Hey now!  This is it, the last episode before the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Bangkok.  Still a little time left to join.  Use code BANGKOK. My special guest is speaker and sponsor Charles Veley, founder of the Most Traveled People, and considered one of the most traveled people in the world.  Charles teases some of the updates he will be sharing in Bangkok, from updates on the App to next location of the MTP Summitt.  Please listen in and enjoy.   www.extraordinarytravelfest.com

Phillips has traveled to every country in the world   Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian.  Today, we are speaking with Phillips Connor.  I had the pleasure of meeting PC in Singapore with a group of extreme travelers and I am very pleased that he will be attending the ETF in Bangkok.  Phillips is extremely well traveled, nearing 1000 regions on the NomadMania list.  Phillips shares it all on this episode … starting travel early with a corporate job, moving to Singapore and Chasing 193.   ...

Hey now, I am your host Ric Gazarian on the 10th update for the Extraordinary Travel Festival.  We have a lot of news to share with you today.  So grab that coffee of if in Thailand, grab a chamanow and please listen in. The event is now about a month and a half a way.  But still time to join, use code BANGKOK to save at . Some quick updates ... we have added three new speakers, Luisa Yu, Matt Bowles and Sabbatical Tommy.  Luisa is well known in the community for her determination and her...

Andy Hicks Counting Countries has traveled to 120 countries Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian.  Today, we are speaking with Andy Hicks.  I have had the pleasure of meeting Andy at the first ETF in Armenia and the TCC meeting in May in the Azores.  Andy was raised in a non-travel environment, but a couple of pivotal trips propelled him into the 193 community and with his stated goal of every country by 50.   If you want to meet Andy Hicks and 206 other travelers join us in Bangkok. The...

I am excited to introduce to you two partners of the Extraordinary Travel Festival, Matt Bowles and Ian Cumming. Matt is a 10 year plus digital nomad, who hosts the very successful as well as a real estate investment company.  Matt can be found around the globe setting up shop in cities as diverse as Nairobi, Lagos or Luanda.  I am pleased to announce that Matt will be one of the speakers at the ETF.  You can connect with him here on . Ian Cumming is the founder of Travel Massive, a global...

Luisa Yu has traveled to every country in the world   Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian.  I am excited to have Luisa Yu on the podcast.  She is well known and beloved member to many in the community.  For those not in the know, Luisa just visited her last country this year.  She accomplished this goal as a 79 year old.  When many in her age group have retired to more placid and serene pastures, Luisa has demonstrated grit and determination.  And Luisa has not slowed down .. trips since...

Join us in Bangkok for the in November of 2024. Please use code – BANGKOK – to save $100 (the discount will be reduced starting September 1). Reserve your place today. On this episode, I speak to 3 amazing people who you will also meet at the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Bangkok on November 15-17. First up is Fadi Assi. Many people in the extreme travel community are familiar with Fadi and his generosity. He has welcomed many of us to Syria. Fadi is the founder of .  Fadi will be one of...

Jason Wang has traveled to 175 countries Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian.  I am happy to introduce to you Jason Wang, an avid traveler, foodie, and photographer.  Not only is he Chasing 193, but he also chasing the 7 Summits.  Jason’s life tracks all of the great successes embodied by the best of American immigration.  A life which was originally defined by school and work was dramatically redefined by a gap year of travel after dental school.  He never looked back.   If you are a...

Join us in Bangkok for the Extraordinary Travel Festival in November of 2024.  Please use code – BANGKOK – to save $100.  . I believe there are 3 main pillars of why you might want to consider attending the ETF, this November in Bangkok. First is the destination.  Maybe BKK might seem too common.  Well as a resident I would posit that this city offers so much beyond the Grand Palace, the Skybar and riding a tuktuk.  This is a true onion; you can keep peeling back more and more layers and keep...

Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian.  You might know Joel from his flowing beard on social media.  Joel is someone I have known of for years but virtually.  And in fact, we ran into each other randomly on our travels in Central Africa.  I speak with Joel and learn about his fascinating journey in life as well as Chasing 193.  Joel was very candid during this conversation about subjects that some people will avoid such as family and his faith.  This made our conversation richer and I...

Join us in Bangkok for the Extraordinary Travel Festival in November of 2024.  Please use code – BANGKOK – to save $100.  . I believe there are 3 main pillars of why you might want to consider attending the ETF, this November in Bangkok.     First is the destination.  Maybe BKK might seem too common.  Well as a resident I would posit that this city offers so much beyond the Grand Palace, the Skybar and riding a tuktuk.  This is a true onion, you can keep peeling back more and more layers and...

Nabil Kazi has traveled to 129 countries   Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. I am excited to share my conversation with Nabil Kazi.  I connected with Nabil Kazi back in 2021 when he suggested a guest (Nick Butter - episode 95) for Counting Countries.  I guess everything comes full circle as Nabil is a guest on this episode. Nabil and I have been in contact ever since and even connected in person for dinner in Bangkok at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Charlie Browns.  Nabil has had two...

Join us in Bangkok for the Extraordinary Travel Festival in November of 2024.  Please use code – BANGKOK – to save $120.  .  The discount will be reduced starting in May, lock in your savings and buy now. Want to go to Bhutan?    Or you can join us on a tour to. I was fortunate to secure Richard Barrow as a speaker for the Extraordinary Travel Festival.  Richard has been living in Thailand since the mid-1990s.  He is one of the most knowledgeable individuals and a trusted source for all...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. He also shared with me getting shot in...

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 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 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...