Live From Dubai! … A Conversation With Four Extreme Travelers

Release Date: 07/25/2019

Counting Countries

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 in Singaporean culture when it comes to extreme travel. If you are a...

Elena Chechina … A Lost Day Of Your Life

Counting Countries

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 manages the complexity of her life. The next...

Hayley Kennedy … Overcoming Obstacles

Counting Countries

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 Bangkok. At the festival, we will have over 20 amazing...

Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #4

Counting Countries

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 first Lonely Planet Thailand guide in the early...

Raiiq Ridwan … The Travel Bug

Counting Countries

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 a Bangladeshi passport. We all know Chasing 193 is no easy...

Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #3

Counting Countries

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 impressed with his skills. We also have two special...

Thor Pedersen … He Did It!I

Counting Countries

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 global Covid lockdown. Thor demonstrated an immense amount of grit and determination to overcome...

Zach Forbes … Passion For People

Counting Countries

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. As some of you might have heard the next Extraordinary Travel Festival will be held on November 15, 2024 in...

Extraordinary Travel Festival Update II #2 With Lakshmi Parthasarathy

Counting Countries

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 ETF or are confident you will be attending? We want to hear from you to make...

Michael Noel … Spinning The Globe

Counting Countries

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 some of you might have heard the next Extraordinary Travel Festival will be held on November...

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A bit similar to our last episode, Live From Sealand, this episode, Live From Dubai, features four extreme travelers: Ryan Gazder, Zulekha Huseni, Zsuzsanna Berencsi, and Adam Hickman. I had an extended layover in Dubai en route to Armenia and I reached to some fellow travelers. We met for some Lebanese and then retired to a conference room in the Burj Khalifa to record this episode.

I am reminding you that Counting Countries is now partnered with Patreon. Patreon is a platform that allows patrons, that’s you, to support creators, and that is me creating Counting Countries. And thanks to my other patrons, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Ryan Gazder, and Adam Hickman. As thanks, they are able to listen to additional interviews, only available to them.

Also, Counting Countries is offering its first group tour to Bhutan on November 7th. Please go to GlobalGaz.com to see more information as well as disclosures. And I am announcing a new trip to Madagascar in August of 2020 with G Adventures. I also have a brief discussion with Chris Duncan, he is a a product manager for Africa. Check out the link to see some of their trips. Let’s listen in.

I encourage you to subscribe wherever you listen, Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, or Spotify and write a review, even better if it is 5 stars. Why? Because that is what keeps this podcast going.

But for now, here’s my conversation with four rocking travelers the City of Gold. Please listen in and enjoy.

Thank you to my Patrons …. Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles, Ted Nims & Ryan Gazder.

Be the first on your block to sport official Counting Countries apparel! You can purchase today on Amazon.

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

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts today! And write a review!

Check out our friend: Large Minority. They organize international rallies around the world including: Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines and the Amazon. And watch my full length documentary in Cambodia when I traveled with Large Minority.

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 Century Club states that there are 327 sovereign nations, territories, enclaves, and islands.
The Most Traveled Person states that there are 875 unique parts of the world.
The Nomad Mania divides the world into 1281 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.

Check out our friend and his new book:

The Curious Case of William Baekeland William is a former guest of Counting Countries. Harry Mitsidis, the author and extreme traveler, traces William’s arrival and unraveling in the travel community. It is a story worthy of a film … and this book.

Disclaimer: I will earn a fee if you order from Amazon/Agoda.

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Produced by Simpler Media

Key Links

I encourage you to subscribe wherever you listen, Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, or Spotify and write a review, even better if it is 5 stars. Why? Because that is what keeps this podcast going.

But for now, here’s my conversation with four rocking travelers the City of Gold. Please listen in and enjoy.

Thank you to my Patrons …. Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles, Ted Nims & Ryan Gazder.

Be the first on your block to sport official Counting Countries apparel! You can purchase today on Amazon.

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

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts today! And write a review!

Check out our friend: Large Minority. They organize international rallies around the world including: Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines and the Amazon. And watch my full length documentary in Cambodia when I traveled with Large Minority.

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 Century Club states that there are 327 sovereign nations, territories, enclaves, and islands.

The Most Traveled Person states that there are 875 unique parts of the world.

The Nomad Mania divides the world into 1281 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.

Check out our friend and his new book:

The Curious Case of William Baekeland William is a former guest of Counting Countries. Harry Mitsidis, the author and extreme traveler, traces William’s arrival and unraveling in the travel community. It is a story worthy of a film … and this book.

Disclaimer: I will earn a fee if you order from Amazon/Agoda.

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