Can you visit all 196 countries?

Q: Has anyone been to all 197 countries?

American Drew Binskys interest in travel began while he was studying abroad in Prague. Hes now been to 197 countries and territories.

A quest to visit all 193 United Nations-recognized countries dramatically shapes one Member’s perspective on travel.

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Is it possible to visit all 195 countries?
Has anyone been to all 196 countries?
Has anyone been to all 197 countries?
Is it possible to visit all the countries in the world?

An Exclusive Resorts Member since 2006, Jim Kitchen, 55, says travel is in his DNA.

The youngest of five, he spent his childhood summers in the back of a wood-paneled station wagon, road-tripping with his family from Florida to Washington State. After college, he abandoned his plans to join the CIA and launched a travel company that sold Caribbean tours.

“I joke that I traded Moscow for Montego Bay,” he says. After he sold the company in 2005, he wasn’t sure what his next chapter of life would look like, but he knew world travel would play a central role. “I think traveling is what most people live for when they are not stuck doing the mundane to finance their next escape,” he says. Based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Kitchen started teaching at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. On a whim, he Googled the number of countries in the world and realized he’d already been to half of them. He thought: Why not see them all? Over the past 30 years, he’s had meaningful experiences in all 193 United Nations-recognized countries. Here, he shares highlights from his globetrotting adventures.

How have you changed as a traveler over the years?

As a young person, I was a collector of places. I raced around ticking boxes. Grand Canyon, check! What’s next? On this big journey, I started to realize it’s not nearly as much fun to collect as it was to connect.

How do you connect with people in a new destination, especially when there is a language barrier?

I look for organic experiences. I probably worked about 100 jobs throughout my trips. I’d see people picking bananas in Cameroon and stop and spend time with them. A lot of developing countries connect over food, so I washed carrots in Afghanistan, picked vegetables in Colombia, roasted cashews in Guinea-Bissau, and made shawarma in Libya.

Can you share an eye-opening moment from your travels?

I was in a crowded market in Afghanistan surrounded by foreign sights, sounds, and smells. People were dressed differently and speaking loudly in this strange language. But when I paused to take it all in, I realized these people are so dissimilar to me yet we all share similar hopes, dreams, and bitter disappointments.

How did you strategize your world travel? How much time did you give yourself to make those connections?

I would do three to four weeks of travel at a time, spending three to four days per country. I might fly to Kiev, drive 300 miles south to see a former Russian mission silo, tour the facility, then drive through the countryside to return to Kiev and hit the opera. I call it power traveling—you see more than most people do in one week. I always had a driver and guide and would stay at a hotel in the heart of town so I could walk out and connect with locals.

A lot of people globetrot in their post-college years, but you embarked on this journey when you were married with two children. How did you incorporate family into your travels?

I think as we get older we become more fearful of the journey we want to take. It feels like there is more at stake. I truly believe visiting new places is the most noble activity we can do. It was important that my family be part of this journey and I took them to the less risky countries. I can tell my kids about poverty but for them to see it in the streets of Delhi, India, gives it context and has a lifelong impact. It makes them so grateful for what they have back home.

What country surprised you most?

Gabon in West Africa is the coolest place on the planet. There is the most amazing rainforest and it meets Africa’s most beautiful beach. If that’s not enough, elephants come out in the morning to frolic on the beach.

What's next?

I told my wife my journey served as a scouting trip. I’m making a list of all of the unbelievably fabulous places I want us to go back to as a family. Having walked in every country, I’m now hoping to see it from space. I also plan to write a book about my experience.

Lexie Alford, 23, recently made history as the youngest person to travel to every country.
Alford used a combination of boats, trains, and planes to obtain the world record.
She particularly enjoyed train trips, which allowed her to watch stunning landscapes whizz by.

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Lexie Alford from Nevada City, California, recently broke the Guinness World Record to become the youngest person to travel to every country in the world.

At the age of 23, she visited 196 countries in an effort to challenge herself and push the limits of what she believed was possible for a female solo traveler.

Lexie primarily used planes, boats, and trains to get around. She highlighted the latter mode of transport as her favorite, "since you can stare out the window at the ever-changing landscapes," she told Insider.

Commuting on trains is almost a form of "slow travel," Alford said. "You can watch entire countries go flying past."

Alford said it took her three years to travel to every country and break the world record. She started traveling when she was very young because her mother owned a travel agency in California.

"I grew up joining my mom on her work trips around the world — in more than 70 countries — and after saving up for more than six years and graduating from college at 18, I decided to embark on my own adventures," she said.

Indonesia was a treasured spot for Alford because of its underwater diving experiences. Lexie Alford

It was not all plain sailing, however, and there were many obstacles Alford encountered, including arranging visas to enter some countries. It took months to obtain them for Venezuela, Pakistan, and others, she said.

But the challenges were outweighed by the memorable experiences Alford enjoyed on her solo adventures. "There's so many incredible experiences that can come out of traveling alone because you are more open to the hospitality and interactions with locals than you would be when you are in a big group of people," she said.

"For the most well-preserved history in the world, I love Egypt. For the kindness of locals, I had an amazing experience in Northern Pakistan," she said.

In Libya. Lexie Alford

She added: "The most unique island in the world, in my opinion, is Iceland: the land of fire and ice. For the most incredible natural beauty, I loved visiting Angel Falls in Venezuela."

When it comes to other modes of transportation Alford used on her journey, she said traveling on planes has been both a good and bad experience.

In Iran. Lexie Alford

"I've traveled with an extremely wide variety of airlines around the world and for the most part, they all had terrible food!" she said.

Alford said she typically traveled on airlines like Delta and KLM. "I've absolutely loved the quality of these airlines and I always look forward to flying with them," she said. In particular, the overall quality of the seats and cleanliness was superior, she added.

Alford had the pleasure of meeting a variety of people and encountering different cultures on her trip. But the most valuable experience of all was discovering a new sense of independence, she said.

There are also several life lessons she's learned. "When it comes to traveling alone, especially as a woman, it's extremely important to use common sense," she said.

When traveling to countries that are perceived as dangerous or unstable, Alford said she learned to remember that things can change at any time and that's something you have to accept going into these kinds of experiences. "The only thing you can control is your mindset," she said.

For Alford, nothing beats traveling, which she described as her favorite part of being alive. "But I would be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying taking time over the past year to recover from all the wear and tear I've done to my body over the past few years," she added.

Is it possible to visit all 195 countries?

Jessica Nabongo traveled to all 195 nations and became the first Black woman to have documented this feat. “Travel with kindness, travel with positive energy and without fear,” says Jessica Nabongo, shown in Bhutan during her successful quest to see every nation on Earth.

Has anyone been to all 196 countries?

Anderson Dias Visited all 195 Countries in Record-Breaking Time - Full-Time Travel.

Has anyone been to all 197 countries?

American Drew Binsky's interest in travel began while he was studying abroad in Prague. He's now been to 197 countries and territories.

Is it possible to visit all the countries in the world?

There are currently around 150 known people that have visited every country in the world, but there are sure to be many more. Some notable individuals include: James Asquith – James Asquith holds the Guinness World Record for youngest person ever to visit every country in the world.