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Showing posts with the label world traveler

The Road to 193 with Bengt Enbuske

Bengt Enbuske in the northwestern mountains of Sweden Where and when was your first trip outside of your home country?   My first trip was to Norway in 1965 with my parents. My first solo trip was in 1972 to Gran Canarias. My first far away trip was in 1974 to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Actually, Finland was the first country I visited but it’s almost my home country. I live close to the Finnish border.  I have always been curious about the world and always had dreams to visit different places. And some places are “you must see it”. What is it about traveling that appeals to you the most? Experiencing the world, new countries, cultures, nature, peoples, amazing places and finding friendly people who are almost everywhere. Often in underdeveloped countries you find poorer people who are the most hospitable.   How many UN recognized sovereign countries have you visited? How many continents have you been to? I’ve been to all 193 UN countries (as of 2018) and 40 other countries from the Trave

The Road to 193 with Hazel Borres Apuhin

Hazel Borres Apuhin skydiving in Dubai What inspired you to travel? I am often told that I got this itch for travel from my grandfather. I haven’t met him but he was once known as “the man with a sea fever” and was featured in a local newspaper in 1970’s when he and my two uncles tried to sail to America in a wooden outrigger. They were unsuccessful and found themselves on Taiwan shores, pretended they were fishermen that were carried out there by a storm. I was always inspired by my grandfather's stories growing up and I know he lived a great life and I thought to myself that I wanted my life to be well lived and different from others too. While in my teens, my mom used to tell us her experiences in the various countries she lived in and how different their culture, their food and people’s mindset in these countries were. This also fueled my curiosity and thought to myself that I will be traveling and seeing the world someday. What is it about traveling that appeals to you the mos

The Road to 193 with Odette Aquitania Ricasa

Update: Odette Aquitania Ricasa just completed visiting all 193 UN countries on August 24, 2022 in Erbil, Iraq (her last country). She is the first Filipino to visit all 193 UN countries. She has also visited 301/330 TCC countries and territories. Congratulations! Odette Aquitania Ricasa Odette Aquitania Ricasa is poised to be the first Filipino American to travel to all 193 United Nations recognized sovereign countries. She has visited 189 countries, just four countries shy of 193. These travels have been rigorously validated by NomadMania. She is also a member of the Travelers Century Club (TCC) having visited 295 of 325 countries and territories on the TCC list. Odette is the author of six books*, an accomplished painter, a motivational speaker and a pianist.  Odette Ricasa has received numerous awards including First Prize in an International Speech Contest sponsored by Toastmasters Club and several Best Speaker awards from the Los Angeles Toa

The Road to 193 with Riza Rasco

Riza Rasco with the Latoka tribe in South Sudan Riza Rasco describes herself as a bioengineer/biological scientist, an intellectual property professional and a world traveler. After working at DuPont Company for 17 years, she quit her job, took a long break from corporate life and started traveling full time. She is the co-founder of Philippine Global Explorers (PGE) and the founder of Explore Africa for Impact. In 2020, Riza hosted the Pandemic Traveler Series where she interviewed some of the most prolific travelers who shared their personal experiences, observations and stories during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a project she initiated through PGE and can be watched on the PGE YouTube channel. Having traveled to 165 United Nations sovereign countries, Riza is on track to visit all 193 UN countries in the near future. Her travels have been validated by NomadMania through a rigorous verification process and she now carries a NomadMania verified UN traveler badge. You can follow h