Hayley Kennedy … Overcoming Obstacles
Hayley has traveled to every country in the world Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. I started to follow Hayley in the last year or two on Instagram. And over the last several months we started sharing some messages. She has just completed her journey to every country in the world and I wanted to learn about her adventures as well as her two physical disabilities and how she overcame these challenges. The next Extraordinary Travel Festival will be held on November 15, 2024 in Bangkok. At the festival, we will have over 20 amazing speakers. Sort of like the TEDx of travel. Think Thor Pedersen, Francis Tapon, the Sultan Randy Williams, and so many more. You can buy your ticket now and use the code BANGKOK to save big at the Extraordinary Travel Fest. If you have questions, just let me know. I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons: Phil Marcus, Jorge Serpa, Per Flisberg, Justine Kirby, Marc Jorgensen, Sonia Zimmerman, Lori Pastorelli, Carole Southam, Sunir [...]
Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #4 – Joe Cummings
To hear the entire podcast join us on patreon.com or Apple Podcast subscription. Join us in Bangkok for the Extraordinary Travel Festival in November of 2024. Please use code – BANGKOK – to save $120. Reserve your place today. Want to go to Bhutan? Join us on our side trip to Bhutan. Or you can join us on a tour to UNESCO Thailand. For those in the know when it comes to Thailand, you must know the name Joe Cummings. Joe has been living in Thailand since the late 1970s and has a resume that will rival the most interesting person in the room. He wrote the first Lonely Planet Thailand guide in the early 1980s, plays in a rock band around Bangkok, is a film and TV actor, his written over 30 books, speaks Thai fluently, and is an expert in Sak Yant Tattoos. His wealth of knowledge and years in Thailand gives him an unique perspective on the country and region. I am very excited to have him as a speaker at the ETF. You can follow him on [...]
Visiting Libya: What You Need To Know
BRIEF RECAP When someone mentions Libya to me, I recall the oversized revolutionary figure of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and the brutal civil war. Gaddafi ruled this North African country from 1969 to 2011. Gaddafi rose to power when he overthrew King Idris, who had come to power after the Italians. Gaddafi was a colorful character who at times promoted pan-Arabism, then Pan-Africanism and even rapprochement with the west. He supported revolutionary movements throughout Africa as well as terrorism, including the bombing of Pan Am 103. Libya was swept up in the Arab Spring of 2011 which resulted in the killing of Gaddafi by rebel forces. Years of internecine fighting took place in Libya, and today an uneasy peace holds with separate power centers in the east and west of the country. Muammar Gaddafi VISITING LIBYA ***Update*** Libya is now using an evisa system. Libya is one of the more challenging countries to visit. There is virtually no tourism and limited tourism infrastructure. The visa is challenging to attain. Speaking to a Libyan on the same [...]
Raiiq Ridwan … The Travel Bug
Raiiq has traveled to 118 countries Hey now and Happy New Year to all! I am your host, Ric Gazarian. I knew Raiiq from EPS and had the pleasure of meeting him at the ETF in Armenia. I was spurred to learn more about him after a recent post in EPS detailing his challenges with carrying a Bangladeshi passport. We all know Chasing 193 is no easy feat, and Raiiq shares with us an additional set of impediments he faces to complete his goal. The next Extraordinary Travel Festival will be held on November 15, 2024 in Bangkok. I am also excited to announce optional trips, one for UNESCO Thailand and 3 different agendas to Bhutan before and after the festival. Check out the website or send me a message. You can buy your ticket now and use the code BANGKOK to save big at the Extraordinary Travel Fest. If you have questions, just let me know. I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons: Phil Marcus, Jorge Serpa, Per [...]
Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #3
Join us in Bangkok for the Extraordinary Travel Festival in November of 2024. Please use code – BANGKOK – to save $120. Reserve your place today. Want to go to Bhutan? Join us on our side trip to Bhutan. Or you can join us on a tour to UNESCO Thailand. I am happy to introduce a new speaker at the ETF, David Van Driessche. I consider David a Papua New Guinea product expert. He has spent a cumulative one year over the last five year in PNG as the founder of Tribes of Papua New Guinea. David will be sharing his tips for traveling independently in PNG. He is a professional photographer, and you will be impressed with his skills. We also have two special guests joining us on the episode after my conversation with David. Both of these guests attended the first event in Armenia and they will be joining us in Bangkok. I wanted to use this opportunity to learn more about them. John McKenzie is a travel content creator documenting his travels from around the globe. [...]
A Year In Review 2023
I got my travel mojo back! 2020, 2021 & 2022 were all years of limited travel and missed opportunities. F Covid! This year was my year of revenge travel, and I came out of the gate swinging. (There are great affiliates in this post.) I ended 2022 at 152 countries. And this year I made some serious progress while Chasing 193. I visited 19 new countries bringing me to 171 UN member countries. I can finally see the end of the horizon with 22 UN member countries remaining. 22 does not seem like an insurmountable number at this point. The New Ones. Africa is considered by many who are Chasing 193 to be the most challenging continent with 54 countries. And in the last couple of years, I made a substantial effort to visit these countries. I am happy to report I am now at 52/54 with just Libya and Sao Tome remaining. I left Boston in early January for a 65-day visit to Africa. Finally visiting Djibouti and Sudan. This was my 4th effort to visit [...]
