Cassie De Pecol is about to become the youngest person to visit every country in the world

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

This was published 7 years ago

Cassie De Pecol is about to become the youngest person to visit every country in the world

By Hugh Morris
Updated
Cassie De Pecol on the beach in Tonga, and at the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.

Cassie De Pecol on the beach in Tonga, and at the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.Credit: EXPEDITION 196

Anyone prone to crippling envy should look away now because a 27-year-old is on her way to becoming the youngest person in history to visit every country in the world.

Cassie De Pecol, from the US state of Connecticut, has spent the last 16 months ticking off nations at a rate of knots - it's now 180 and counting - and expects to complete the full list before the end of the year by stepping foot in a further 16.

The whistlestop traveller, who has been documenting her experiences on Instagram under the moniker expedition_196, has spent around £160,000 so far, which includes 254 flight tickets, but has funded much of her trip through sponsors and by obtaining free accommodation in exchange for social media posts.

Cassandra De Pecol in Bhutan.

Cassandra De Pecol in Bhutan.Credit: @expedition_196/Instagram

De Pecol, who says she spends between two and five days in each place, is also filming her travels for a documentary, acting as an ambassador for the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism and collecting water samples around the world for Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation.

"As a young woman, I'd always dream to travel to as many countries as possible and make our world a better place," she said. "It bothered me though that I could never figure out how to ignite this inner fire and make it happen.

"For the better part of my late teens and early twenties, I travelled. After having completed three and a half years of college, I booked a one-way ticket and travelled across four continents and 26 countries."

Advertisement

It was that initial voyage that sparked De Pecol's ambition to visit every country, and use her adventure to inspire good will around the world.

She is now back in Connecticut organising visas and transport to reach the last 16 - which are surprisingly spread across the globe: Greenland, Syria, Cameroon, Libya and Israel all remain.

De Pecol, who knows the self-defence system, Krav Maga, and is also a triathlete, said that when she has finished she plans to rent a cabin in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada, to reflect on the trip.

"I'd love to continue inspiring people and travelling," she said.

De Pecol looks set to take the record for being the youngest person to step foot in all the world's countries - including disputed lands such as Taiwan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories - from 33-year-old Graham Hughes, who completed the same challenge in 2014, in just under four years. However, Hughes did it without ever flying.

For those without the time to tick off every one of the world's countries, there is a Travellers' Century Club for adventurers to manage 100 nations. The group notes 325 countries and territories, including parts of the countries removed from their parent.

The Telegraph, London

See also: Blogger pays just $300 for a $60,000 first-class trip

Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter

Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.

Most viewed on Traveller

Loading