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Michael Zervos has been to every country in the world   Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. This is a bonus episode with Michael Zervos.  I interviewed Michael back in December of 2023, before he had started his quest.  His quest?  To travel to every country in the world in the quickest possible time.  We have heard this before … someone who wants to break the GWR.  And many in the community would ask what is the point?  This is not a race.  What will the traveler gain from spending just a day or two in each country? And once the record is broken, it will be broken again.  First it was Cassie de Pecol, and then Taylor Demonbreun, who currently holds the GWR for quickest at 554 days to every country in the world.  The current male GWR holder is Robson Jesus at 772 days.  On a random note, I met Robson in Phuket, his second country on his quest.  Former guest, Indy Nelson claimed 539 days to every country.  Anderson Dias traveled 543 [...]

Jenna Pava has been to 181 countries Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. I had the pleasure of meeting Jenna Pava at the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Bangkok, only to discover that we were also  (distant) neighbors in the city. This conversation offered another fantastic opportunity to dive into the story of a truly compelling traveler in our community. Jenna’s early life was marked by a tug-of-war between her birthplace in Russia and her new home in the United States, shaping a deep sense of resilience from a young age. Remarkably, her travel journey took two major turns for the better—both triggered by moments of disappointment when friends let her down. In this episode, we explore the transformative power of those experiences and much more as Jenna makes her way toward visiting all 193 countries.   I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons.  You know them, you love them!  Bisa “fully nomadic” Myles, Ted Nims, Adam “one-away” Hickman, Steph “Phuket” Rowe, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ed Hotchkiss, Barry Hoffner, [...]

We Married Adventure have been to 149 & 148 countries Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian.  I met Angela and Michael Ballard, the couple behind We Married Adventure, who I met at the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Bangkok.  Angela and Michael at times pushed and pulled between a 9-5 lifestyle and travel.  A wedding vow, an insane travel sabbatical and a retirement from work propelled them fully into the world of extreme travel.  I am fortunate to have these amazing conversations to learn about my guest’s amazing and unique lives.  Angela and Michael did not disappoint.   I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons.  You know them, you love them!  Bisa “fully nomadic” Myles, Ted Nims, Adam “one-away” Hickman, Steph “Phuket” Rowe, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ed Hotchkiss, Barry Hoffner, Katelyn Jarvis, Philippe “BC” Izedian, Gin Liutkeviciute, Sunir Joshi, Carole Southam, Sonia Zimmermann, Justine, Per Flisberg, Jorge Serpa, Phil “Marmaduke” Marcus, Sam Williams,  Scott Day, and Dana Mahoutchian for supporting this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going [...]

Sam Goodwin has traveled to every country in the world Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian.  This conversation was a long time in the making.  In fact, this interview was originally scheduled in 2020.  But as we say, better late than never.  Sam Goodwin back in the day was just one of us … Chasing 193.  But his life was changed forever during his visit to country 181, Syria.  As 193ers, we are constantly pushing the envelope.  What we consider standard or normal travel is to others somewhere between poorly conceived to outright insanity.  Soon after entering Syria, Sam was imprisoned by the Assad government and spent over 60 days in prison.  This is the real deal, the stuff of nightmares.  This is an incredibly, compelling conversation, and a reminder of the risks we take in the community.   I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons.  You know them, you love them!  Bisa “fully nomadic” Myles, Ted Nims, Adam “one-away” Hickman, Steph “Phuket” Rowe, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ed [...]

Hey now, this is your host, Ric Gazarian.  And today, we have a special episode.  The mission of this podcast is to speak to travelers who have been to every country in the world or who are in the process of completing that goal.  And, this is an amazing community of individuals which I am fortunate to get to speak with. This episode is a bit different since Vance is not Chasing 193, but he is very well traveled.  He comes more from the 2nd passport / permanent residency world, which overlaps here and there with some members of the 193 community. Vance has been a virtual friend of mine for several years.  I have been hosted twice by Vance on his podcast, My Latin Life.  You can check out my recent episode on your favorite podcast player in February.   I wanted to use this opportunity to learn more about Vance and his world. I was in Boston for this conversation while Vance was in Portugal.  Please listen in and enjoy. And remember to sign up for [...]