Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #5 - Richard Barrow
Counting Countries
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 things Thailand for both the expat community and...
info_outline
Tan Wee Cheng … An Iconoclast
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outlineRiza 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.
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!