreciate the props.
I still have a lot of countries to go, so I'm not too worried about what will come next. That's a great suggestion about Virgin Galactic... we'll have to see what kind of credit cards they come out with. :)
All the best from Guyana,
Chris
Kraig Apr 24th 2009 7:25PM
My pleasure Chris!
I'll keep my eyes peeled for the Virgin Galactic Credit Card myself, and while you're in Guyana, try to make it out to Roraima.
Keep up the great work!
Rogers Loo May 12th 2009 1:01AM
I envy you a lot since you've been to so many states! I am a Chinese and wonder whether you've got your step on china and if not, i advise you to come here and i promise you that you will be very surprised by this old country.
by the way, you'd better not to go to big cities in china, coz there is little difference from other country's modern cities! you'd better go to west china and you will find a mysterious and ancient nation there.
Best wishes, God be always with you!!:)