Counting Countries

Tan Wee Cheng … An Iconoclast

Tan Wee Cheng has traveled to 187 countries Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. Wee Cheng, a regional neighbor, and I have communicated on and off for several years, but like many of us in the community we were only virtual acquaintances.  That changed when I met Wee Cheng in person at an extreme travel dinner in Singapore last year and then a more recent catchup in Honolulu.  I was surprised to learn about Wee Cheng’s longevity as a traveler and also noted how he is a bit of an iconoclast...

Elena Chechina … A Lost Day Of Your Life

Elena Chechina has traveled to 158 countries   Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian.  I met Elena back at the ETF in Yerevan and started to realize what a unique life she was leading.  She is a true global citizen with true family connections to Europe, Asia, and Africa.  Elena has somehow managed to balance the multiple moving parts of her life … 3 children, a spouse who lives and works in Northern Africa, a full time job, and of course Chasing 193.  In this conversation, we learn how she m...

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 Ban...

Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #4

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.  . Want to go to Bhutan?    Or you can join us on a tour to. 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 fir...

Raiiq Ridwan … The Travel Bug

This is the second publication of this interview.  The first podcast had a corrupted file.  All audio from the first interview had been deleted after 1 hr and 31 minutes.  This publication is the full file.   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 ...

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.  . Want to go to Bhutan?    Or you can join us on a tour to . I am happy to introduce a new speaker at the ETF, .  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 .  David will be sharing his tips for traveling independently in PNG.  He is a professional photographer, and you will be im...

Thor Pedersen … He Did It!I

Thor Pedersen has traveled to every country in the world Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. Checking in with multi-repeat guest and travel legend, Thor Pedersen of Once Upon A Saga.  For those of us in the know, Thor recently finished a nearly 10 year journey to every country in the world without flying in an unbroken journey with a minimum of 24 hours in each country.  These additional rules that Thor instituted increased the complexity and length of this journey in addition to the globa...

Zach Forbes … Passion For People

Zach Forbes has traveled to 140 countries   Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. I am excited to introduce Zach Forbes, our new guest this month.  Zach was a character I saw all around social media and connected to many of my friends.  I finally met him face to face in Yerevan at the Extraordinary Travel Festival.  Zach is a true global citizen, raised in Canada and the US.  He also lived in China, Dubai, and Vancouver while traveling to 140 countries.   As some of you might have heard the ...

Extraordinary Travel Festival Update II #2 With Lakshmi Parthasarathy

Join us in Bangkok for the Extraordinary Travel Festival in November of 2024.  Please use code - BANGKOK - to save $120.  . Want to go to Bhutan?  I am pleased to announce a new speaker, who will be speaking about her experience on a multi-week homestay in Mogadishu. The next guest is Palle Bo, .  Palle attended the first ETF and is coming back for the second one. And our last guest is a first-time attendee to ETF Bangkok, Mike Fiorellino at YouTube creator at . Have you bought a ticket to ...

Michael Noel … Spinning The Globe

Michael Noel has traveled to 192 countries Please fill out this survey and provide feedback - https://forms.gle/1RmLQh7hLuw2Xnc6A Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. Checking in with our new guest, Michael Noel and I crossed paths in the Douala airport en route to Bangui.  We ended up sharing a dinner and a trip to a waterfall.  Always great to run into fellow travelers in the least traveled places, and he shared a number of stories which I thought would make a fascinating conversation. As...

Orest Zub … To The Extreme

Orest Zub has traveled to 132 countries   Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. Checking in with our new guest, Orest Zub, a name many of you might be familiar with.  Orest and I have never met in person, but he falls into that category of someone who I feel like we have met in person, but we never have.  We have shared video calls, messages and share many friends in common.               This is a busy conversation where we speak about Orest’s travels around the globe which have brought him...

Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #1

We are pleased to announce that the Extraordinary Travel Festival will be held in Bangkok on November 15, 2024. .  Use code - BANGKOK - to save $120.  If you are an alumni of ETF Yerevan or a Patron of Counting Countries, please contact us for your special code. Please listen to this podcast for an overview of the event with a special guest. BANGKOK Thank you for your patience and we are excited to announce that the ETF II will be in the City of Angels, also known as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, a...

Ed Hotchkiss ... On The Quest

Check out the 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 we...

Ross OC Jennings … Opening Doors

Ross OJ Jennings has traveled to 106 countries.  Ross OC Jennings Counting Countries Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian.  Did you note that the intro has been updated?  Thanks to Evo the longtime voice of Counting Countries.  Ross OC Jennings might not be well known in the 193 community but he is cutting a unique path.  I had read about Ross a couple of years ago, and as I shared with him, I was a bit skeptical about his quest.  His goal was to the first bagpiper to travel to every country...

David Yang … Always On The Move

David Yang has traveled to every country in the world.  David Yang Counting Countries I feel like I have known David for as long as I have been in the community with our mutual 218 FB friends.  David is an outgoing, gregarious and omnipresent traveler in our group.  Whether he is sharing his travel photos on FB sometimes multiple times a day or jumping from one corner of the globe to the other to meetup with travel friends.  I have met David twice in real life which we touch on.  And David is...

Renee Bruns … Live More Authentically

Barry Hoffner … Connecting The Dots

Barry Hoffner has traveled to 155 countries  Barry should be much better known in the travel community than he is today.  He showed up on my radar screen when we connected on Instagram.  I follow many who are Chasing 193.  Barry later became a generous supporter of Counting Countries via Patreon, and we connected on the phone where I began to learn more about his amazing and at times tragic life journey.   Barry has already lived several lifetimes of amazing experiences with many to go.  From...

Riza Rasco … Embedding While Traveling

Riza Rasco has traveled to 192 countries Riza Rasco is a well-known person in the extreme travel community.  And I have crossed paths with her twice, once for breakfast in the North End of Boston and for the multi-day Extraordinary Travel Festival in Armenia. She is a prolific and immersive traveler who is only one country away from completing her quest.    Riza shares so many experiences yet this podcast could have been double the time since there was so much to discuss.  Riza shares some ve...

Katelyn Jarvis … Giving Back In West Point

Special Links Katelyn Jarvis … Giving Back In West Point  Katelyn Jarvis has traveled to 150 countries Katelyn is one of many who has been on my radar screen for some time as we passed each other like two ships during the night on FB.  I finally got to meet Katelyn in person at the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Yerevan and then learned more about her when she was nominated for the Nomad Mania Awards.  So I thought now would be a great time to set up an interview and learn more about her ...

Ildiko Szabo ... Daydreaming Of Koalas

Ildikó Szabó has traveled to every country in the world.  Ildiko Szabo Counting Countries I knew of Ildy for several years and had noted her social media presence, but it wasn’t until October of this year when I met her in person at the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Yerevan.  I shared several conversations with her and recognized she would be a great guest for the podcast.  And, voila, a month after the festival we were recording this podcast. I would like to thank Ildy, since this podcast...

The Kidnapping Of Dr Song (Nopparat Rattanawaraha)

Dr Song Nopparat Rattanawaraha Counting Countries Breaking News I speak with a 193 Insider who was working intimately to free Dr. Song from his kidnappers.  Dr. Song is Chasing 193 and I was kidnapped by bandits as crossed by land from Burkina Faso to Mali.  Dr. Song was held in captivity for 3 weeks until a $150,000 ransom was delivered.  This Insider provides the behind-the-scenes details.

Extraordinary Travel Festival Update #6

On this episode, I will be providing an update for the Extraordinary Travel Festival.  I am happy to share with you the schedule for the event and all of the great speakers. Check out the . Check out our with Soviet Tours, ITC Sudan, Large Minority, and WSE Travel. And you can still here to join us in Yerevan.  And also remember to check out the , read my review here.   

Paul Barbato … Embrace The Trainwreck

Paul Barbato has traveled to over 70 countries Paul AKA Barbs and I met through Gus Rosted.  Gus is one of the attendees at the Extraordinary Travel Festival.  Gus recommended Barbs as speaker at the festival. I knew Barbs and his YouTube channel, Geography Now! and thought he would be a great addition in Armenia.  Barbs agreed to participate in the festival and also to join me on Counting Countries.   Barbs has had tremendous success with his YouTube channel with over 3 million subscribers. ...

Sultan Of Slowjamastan 

Please check out the To buy ticket, use code ETF to save $50 This is a special episode of Counting Countries.  Like many in the community I have a keen interest of de facto states and micronations.  I love the idiosyncrasies of crossing the border into an Abkhazia or Transnistria.  As I have shared with listeners before I was fortunate to visit the Principality of Sealand with the Extreme Traveler International Congress.  I have been following the new micronation of the Republic of Slowjamas...

Lucy Hsu … It’s A Compromise

Lucy Hsu … It’s A Compromise Lucy Hsu has traveled to 187 countries Lucy and I met briefly at an impromptu meetup in Jeddah.  I knew she was an accomplished traveler who was nearing completion of every country in the world, but did not realize the scope of her travel CV.  This conversation was a great opportunity to learn more about her travel history.  I always say there are so many fantastically interesting people to talk to in the Chasing 193 community, but simply not enough time to speak ...

Extraordinary Travel Festival Update #5

  To learn more about the Extraordinary Travel Festival in October 2022 in Yerevan, Armenia, please take a look at our website.  To buy a ticket, use code ETF to save $50.  And please take a look at our friends and sponsor in Sudan, ITC Sudan.  https://extraordinarytravelfestival.com/tickets/

Jorge Serpa … Worst Day On The Road

Jorge caught my attention when I came across his blog.  He is a true global citizen with an early move with his his family to Mozambique from Portugal followed by Venezuela and then attaining his higher education in the US.  Between his career and his marriage to a US diplomat, Jorge has lived all around the world.  Jorge has a passion for the road and the sea.  He loves a great road trip whether it is overland on a big bike or a 4x4 or on his sailboat while on the open seas.  We discuss bala...

The Cassie De Pecol Lawsuit

I am your host Ric Gazarian.  This is another special episode from counting countries.  Expect to hear a traditional deep dive episode next week. But this episode is timely.  It coincides with the publication of a Washington post article on April 15 in regard to Cassie De Pecol.  She is well known in the extreme travel community for claiming to be the first woman to travel to every country in the world.  Unfortunately, that claim is untrue, and now Cassie De Pecol is being sued by Travelers U...

Drew Binsky … We Are All The Same

Drew made his first appearance on Counting Countries in 2017 when we both were Wanderers for G Adventures, the global travel company.  We also crossed paths in Bangkok when Thor Pedersen passed through Thailand.  Drew and I continued a correspondence over the years with some recent communications when Drew was visiting Saudi Arabia, his last country, while I was also in the KSA.  This episode is Counting Countries’s 100th episode, and several months ago I pondered who would be a good choice f...

Extraordinary Travel Festival Update #4

On this episode I am speaking with Harry Mitsidis, the founder of NomadMania. We spoke with Harry Mitsidis on the last episode when he shared that the 2nd Annual NomadMania Travel Awards. Harry will also be hosting a trip to Armenia before the festival.  So this is a great opportunity to travel w a legend and visit all 3 nomad mania regions of this historic country. You can check out the Extraordinary Travel Festival website to . Please listen in and enjoy.

Extraordinary Travel Festival Update #3

A Conversation With Harry Mitsidis And Julian Carnall Of Large Minority On this episode I am speaking with Harry Mitsidis, the founder of NomadMania and Julian Carnall, the founder of Large Minority. Harry has big news to share ... The Second Annual NomadMania Travel Awards will take place in person at the Extraordinary Travel Festival on October 16, 2022 in Yerevan Armenia. Large Minority is one of our   The Extraordinary Travel Festival will be creating a Curated Trips of 2023.  Large Minor...

Extraordinary Travel Festival Update #2

This is the Counting Countries Extraordinary Travel Festival Update #2 On this episode I am speaking with Charles Veley, the founder of the Most Traveled People, and Gianluca Pardelli, the founder of Soviet Tours. Charles will play two roles at the festival.  He will be a speaker, sharing stories of some of his travel adventures.  And Charles will be hosting an optional trip to Georgia and Armenia that takes place before the festival.  You can view the . Soviet Tours is one of our .  The Extr...

Mette Ehlers Mikkelsen … Four Generations Of Female Travelers

video Mette and I had been connected on Facebook via Every Passport Stamp, but we recently crossed paths in Jeddah for an evening of dinner and shisha with a group of extreme travelers.    We were connected by former guest Henrik Jeppesen who was aware that both of us were traveling in KSA.  While I was aware that Mette was a seasoned traveler, over dinner I heard more of her stories and thought she would be a great fit for Counting Countries.   After my conversation with Mette, I will be ...

Tommy Shuai Shao … Chasing 244

Key Links video Thank you to my Patrons…Phillip Jones, , Thor Pedersen, Steph Rowe, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims.  You can purchase them today on Amazon. And now, you can listen to ! And Alexa! And write a review! Check out our friend: .  They organize international rallies around the world, including Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines, and the Amazon.  And watch my full-length when I traveled with Large Minority.   I am friends with Tommy on Facebook and also met him on th...

Counting Countries - Special Announcement

Join us in Yerevan, Armenia from October 14 -16, 2022 at the Armenia Hotel Yerevan for the Extraordinary Travel Festival This will be a multi-day event with great and inspiring speakers And at night we will be hosting parties and dinners to have fun and unwind This is a great opportunity to meet travelers from all over the world   Our goal is to bring people together from around the world, who are: Traveling to every country in the world Passionate to explore extreme and challenging destinati...

Ted Nims … Hanging With Alferd Packer

Key Links video Thank you to my Patrons…Phillip Jones, , Thor Pedersen, Steph Rowe, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims.  You can purchase them today on Amazon. And now, you can listen to ! And Alexa! And write a review! Check out our friend: .  They organize international rallies around the world, including Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines, and the Amazon.  And watch my full-length when I traveled with Large Minority.   I met Ted at a small travel meetup in Boston a couple of y...

Ben Dowson … Nicking Sheeps

Key Links video Thank you to my Patrons…Phillip Jones, , Thor Pedersen, Steph Rowe, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims.  You can purchase them today on Amazon. And now, you can listen to ! And Alexa! And write a review! Check out our friend: .  They organize international rallies around the world, including Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines, and the Amazon.  And watch my full-length when I traveled with Large Minority.   Ben made a brief appearance as the guest announcer for the...

Nick Butter … Don’t Wait For A Diagnosis

Key Links video IG: Donate!: Website:   Thank you to my Patrons…Phillip Jones, , Thor Pedersen, Steph Rowe, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims.  You can purchase them today on Amazon. And now, you can listen to ! And Alexa! And write a review! Check out our friend: .  They organize international rallies around the world, including Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines, and the Amazon.  And watch my full-length when I traveled with Large Minority.   Nick appeared on my radar scree...

Gina Morello … No Roof On Your Dreams

Key Links video   Thank you to my Patrons…Phillip Jones, William Schelling, , Thor Pedersen, Steph Rowe, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims.  You can purchase them today on Amazon.     And now, you can listen to ! And Alexa!   And write a review! Check out our friend: .  They organize international rallies around the world, including Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines, and the Amazon.  And watch my full-length when I traveled with Large Minority.   Gina and I met at the Principali...

Indy Nelson…Looking For The Pieces Of A Puzzle

Key Links video   Thank you to my Patrons…William Schelling, , Steph Rowe, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims.  You can purchase them today on Amazon.      And now, you can listen to ! And Alexa!   And write a review! Check out our friend: .  They organize international rallies around the world, including Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines, and the Amazon.  And watch my full-length when I traveled with Large Minority.    More About Indy: Born in: USA Passports: USA   About Count...

Jack Goldstein…Itching To Cross Borders

Natasha was born in the Caribbean and was able to explore the region growing up.  But Natasha’s serious travels began when she relocated to the Pacific Islands.  She shares with us how she balances her travel when her spouse can not always join her and talks about relying on her 193 travel crew.   I encourage you to subscribe wherever you listen, Apple Podcast, Google Play, or Spotify and even better if you write a review. Natasha was in Dublin while I was recording in Bangkok.  Please listen...

Natasha Keary … Lived In 10 Different Countries

Key Links   Natasha and I follow each other on Instagram.  And two things stood out on her profile bio.  First, she travels on a Trinidad and Tobago passport, not one of the most powerful passports in the world.  The second is she has lived in ten different countries.  That piqued my interest to invite her on the podcast.   Thanks to my patrons , William Schelling, Steph Rowe, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, and Adam Hickman for supporting Counting Countries. They help pay for the production of thi...

Graham Hughes…Three Hobbits Named Mohammed

Key Links     A fleeting tweet recently connected me to Graham Hughes and paved the way for this podcast.  I had reached out to him years ago, but my email ended up in a spam folder.  So for those who say nothing good comes from Twitter, you now stand corrected.   Thanks to my patrons William Schelling, Steph Rowe, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, and Adam Hickman for supporting Counting Countries. And a warm welcome to our new patron, , from Norway.  They help pay for the production of this podcas...

Very Hungry Nomads…On Their Reverse Retirement

Key Links     I had the opportunity to speak with world travelers Martina Sebova and Rachel Davey, who comprise the Very Hungry Nomads.  This was my first outing of attempting to interview two people at the same time.  Marty and Rach did an excellent job of moderating the answers.         It has been a frustrating time for most extreme travelers as we shelter in place around the globe.  There does not seem to be an end in sight when travel will go back to normal.  I hope everyone is well...

Chris Sutherland…Striking Out On His Own

Key Links   It was back in February and I was preparing for several months of non-stop travel.  That meant I had to record and prepare five podcasts prior to my trip so I could publish them once my travels began.  And randomly I got an email from Chris Sutherland sharing that he was swinging through Bangkok for a couple of days.  I know Chris from FB and being fellow moderators in Every Passport Stamp.  This was a great opportunity to sit down with him and hear his story in person.  In a...

Joss Stone…Performing In Every Country In The World

Key Links     I have spoken to so many travel legends on Counting Countries, but this interview marks my first time speaking with a person, who gained their fame outside of the travel world.  Joss Stone is a multi-platinum artist who has won a Grammy.  But of course on this podcast, we focussed on her travel accomplishments.  Joss created the audacious project, Total World Tour, which entailed Joss performing in every country around the world.     I only learned about Joss at the beginni...

Francis Tapon … Traveled Africa With Three Thousand Friends

Key Links       Francis popped up on my radar about a year ago, when former guest Fabio Cao brought him to my attention.  I hit google up and quickly realized Francis was an accomplished traveler, including a five year continuous journey across every country in Africa.  He seemed like a great fit for Counting Countries, but I neglected to reach out.  Then a recent email from listener, Francois Xavier, suggested that I have Francis on the podcast.  This email served as a catalyst for me t...

Melissa Roy…Dreams From Her Father

Key Links       I reached out to Melissa shortly after she announced her accomplishment of traveling to every country in the world.  Social media and traditional media began reporting that she was the first woman of South Asian heritage to complete this quest.  On Counting Countries, I am always looking for diverse voices, whether it is nationality, ethnicity, religion, or any other differentiators.  It is great to get other perspectives.     Lemurs, Baobab trees. Come join Counting Coun...

Lorenzo Riccardi…Marrying Economics And Travel

Key Links     I had the great opportunity to sit down with Lorenzo during his visit to Bangkok.  We had known of each other through the EPS community on FB as well as through some mutual friends.  After the interview, Lorenzo joined me at a travel networking event I host in Bangkok where he was the featured speaker.  It is always great to do the interviews in person.      Counting Countries is offering its first group tour to Madagascar in August of 2020.  Please reach out to me with a...

Slawek Muturi…A Neighbor Of The World

Key Links       Today, I speak with Slawek Muturi, a truly fascinating and impressive traveler.  The more I researched Slawek, the more I was looking forward to our conversation.  He is a successful individual, whether it is business or travel.   Counting Countries is offering its first group tour to Madagascar in August of 2020.  Please reach out to me with any questions on this trip. In addition, if you are planning trips to places like Antarctica, Svalbard, Galapagos, please consider ...