Hundreds of people have traveled to every country in the world, with notable examples including Lexie Alford (youngest person to visit all sovereign nations), Jessica Nabongo (first Black woman to document visiting every country), Thor Pedersen (first to do so without flying), Rauli Virtanen (early pioneer), and individuals like Rachel Davey, Anderson Dias, and Luisa Yu, highlighting a growing community of "extreme travelers" who achieve this challenging feat, often inspiring others and breaking records.
Although there is no official tally, it is widely estimated that roughly 400 people in the world have been to every country. By comparison, more than 600 people have gone into outer space.
Advice from a 79-year-old who has been to all 193 countries Luisa Yu spent the past five decades plotting to see all 193 U.N.-recognized countries. To realize her dream, she faced numerous visa hurdles and, later in life, made a career change.
Luisa Yu, a woman from the province of Leyte in the Philippines, had a strong impulse to explore the world during her youth. Back then, the idea of traveling seemed like a distant dream. However, she turned that dream into reality by visiting all 193 United Nations member nations.
Cameron Mofid has seen every nation in the world by the age of 25. NBC 7's Derek Togerson spoke to the world traveler. There are 195 countries on Earth. Show him a map, and San Diego native Cameron Mofid can tell you where every single one of them is — but not because he's studied the globe.
France consistently ranks as the #1 tourist destination in the world, attracting over 100 million visitors annually due to its rich culture, iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, diverse landscapes from the Riviera to Provence, and world-renowned cuisine and wines. Spain, the United States, and Italy typically follow in the top spots, though figures vary slightly by source.
2) Yugoslavia
Located in the west-central part of the Balkan Peninsula, Yugoslavia was a former country that existed from 1929 until 2003, and was one of the largest in the Balkans. Six republics comprised the country: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.
Ibn Battuta – a medieval Moroccan Muslim traveler and scholar, who is widely recognised as one of the greatest travelers of all time. He is known for his extensive travels, accounts of which were published in The Rihla (lit. "Journey").
The 20th smallest country by area is often listed as Bahrain, with an area around 780-787 sq km, though the exact ranking can vary slightly by source, with Tonga and Dominica often just above or below it, showcasing that lists of the smallest nations are very close in this range.
Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries - Guinness World Records The fastest time to visit all sovereign countries is 1 year 134 days, and was achieved by Michael Zervos (USA) between 17 January 2024 and 30 May 2025.
Veley, the founder of Most Traveled People, estimates you could visit all 193 countries for about $1,000 a country and all 1,500 countries and other areas the group recognizes at an average cost of $500 apiece.
Of the more than 8 billion people in the world, it's estimated less than 1% have been to all seven continents.
A new survey in the UK says that some 15% of British people have never been abroad on holiday! According to research commissioned by Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance, 6.96 million Brits have only ever taken their holidays on home shores and this tendency rises with age, with 21% of the 65+ market being homebirds.
The Travelers' Century Club, or TCC, is a club for people who have visited 100 or more of the world's countries and territories. The organization was founded in California in 1954 and now has more than 1,400 members throughout the world.
In medium-travel nations, people who have traveled to five or more countries are considered to have high travel experience. If they've traveled to four countries or fewer, they have low travel experience.
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France consistently ranks as the #1 tourist destination in the world, attracting over 100 million visitors annually due to its rich culture, iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, diverse landscapes from the Riviera to Provence, and world-renowned cuisine and wines. Spain, the United States, and Italy typically follow in the top spots, though figures vary slightly by source.
Luca Pferdmenges of Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, now holds the world record for the youngest person to have travelled to all 195 countries across the world.
WW2 soldiers carried condoms primarily for disease prevention (STDs like syphilis and gonorrhea) and for practical combat uses, such as keeping sand and mud out of their rifle barrels, protecting small items, or even as makeshift waterproof bags, although the weapon-protection use is sometimes exaggerated in popular culture. The military distributed them widely (often in "prophylactic kits") to maintain troop strength, recognizing the significant manpower lost to venereal diseases in past conflicts.
According to the Freedom House Freedom Index from 2024, Turkmenistan and South Sudan were the two least free countries in the world that year. The index measures the level of political rights and civil liberties in a country.
Kiribati, specifically its Line Islands (like Kiritimati), is the first country to celebrate the New Year, followed closely by Samoa, Tonga, and New Zealand's Chatham Islands, all thanks to their location just west of the International Date Line. These Pacific island nations usher in January 1st hours before most other countries, making them the first to welcome the new year.
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