Ed Hotchkiss ... On The Quest

Ed Hotchkiss has traveled to 128 countries

Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. Checking in with our new guest, Ed Hotchkiss. As I note in my conversation, Ed and I have shared a lot of face time in less than a year, whether it was in the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Armenia or on trips with ITC Sudan to Sudan and a visit to Djibouti. Ed is also one of those people you hear mentioned every episode since he is a patron.

As I traveled with Ed for a couple of weeks, I always had a keen ear for his travels. One of the interesting attributes he brings is a window of travel over several decades. I won’t spoil the plot, but Ed has been traveling for years whether it is hitchhiking across America, for work, with his great buddy Phil, and his lovely wife Khadija. He is a passionate photographer and has published a massive passion project, a photo book of the people of the NYC subway.

OK, if you have been online, you might have noted that things are heating up for the Extraordinary Travel Festival. This is a reminder, save the date! November 15, 2024, so plenty of time to start planning for the second ETF. What about the location? Great question. Tune in to Every Passport Stamp for the live announcement at 9am EST or GMT -5, and you will learn where this amazing event will take place.

I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons: Justine Kirby, Marc Jorgensen, Sonia Zimmerman, Lori Pastorelli, Carole Southam, Sunir Joshi, Philippe Izedian, Gin, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Thor Pedersen, Adam Hickman, Katelyn Jarvis, Ed Hotchkiss, and Barry Hoffner for supporting this podcast. And new patron, Per Flisberg. Welcome aboard! You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/CountingCountries. My patrons hear extra content with Ed that you will not hear.

I was in Boston for this recording while Ed was in NYC. Go Red Sox. Please listen in and enjoy.

Thank you to my Patrons …. Per, Flisberg, Justine Kirby, Marc Jorgensen, Sonia Zimmermann, Lori Pastorelli, Gintaute Liutkeviciute, Barry Hoffner, Ed Hotchkiss, Katelyn Jarvis, Carole Southam, Thor Pedersen, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles, Ted Nims, Sunir Joshi, Gintaute Liutkeviciute, Philippe Izedian & Dale Wursten.

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More About Ed Hotchkiss Counting Countries

Where were you born?

Denver, Colorado.

What passport (s) do you hold

USA

Favorite travel book

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage (1959) by Alfred Lansing

Special Mention:

Into the Wild (1996) by Jon Krakauer

On the Grand Trunk Road: A Journey Into South Asia (1993) by Steve Coll

On The Road (1957) by Jack Kerouac.

The Motorcycle Diaries (written 1952, published posthumously) by Che Guevara.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968) by Tom Wolfe about Ken Kesey and the “Merry Band of Pranksters” cross-country, psychedelic bus trip.

Stanley: An adventurer explored (1975) by Richard Hall

Favorite travel film

Seven Years in Tibet (1997) starring Brad Pitt based on 1952 memoir Austrian Heinrich Harrer.

Special Mention:

The Man Who Would Be King (1975) with Sean Connery and Michael Caine.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) with Ben Stiller.

Sullivan’s Travels (1941) by Preston Sturges.

Zentropa (1991) An American takes a railway job in Germany just after WWII.

Open Water (2003) fiction, based on real story1991) of an American couple who go scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef and were accidentally left behind.

Night on Earth (1991) 5 different cab drivers adventures in one in 5 American and European cities, directed by Jim Jarmusch.

Favorite travel app or website

NomadMania.com

Special Mention:

TheCrazyTourist.com

AtlasObscura.com

Every Passport Stamp on Facebook

All the individual travel blogs

Must carry item when traveling (like flashlight, Kindle, deck of cards etc.)

Nikon Camera

Favorite food

Fresh fruits and nuts

Favorite drink

Smoothies, lassis and Ayran Turkish yogurt drink.

Favorite airline

Fiji Airways, staff is always polite and considerate, planes are relatively new and 24-hour telephone service where you can speak to an actual person. However, they impose a 7kg weigh limit on carry-ons.

Favorite hotel

Baber Mahal in Kathmandu, a heritage hotel in Nepal. I like this type of sprawling hotel which have various types of architectural styles and are an integral part of a region’s or country’s history.

Do you have a travel map you would like to share?

https://nomadmania.com/profile/41055

About Counting Countries

Counting Countries is the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who’ve spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to every country in the world. Less people have traveled to every country in the world than have been to outer space.

Theme music for this podcast is Demeter’s Dance, written, performed, and provided by Mundi.

About GlobalGaz

Ric Gazarian is the host of Counting Countries. He is the author of three books: Hit The Road: India, 7000 KM To Go, and Photos From Chernobyl. He is the producer of two travel documentaries: Hit The Road: India and Hit The Road: Cambodia.

Ric is also on his own quest to visit every country in the world. You can see where he has traveled so far and keep up with his journey at GlobalGaz.com

How Many Countries Are There?

Well… that depends on who you ask!

The United Nations states that there are 193 member states.
The British Foreign and Commonwealth office states that there are 226 countries and territories.
The Traveler’s Century Club states that there are 330 sovereign nations, territories, enclaves, and islands.
The Nomad Mania divides the world into 1301 regions.
The Most Traveled Person states that there are 1500 unique parts of the world.
SISO says there are 3,978 places in the world.
And the video that explains it all!
Me? My goal is the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, but I am sure I will visit some other places along the way.