I’ve at all times been adventurous. That’s why, in 2013, I set myself a objective to journey to each nation on the earth. I grew up in Louisiana, and my household went on street journeys throughout the US. After I was 13, I visited family members in Texas and we went to a city in Mexico. It was so completely different from what I’d identified.
After I was a scholar, I didn’t journey so much. However in my late 20s, I began working in income and merchandise for American Airways and will get free flights if there have been empty seats. As soon as, there have been flights from Dallas to Caracas in Venezuela, so I went on my own to go scuba diving on some distant islands.
My first massive journeys have been to Vietnam and India. I keep in mind arriving in Hanoi and seeing all of the motorbikes whizzing by. I had a bucket record of locations to go to, together with Easter Island and the Nice Wall of China. Seeing issues constructed by historical civilisations reminds you ways small you’re on the earth.
After 12 years on the airline, I joined a expertise firm, and travelled a lot for the job. In 2012, I counted the variety of nations I’d been to. I’d clocked up about 90, so I made a decision to attempt to hit 100 – which I did the subsequent yr. At that time, I made it my objective to go to the entire 193 UN member states.
There have been many highlights. In 2017, I did an Everest base camp path and a helicopter tour, so I bought to see the height. It made me tear up. In Svalbard, a group of islands off Norway, I noticed a whole photo voltaic eclipse, which was surreal: all the pieces goes darkish. I met a matriarchal tribe within the Bijagós Islands in Guinea-Bissau. The ladies have been actually outgoing and the lads reserved.
At instances, I fearful I wouldn’t be capable to get to each nation. Getting into North Korea – it’s doable to go for those who’re on a guided tour – my pal and I had a drawback. You’re not allowed to soak up any motion pictures that function the nation. I bought by way of safety, however my pal had the film Salt on his laptop computer – and Angelina Jolie performs a spy imprisoned in North Korea. He was detained. After a number of hours, they let him go, however saved his laptop computer. We have been on edge that entire journey. I’ve needed to negotiate geopolitics: I managed to go to Syria in 2019, throughout the small window when People might get visas.
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Individuals have usually advised me that solo journey might be harmful for ladies, however I’ve principally felt secure. There have been a number of instances once I’ve felt uncomfortable, however I’ve realized to concentrate on my environment and plan transport upfront.
Within the US, we don’t get a lot break day work, however I used all of mine to journey. Having the ability to go overseas on enterprise helped, too. I’ve spent lots of of hundreds of {dollars} to do that – possibly $500,000 (£385,000) or extra. Since I began my journey, there’s been much more consciousness of the environmental affect of journey. It helped that lots of my journeys used empty seats on planes, or have been for enterprise. Now I don’t work full-time, I favor gradual journey and take fewer flights.
In June 2019, I stop my job to take a year-long sabbatical to journey. In March 2020, the pandemic meant I needed to go house, which was then Texas. I had solely 4 nations left to go to: Cape Verde, Nigeria, Namibia and Mozambique.
Finally, locations began opening up once more. Namibia was first – I spent two weeks there. It’s a magical place: I went to the large sand dunes and watched cheetahs up shut at Etosha nationwide park. In December 2020, I visited Mozambique, the final nation on my record. There, I felt an amazing sense of accomplishment. It was the end result of greater than 20 years of journey. I used to be by myself, however I FaceTimed my pal and celebrated with a glass of wine.
This expertise has taught me there’s so much I don’t know concerning the world. I’ve realized that despite the fact that all of us have completely different cultures, religions and life, individuals need the identical issues: house, household, love and safety. I’ve additionally realized that you simply don’t want as a lot as you suppose to be completely happy. In 2022, I moved from the US to Lisbon, the place individuals are much less targeted on consumption.
Visiting each nation on the earth has made me extra snug with being uncomfortable, whether or not that’s travelling, private challenges, or transferring to a brand new nation. I nonetheless love being adventurous – and I’ve realized I can push myself greater than I believe.
As advised to Isabelle Aron
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