Through travel I first became aware of the outside world; it was through travel that I found my own introspective way into becoming a part of it.”
-Eudora Welty
GOAL: To visit every country in the world by April 7, 2013.
CURRENT STATUS: 149/192
In my quest to visit every country in the world, here’s where I’ve been so far. Each of these countries will eventually have an article or short entry associated with it in the AONC archives.
Other Places:
I’ve also been to the following places that aren’t technically countries, but are geographically or culturally unique:
- Easter Island
- Republic of China (Taiwan)
- Faroe Islands
- Cook Islands
- Canary Islands (6 times!)
- French Guiana
- Hong Kong & Macau
- Most major islands in the Caribbean
- All 7 emirates in the U.A.E. (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, etc.)
- Alaska and Hawaii
- Zanzibar
- Kosovo
What’s Remaining:
- Big Countries: Russia, India, Australia, Mongolia
Most of Latin America (easy)- A few easy countries that have eluded me thus far (Norway,
Portugal, etc.) - Most of the South Pacific (moderately easy, but expensive)
- Central Asia (moderately difficult)
- 30+ African countries (difficult and expensive)
- A number of very hard-to-get-to places that I haven’t thought about much yet: Somaliland, for example.
Countries Temporarily On Hold:
There are a few countries in the world that are currently experiencing some minor disagreements. Until they can learn to get along better, I’ll need to keep them off the upcoming trip list:
Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Afghanistan, and possibly Angola.
Cuba is also on hold during the U.S. embargo (unless I can get a journalism or academic exception from the U.S. government). I know that thousands of Americans go to Cuba every year from Mexico or Canada, and the Cuban government is quite cooperative about it, but I’d like to stay on the right side of the law over here, unfair as it may be.
How Many Countries Are There?
I am working with the list of 192 United Nations member states. I don’t necessarily think this list is 100% reflective of every geopolitical country—places like Palestine and Taiwan should probably be on the list, for example—but when you set a goal you need to have some kind of measuring stick.
The Traveler’s Century Club (TCC), an organization for crazy people like me who collect countries instead of pursuing a more conventional hobby, lists more than 300 countries, but many of these are islands, territories, or colonies. Using the TCC standard, I have currently visited about 150 countries… but to be consistent, my goal will be measured by the standard of U.N. countries.
How It Works
I am a travel hacker. I use Round-the-World plane tickets and a hefty stash of Frequent Flyer Miles to visit more than 25 countries each year. I also like to mix things up a little – sometimes I fly First Class before checking into a $9 a night hostel in Southeast Asia. Sometimes I fly on airlines like Air Moldova and JetStar Asia before sleeping on the floor of the airport. Nothing is constant except the goal: to visit every country in the world before my 35th birthday in April 2013.
For more info on the logistics of how it works, read my Travel FAQ and a few other posts that are linked from that page. You can also check out the Unconventional Guides shop, which offers more details, travel hacks, and step-by-step outlines for how you can live your own unconventional life.
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