Hey guys, thanks for reading my first post on my new travel blog. Saying I love to travel would be an understatement. Some might even say I have locational ADD -- I can't sit still or stay in one place too long! I got the travel bug when I did my first study abroad in college -- two semesters in Buenos Aires and one semester circumnavigating the globe on a ship known as Semester at Sea. Today I have visited 71 countries on 6 continents and there is no end in sight. I am on a mission to break the record for being the youngest female to visit every country in the world! I have already called Guinness World Records and submitted my application -- currently they have no official record in place for this category, so I could be the first.
So how many countries are there, you ask? Well, there are many different lists to go by, some of which include territories, but to make things simpler and easier to measure from here on out I will go by the United Nations list, which currently has 193 member countries. So out of my 71 that I've been to only 66 are UN-recognized. Personally, I feel Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, Palestine, Kosovo, and many others should count as countries, but for the purpose of this world record I will stick to the UN list. By November I hope to visit 34 more countries to hit the 100 country mark and be halfway towards achieving my goal. Then to celebrate this milestone I will go to Antarctica to spend my 30th birthday on the 7th continent with the penguins!
I truly believe travel is the best way to break down stereotypes, prejudices, and narrow-mindedness. It is the best education you can receive and the best investment you can make towards your future -- which is why it is important to start now! I want to show all of you that it is possible for anyone to travel, male or female, no matter what your age or budget. There are no excuses. Just go for it. Be fearless. As a society we have been taught to be afraid of those who are different than us. Simply by changing your mindset from "Fear Thy Neighbor" to "Friend Thy Neighbor" you will see how quickly your experience will change for the better. We are a lot more similar than you think.
I invite you to join me as I tackle this lifelong dream of mine and to follow me every step of the way through my blog and social media. I am planning on taking off in the beginning of June. On the first leg of this journey I will visit as much of Africa and the Middle East as possible before going to Antarctica. I am aiming to launch a crowdfunding campaign by the end of this month in which I will raise money to help cover the costs of filming, editing, and documenting my journey as I attempt to break the world record and eventually packaging it into my own travel series. I am not asking you to fund a vacation - I am asking for help in breaking a world record and the hefty costs associated with producing a travel show. Through this process I hope to bring attention to causes that are often overlooked. I will volunteer with a charity named
AmaniKids.org -- dedicated to protecting Tanzania's most vulnerable population: impoverished children. I will have more details on this shortly, but I encourage each and every one of you to show some support and donate whatever amount with which you feel comfortable. Every little bit makes a difference and you could be a part of history in the making (or breaking)! So what are you waiting for?!
