Counting Countries

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 conversati...

We are pleased to announce that the Extraordinary Travel Festival will be held in Bangkok on November 15, 2024. Please join us and purchase your ticket today. 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...

Check out the Extraordinary Travel Festival 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 on...

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 b...

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 mee...

Renee Bruns has traveled to 117 countries Renee started appearing in my IG feed over the last year. And like many of my virtual friends, I tracked her travels to the far flung corners of the globe. But what caught my attention is that Renee is Chasing 193 in a wheelchair. She has the same quest and goal as myself but is accomplishing this feat in her wheelchair. I thought her quest deserved greate...

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 journ...

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 pod...

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 s...

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 gues...

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...

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....

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...

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 in...

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/

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 i...

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 worl...

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 Coun...

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 Extraordin...

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...

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 t...

Extraordinary Travel Festival How Many Countries Are There In The World video Support Counting Countries at Patreon The new Counting Countries Merch Store 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 t...

Key Links How Many Countries Are There In The World video Support Counting Countries at Patreon The new Counting Countries Merch Store Thank you to my Patrons…Phillip Jones, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Thor Pedersen, Steph Rowe, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims. Be the first on your block to sport official Counting Countries apparel! You can purchase them today on Amazon. And now, you can listen to...

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:...