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 exploring Europe as a 18 year old, to living as an expat in Paris for an investment firm in his mid-20s, to living in a dormitory learning Mandarin in the mid-1990s with his wife in Kunming, to living and working in Moscow with his family.  Barry is the founder of Caravan to Class which has built 17 schools in the Timbuktu region and much more.  And of course, much more. 

This is a reminder that I am partnering with SafetyWing, a travel insurance company.  I have been using them personally for over 2 years.  And yes, there are a couple of reasons why … let me highlight a couple of the features.  First, you can purchase insurance while you are already on the go.  Some insurance products force you to sign up before you leave on your trip.  Second, you only have to share your initial country on your trip.  Many of my trips are open-ended when it comes to the agenda.  I don’t have to worry about forgetting to update SafetyWing.  They’ve got me covered.  Third, most countries are covered.  Exceptions are Cuba, Iran, DPRK, Syria, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.  Everywhere from Mogadishu to Tripoli is covered.  And fourth, you do not have to declare a dollar value for the trip.  Many providers force you specify the cost of your trip.  Most times I have no idea how much my trip will cost.  To me, this insurance is fire and forgot.  It will renew every month or you can set an end date.  But compared to many of the other products out there, this one to me is the most flexible.  So, take a moment, check out SafetyWing, and click on the link to sign up for your next trip.  

Click here for Safety Wing! 

I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons: Sunir Joshi, Philippe Izedian, Gin Liutkeviciute, Phillip Jones, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Thor Pedersen, Adam Hickman, Katelyn Jarvis, Ed Hotchkiss, and Barry Hoffner for supporting this podcast. They help pay for the production of this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/CountingCountries.  My patrons hear extra content with Barry that you will not hear. 

We have another patron to welcome, Carole Southam.  I have known Carole for several years as she attended travel meetups that I organized in Bangkok.  And even better, she joined many of us from the community in Yerevan for the Extraordinary Travel Festival.  Carole is a prolific traveler in her own right, working and traveling around the world.  We just met for dinner in Bangkok as her and her husband came through Bangkok.  You can also support Counting Countries by writing a review or sharing this podcast with a travel lover. 

I was in Bangkok for this recording while Barry was in the Sausalito.  Please listen in and enjoy.   

Thank you to my Patrons …. Barry Hoffner, Ed Hotchkiss, Katelyn Jarvis, Carole Southam, Phillip Jones, Thor Pedersen, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles, Ted Nims, Sunir Joshi, Gintaute Liutkeviciute, Philippe Izedian & Dale Wursten.  

Be the first on your block to sport official Counting Countries apparel!  

And now you can listen to Counting Countries on Spotify! And Alexa!

 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts today! And write a review!

More About Barry Hoffner Counting Countries

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Caravan To Class

About Counting Countries

Counting Countries is the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who’ve spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to every country in the world. Less people have traveled to every country in the world than have been to outer space.

Theme music for this podcast is Demeter’s Dance, written, performed, and provided by Mundi. 

About GlobalGaz

Ric Gazarian is the host of Counting Countries. He is the author of three books: Hit The Road: India, 7000 KM To Go, and Photos From Chernobyl.  He is the producer of two travel documentaries: Hit The Road: India and Hit The Road: Cambodia.  

Ric is also on his own quest to visit every country in the world. You can see where he has traveled so far and keep up with his journey at GlobalGaz.com

How Many Countries Are There?

Well… that depends on who you ask! 

• The United Nations states that there are 193 member states.
• The British Foreign and Commonwealth office states that there are 226 countries and territories.
• The Traveler’s Century Club states that there are 329 sovereign nations, territories, enclaves, and islands.
• The Nomad Mania divides the world into 1301 regions. 
• The Most Traveled Person states that there are 1500 unique parts of the world.
• SISO says there are 3,978 places in the world.  
• And the video that explains it all! 
• Me? My goal is the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, but I am sure I will visit some other places along the way.

An analysis of these lists and who is the best traveled by Kolja Spori.  

Disclaimer: There are affiliates in this post.  Barry Hoffner Counting Countries

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 very personal moments from her life and how travel began to dominate.  She shares her philosophy of travel, which should be more than taking selfies and checking boxes, but how you can give back to the community.  

This is a reminder that I am partnering with SafetyWing, a travel insurance company.  I have been using them personally for over 2 years.  And yes, there are a couple of reasons why … let me highlight a couple of the features.  First, you can purchase insurance while you are already on the go.  Some insurance products force you to sign up before you leave on your trip.  Second, you only have to share your initial country on your trip.  Many of my trips are open-ended when it comes to the agenda.  I don’t have to worry about forgetting to update SafetyWing.  They’ve got me covered.  Third, most countries are covered.  Exceptions are Cuba, Iran, DPRK, Syria, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.  Everywhere from Mogadishu to Tripoli is covered.  And fourth, you do not have to declare a dollar value for the trip.  Many providers force you specify the cost of your trip.  Most times I have no idea how much my trip will cost.  To me, this insurance is fire and forgot.  It will renew every month or you can set an end date.  But compared to many of the other products out there, this one to me is the most flexible.  So, take a moment, check out SafetyWing, and click on the link to sign up for your next trip.  

https://safetywing.com/?referenceID=Counting-Countries&utm_source=Counting-Countries&utm_medium=Ambassador

I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons:  Lucy Shoe, Phillip Jones, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Thor Pedersen, Adam Hickman, Katelyn Jarvis, Ed Hotchkiss, and Barry Hoffner for supporting this podcast. They help pay for the production of this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/CountingCountries.  My patrons hear extra content with Riza that you will not hear. 

It is also time to recognize three more patrons.  Sunir Joshi, Gintaute Liutkeviciute (so sorry for butchering your name), and Philippe Izedian.  Our Chasing 193 community is fascinating how it is changed and grown over the years.  Sunir and I have been corresponding for three years talking about travel.  Sunir has changed his entire life in regard to work to pursue his dream of Chasing 193.  Philippe is a fascinating guy, still at university but so well traveled.  For those who read my blog, GlobalGaz, you might know I enjoy writing an end of the year review.  I encourage you to check out Philippe’s year end review.  Impressive! 

You can also support Counting Countries by writing a review or sharing this podcast with a travel lover. These reviews were written a while ago but I just noted them. Thanks guys for the review.

Excellent Podcast

I love your interviews of very interesting travel stories that make me to want to travel more around the world. Thank you - DallasTX7

Great podcast

Inspiring travel stories. Look forward to each episode. - divebookreader

And there is a lot of updates for this podcast. This is a special announcement before we return to my conversation with Riza..  I am excited to announce a special conversation with two of the best known and best traveled individuals, Harry Mitsidis and Charles Veley, both former guests.  Harry is known as the founder of NomadMania and Charles is the founder of Most Travel People.  I will be hosting a conversation with these two travel legends on March 25 at 1700 GMT.  Want to stay in the loop, click on the link in the podcast notes and share your email so we can follow up with viewing instructions.  

LIVE chat with Ric Gazarian (mailerlite.com)

I was in Boston for this recording while Riza was in the Philippines.  Please listen in and enjoy.   

Thank you to my Patrons …. Barry Hoffner, Ed Hotchkiss, Katelyn Jarvis, Lucy Shoe, Phillip Jones, Thor Pedersen, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles, Ted Nims, Sunir Joshi, Gintaute Liutkeviciute, Philippe Izedian & Dale Wursten.  

Be the first on your block to sport official Counting Countries apparel!  

Special Links

Join the live conversation with Charles Veley and Harry Mitsidis on March 25th at 17:00 GMT, click here to learn the details.  

Sign up with SafetyWing for your travel insurance for your next trip

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 travels.     

I was curious to learn more about Katelyn’s philanthropy and how she combined that with her travels.  During our conversation, I was impressed to learn more about her efforts with her organization, Peace Stamps.  I believe anyone Chasing 193 is an impressive person, when you are able to marry that with something even more meaningful, even better.     

This is a reminder that I am partnering with SafetyWing, a travel insurance company.  I have been using them personally for over 2 years.  And yes, there are a couple of reasons why … let me highlight a couple of the features.  First, you can purchase insurance while you are already on the go.  Some insurance products force you to sign up only when you are in your home country.  Second, you only have to share your initial country on your trip.  Many times on some of my open ended trips, I end up adding in additional countries.  I don’t have to worry about forgetting to update SafetyWing.  They have me covered.  Third, most countries are covered.  Exceptions are Cuba, Iran, DPRK, Syria, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.  Everywhere else is covered from Mogadishu to Tripoli.  And fourth, you do not have to declare a dollar value for the trip.  Some other providers force you to list the dollar value of your trip.  I really can’t think of ay trips I have taken where I am able to calculate the trips costs for one or two months.  To me, this insurance is fire and forgot.  It will renew every month or you can set an end date.  But compared to many of the other products out there, this one to me is the most flexible.  So, take a moment, check out SafetyWing, and click on the link to sign up for your next trip.  

Click here for SafetyWing

I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons:  Lucy Shoe, Phillip Jones, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Thor Pedersen, Adam Hickman, Ed Hotchkiss, and Barry Hoffner for supporting this podcast. They help pay for the production of this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/CountingCountries.  You can also support Counting Countries be writing a review or sharing this podcast with a travel lover.  My patrons hear extra content, like an extra 30 minutes with Katelyn.    

I was in Chicago for this recording while Katelyn was in Ohio.  Please listen in and enjoy.   

Thank you to my Patrons …. Barry Hoffner, Ed Hotchkiss, Lucy Shoe, Phillip Jones, Thor Pedersen, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims.

Be the first on your block to sport official Counting Countries apparel!  

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SafetyWing 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 was a challenging endeavor.  To create 2 hours of recordings took us nearly 6 hours.  And then in post-production another 6 hours.  To say we had some technical difficulties would be an understatement.  Ildy was very, very gracious with her time.  And that is how the cookie crumbles, some episodes are straight forward and easy to publish, and well others suck up a ton of time.  And just a warning, at times it might seem like the podcast is missing audio from our conversation since at times it appears we are skipping around.  And it is true, we lost a fair amount of audio recordings, besides re-recording and my best attempts of editing, the podcast might be wanting for a better flow.  Nonetheless, Ildy provides a ton of great stories from her travels.      

I found Ildy to be an accomplished traveler as well as very adventurous.  One thing I personally enjoy about interviewing all of these great travelers is how so many of them are interconnected.  I learned of a connection between Ildy and Johnny Ward.  I was impressed years ago to hear of Johnny’s adventure on a cement ship from Oman to Socotra.  Well, in this conversation I was to learn Ildy took the same trip on her own to Socotra.  Really impressive.  

I have a new partnership to announce.  I am promoting SafetyWing, a travel insurance company, and yes, I am an affiliate.  I have been using them personally for over 2 years.  And yes, there are a couple of reasons why … let me highlight a couple of the features.  First, you can purchase insurance while you are already on the go.  Some insurance products force you to sign up only when you are in your home country.  Second, you only have to share your initial country on your trip.  Many times, on my open-ended trips, I end up adding in additional countries.  I don’t have to worry about forgetting to update SafetyWing.  They have me covered.  Third, most countries are covered.  Exceptions are Cuba, Iran, DPRK, Syria, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.  Everywhere else is covered from Mogadishu to Tripoli.  To me, this insurance is fire and forgot.  It will renew every month, or you can set an end date.  But compared to many of the other products out there, this one to me is the most flexible.  So, take a moment, check out SafetyWing, and click on the link to sign up for your next trip.  

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SafetyWing

I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons:  Lucy Shoe, Phillip Jones, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Thor Pedersen, and Adam Hickman for supporting this podcast. They help pay for the production of this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/CountingCountries.  I would also like to thank and highlight two new patrons of the podcast, Ed Hotchkiss and Barry Hoffner.  I also met Ed in Yerevan for the festival as well.  Ed is Chasing 193 and is also an accomplished photographer.  I just purchased his book, Station To Station, a labor of love with black and white photos highlighting the people of the NYC subway.  Please take a moment to check out his book.  Barry is also Chasing 193 and has been to over 150 countries.  Say hi to him on his IG account, barryh99.  You can also support Counting Countries be writing a review or sharing this podcast with a travel lover.  My patrons hear extra content, like an additional hour of my conversation with Ildy.    

And at the end of Ildy’s conversation, you will hear a ten-minute conversation with Thor Pedersen of Once Upon A Saga.  As you might know, I have been documenting his journey every 6 months for the last 3 years.  My patrons will hear nearly 90 minutes of Thor recounting his last 6 months and his predictions for the end of the saga.    

I was in Bangkok for this recording while Ildy was in Budapest.  Please listen in and enjoy.   

Thank you to my Patrons …. Barry Hoffner, Edward Hotchkiss, Lucy Shoe, Phillip Jones, Thor Pedersen, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims.  

Be the first on your block to sport official Counting Countries apparel!  

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.

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 speakers for the festival.

Check out our Extraordinary Adventures with Soviet Tours, ITC Sudan, Large Minority, and WSE Travel.

And you can still buy a ticket here to join us in Yerevan. 

And also remember to check out the Last Tourist, read my review here.   

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.  Barbs’s success was not overnight but nearly a 10 year grind of perfecting his craft and attracting new followers.  Barbs is also on a quest to travel to every country in the world, but at his own pace.  Unsurprisingly, he also enjoys the oddities of geography during his travels, including salients. 

As many of you have heard, Stefan Kraswoski and I have teamed up to host the Extraordinary Travel Festival, the world’s largest gathering of accomplished travelers. This will take place in Yerevan, 2022.  We are excited to produce this event to help grow our community while organizing great events, and hosting some amazing experiences. You will see and meet former guests from this show like Francis Tapon, Debjeet Sen, Per Besson, and Audrey Walsworth in Armenia.   Please go to ExtraordinaryTravelFestival.com to see our speakers, our sponsors, and some of the trips we are hosting.  Check back often since there are frequent updates.  If buying a ticket, please use code ETF to save $50.  Hope to see you in Yerevan.     

FB-800x420.jpg" alt="paul barbato counting countries" width="800" height="420">

I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons:  Lucy Shoe, Phillip Jones, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Thor Pedersen, and Adam Hickman for supporting this podcast. They help pay for the production of this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/CountingCountries.  You can also support Counting Countries be writing a review or sharing this podcast with a travel lover.  My patrons hear extra content, like an additional 35 minutes of my last conversation with Lucy Shoe and with this conversation with Barbs, only for you.   

You will also hear from Thor at the end of the Barbs interview.  For the last 2 years plus, I have been interviewing Thor to track his progress in traveling to every country in the world without flying.  My patrons hear this fascinating interviews at the time of the recording.  You will hear only a snippet at this time.  

And as a side note, Barb’s mom makes a brief appearance while I attempt to say hello in Korean and not impress his mother.  

I was in Chicago for this recording while Barbs was in LA.  Please listen in and enjoy.   

Thank you to my Patrons …. Lucy Shoe, Phillip Jones, Thor Pedersen, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims.

Be the first on your block to sport official Counting Countries apparel!  

 And now you can listen to Counting Countries on Spotify! And Alexa!

 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts today! And write a review!

About Counting Countries

Counting Countries is the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who’ve spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to every country in the world. Less people have traveled to every country in the world than have been to outer space.

Theme music for this podcast is Demeter’s Dance, written, performed, and provided by Mundi. 

About GlobalGaz

Ric Gazarian is the host of Counting Countries. He is the author of three books: Hit The Road: India, 7000 KM To Go, and Photos From Chernobyl.  He is the producer of two travel documentaries: Hit The Road: India and Hit The Road: Cambodia.  

Ric is also on his own quest to visit every country in the world. You can see where he has traveled so far and keep up with his journey at GlobalGaz.com

How Many Countries Are There?

Well… that depends on who you ask! 

• The United Nations states that there are 193 member states.
• The British Foreign and Commonwealth office states that there are 226 countries and territories.
• The Traveler’s Century Club states that there are 329 sovereign nations, territories, enclaves, and islands.
• The Most Traveled Person states that there are 949 unique parts of the world.
• The Nomad Mania divides the world into 1301 regions. 
• SISO says there are 3,978 places in the world.  
• Me? My goal is the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, but I am sure I will visit some other places along the way.

An analysis of these lists and who is the best traveled by Kolja Spori.  

Disclaimer: I will earn a fee if from some of these links like if you order from Amazon/Agoda/etc. Or book a trip through G Adventures.  PS  Thanks!  

Please check out the www.extraordinarytravelfestival.com

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 Slowjamastan on social media, founded by the Sultan Randy Williams better known to listeners as Ramblin’ Randy, a former guest of Counting Countries.  He was first interviewed in Episode 36 in July of 2017.  He was just at 86 countries at that time. 

Besides traveling up a storm, Randy has created a micronation in California.  As you know, micronations range from high comedy to the deadly serious.  The Sultan has poured in a ton of effort and money into creating this desert kingdom.  This is a really fun project.  

I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons:  Phillip Jones, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Thor Pedersen, and Adam Hickman for supporting this podcast. They help pay for the production of this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/CountingCountries.  You can also support Counting Countries be writing a review or sharing this podcast with a travel lover.  My patrons hear extra content, like an additional 40 minutes of my last conversation with Jorge Serpa and Lucy Hsu.As many of you have heard, Stefan Kraswoski and I have teamed up to host the Extraordinary Travel Festival, the world’s largest gathering of accomplished travelers. This will take place in Yerevan, 2022.  We are excited to produce this event to help grow our community while organizing great events, and hosting some amazing experiences. Please go to ExtraordinaryTravelFestival.com to see our speakers, our sponsors, and some of the trips we are hosting.  Check back often since there are frequent updates.  If buying a ticket, please use code ETF to save $50.  Hope to see you in Yerevan.     

I was in Bangkok for this recording while the Sultan was in San Diego.   Please listen in and enjoy.   

Thank you to my Patrons …. Phillip Jones, Thor Pedersen, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles, Ted Nims, Lucy Shoe, and Garying Chan.

Be the first on your block to sport official Counting Countries apparel!  

And now you can listen to Counting Countries on Spotify! And Alexa!

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts today! And write a review!

About Sultan Of Slowjamastan Counting Countries

Check out the Sultan’s first appearance. And check out the Republic of Slowjamastan’s website. 

About Counting Countries

Counting Countries is the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who’ve spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to every country in the world. Less people have traveled to every country in the world than have been to outer space.

Theme music for this podcast is Demeter’s Dance, written, performed, and provided by Mundi. 

About GlobalGaz

Ric Gazarian is the host of Counting Countries. He is the author of three books: Hit The Road: India, 7000 KM To Go, and Photos From Chernobyl.  He is the producer of two travel documentaries: Hit The Road: India and Hit The Road: Cambodia.  

Ric is also on his own quest to visit every country in the world. You can see where he has traveled so far and keep up with his journey at GlobalGaz.com

How Many Countries Are There?

Well… that depends on who you ask! 

• The United Nations states that there are 193 member states.
• The British Foreign and Commonwealth office states that there are 226 countries and territories.
• The Traveler’s Century Club states that there are 329 sovereign nations, territories, enclaves, and islands.
• The Most Traveled Person states that there are 949 unique parts of the world.
• The Nomad Mania divides the world into 1301 regions. 
• SISO says there are 3,978 places in the world.  
• Me? My goal is the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, but I am sure I will visit some other places along the way.

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 to them all.  

Lucy has managed some deeper travel experiences while balancing a family and teaching full time.  I always marvel at the bandwidth of some in the travel community who are able to pursue different passions and manage so many different moving parts of their lives.  

I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons:  Phillip Jones, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Thor Pedersen, and Adam Hickman for supporting this podcast. They help pay for the production of this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/CountingCountries.  You can also support Counting Countries be writing a review or sharing this podcast with a travel lover.  My patrons hear extra content, like an additional 40 minutes of my last conversation with Jorge Serpa and exclusive content from Lucy.  

As many of you have heard, Stefan Kraswoski and I have teamed up to host the Extraordinary Travel Festival, the world’s largest gathering of accomplished travelers. This will take place in Yerevan, 2022.  We are excited to produce this event to help grow our community while organizing great events, and hosting some amazing experiences.  Please go to ExtraordinaryTravelFestival.com to see our speakers, our sponsors, and some of the trips we are hosting.  Check back often since there are frequent updates.  If buying a ticket, please use code ETF to save $50.  Hope to see you in Yerevan.     

I was in Bangkok for this recording while Lucy was in California.   Please listen in and enjoy.   

Thank you to my Patrons …. Phillip Jones, Thor Pedersen, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims.

Be the first on your block to sport official Counting Countries apparel!  

    And now you can listen to Counting Countries on Spotify! And Alexa!

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts today! And write a review!

About Lucy Hsu Counting Countries

• Born: San Jose, CA
• Passport: USA 
• Favorite website: Tripadvisor
• Must carry: iPhone
• Favorite food: sushi
• Favorite drink: tea
• Favorite airline: Emirates

About Counting Countries

Counting Countries is the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who’ve spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to every country in the world. Less people have traveled to every country in the world than have been to outer space.

Theme music for this podcast is Demeter’s Dance, written, performed, and provided by Mundi. 

About GlobalGaz

Ric Gazarian is the host of Counting Countries. He is the author of three books: Hit The Road: India, 7000 KM To Go, and Photos From Chernobyl.  He is the producer of two travel documentaries: Hit The Road: India and Hit The Road: Cambodia.  

Ric is also on his own quest to visit every country in the world. You can see where he has traveled so far and keep up with his journey at GlobalGaz.com

How Many Countries Are There?

Well… that depends on who you ask! 

• The United Nations states that there are 193 member states.
• The British Foreign and Commonwealth office states that there are 226 countries and territories.
• The Traveler’s Century Club states that there are 329 sovereign nations, territories, enclaves, and islands.
• The Most Traveled Person states that there are 949 unique parts of the world.
• The Nomad Mania divides the world into 1301 regions. 
• SISO says there are 3,978 places in the world.  
• Me? My goal is the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, but I am sure I will visit some other places along the way.

An analysis of these lists and who is the best traveled by Kolja Spori.  

Disclaimer: I will earn a fee if from some of these links like if you order from Amazon/Agoda/etc. Or book a trip through G Adventures.  PS  Thanks!   

To learn more about the Extraordinary Travel Festival in October 2022 in Yerevan, Armenia, please take a look at our website.  www.Extraordinarytravelfestival.com

To buy a ticket, use code ETF to save $50.  https://extraordinarytravelfestival.com/tickets/

And please take a look at our friends and sponsor in Sudan, ITC Sudan.  https://extraordinarytravelfestival.com/tickets/