Vanuatu – 117th Country
Vanuatu – 117th Country. To see where I have been so far, check out my map as I count down the final 93 countries on the road to all 193 UN countries. Vanuatu is my 117th country. Check out the best 193 travel books to read! Vanuatu a small Pacific nation gained its independence from joint French-British rule in 1980. Only 250,000 people call this nation home. A short, direct flight from Nadi would deposit me in the capital of Port Vila. My six night trip was condensed to only two nights. Due to a medical concern, I cut my trip short to receive medical help. Hopefully, I will be able to return to explore the country. Read about my eventful stay in Vanuatu Vanuatu – 117th Country
Have I Really Been To Vanuatu?
Have I Really Been To Vanuatu? I am part of a community who is attempting to travel to every country in the world. According to the United Nations there are 193 countries. So far I have been to 117 countries which sounds impressive, until you realize I still have to travel to 76 countries. It is believed that less than 200 people have traveled to every country in the world, making it more of an exclusive club then those who have traveled to outer space, who number over 500. There is a very active and passionate group of individuals who are on a quest to enter this august club. There is a heated debate on what counts as visiting a country. A passport stamp, sleeping overnight, tapping your foot over the border, airline transfers, a travel experience? There is no universal governing body dictating the rules of what defines a visit. But the online community of country counters passionately argues their position, and often it evolves into arguments and insults. Read about the insults and death rates [...]
Fiji – 116th Country
Fiji – 116th Country. To see where I have been so far, check out my map as I count down the final 93 countries on the road to all 193 UN countries. Fiji is my 116th country. Check out the best 193 travel books to read! A five night trip to Fiji was unfortunately shortened to two nights. A brutal snowstorm ripped through the Northeast shutting down the airport in Boston. My flight to Fiji was rescheduled for three days later. Fiji a South Pacific Island gained its independence from the Brits in 1970. I was surprised to learn that nearly 40% of the people on Fiji have an Indian background. They were brought to Fiji by the Brits as indentured workers to farm sugar cane during the 19th century. Many remained after their contract. My brief time in Fiji was spent lounging around at the Hilton Resort and also spending a day with Coral Cats on a day snorkel trip. Even though it was a short trip, it was great to escape the [...]
Jonny Blair – 113 countries … a Northern Irishman in Poland
[Download .mp3] Jonny has been on the road for nearly a decade in a half and has covered a lot of ground. Jonny was inspired to travel by both ice cream and football. He sold ice cream for four summers in his twenties and his coworkers hailed from 20 different countries, opening his eyes to the world. Jonny’s other passion is football. And as a kid he collected stickers of World Cup competitors from around the world. Jonny loves travel and he has a special interest in micronations. Jonny has met Jonathan I, Emperor of Austenasia and was the first backpacker to visit the nation. He also visited the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a unique political and geographical entity. Jonny shares stories of traveling to New Zealand and partaking in adventure sports and meeting tons of other travelers. He explains the challenges of traveling in China and the rewards that are earned by visiting this amazing nation. He shares with us the beauty of Afghanistan and his discomfort when visiting Venezuela. Jonny joined me [...]
Quarantine On The Friendship Highway, Part IV
Quarantine On The Friendship Highway, Part IV. Real fear and paranoia set in. It was our fourth day and for all intensive purposes we were in an information black out. The day began like Groundhog Day, the same as the day before. The Yetis silently crept into our room with thermometers clutched in their white latex gloved hands. I stirred awake in my damp bed and stared at my roommate Jessica as I propped my body up in the bed to get my morning temperature reading. This is a multipart story, to start from the beginning, click here. All of my fellow imprisoned friends eventually shuffled their way out of their rooms and headed to the lobby. I poked my chopstick against the morning slop, lazily stirring the food in the prison-like metal tray. The gossip and speculation began anew. When would we be released? Tomorrow? A week? A month? No one knew, but we all felt comfortable presenting our own pet theories. The Yetis getting ready for their mid-morning temperature reading Chewy entered the [...]
A Year In Review: 2017
A Year In Review: 2017. It was another crazy year of travel in 2017. I continued exploring new countries, visiting my 115th country in September when I touched down in Palau in September. There are 193 countries recognized by the UN, so that means I still have 78 more to travel. Besides visiting Palau, I traveled to 11 other new countries in chronological order: Belize Monaco Andorra Algeria Burkina Faso Niger Tunisia Bolivia Chile Paraguay Federated States of Micronesia Palau I have almost finished Europe with just four countries left: Ireland (how have I not been there yet!), San Marino, Cyprus and Monaco. South America is nearly done, with three countries being left: Venezuela, Suriname, and Guyana. I have just begun to tip my toe in regard to the Pacific Islands, but I also have three other new ones scheduled for January of 2018. And Africa remains my biggest challenge. I have only visited 11 countries on this massive continent with 54 countries. And of course there were many repeats … 13 in fact. For someone who [...]
