This 21-Year-Old Photographer Just Became the Youngest Person to Visit Every Country
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Lexie Alford just visited North Korea on May 31st, which is a pretty big deal in-and-of-itself as a single woman, but it was also a pretty big deal because North Korea was the 196th country she's visited.
So, at the ripe old age of 21, Alford just smashed the Guinness World Record to become the youngest person to travel to every country.
How To Travel the World
If you're planning on beating Alford's goal, you will probably need to start as a child, like she did. Though I realize this probably disqualifies most of our readers, her story is still pretty interesting.
Alford's family owns a travel agency in California and she was blessed with parents who would take her out of school and send her on independent study trips for weeks and months at a time every year.
"My parents placed a lot of importance on exposing me to every way of life around the world and that had a very profound impact on the person I am today," she said. "I've always had a curiosity about other people's ways of life and how they find happiness."
This fascination with other's happiness is likely very potent now that she has finished her rush to become the youngest person to visit every country. A rush, she mentioned in a recent Instagram post, that caused her anxiety.
The Quest for the Guinness Title
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Alford didn't even realize she wanted to break the Guinness World Record until she hit adulthood.
"It wasn't until things started getting really challenging that I realized I was inspiring people around me, especially young women. Feeling that support meant that I couldn't give up when things got tough," she said.
"I was determined to show everyone that the world isn't as scary as the media portrays it to be and that there's kindness everywhere."
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Alford really began going after the world record in 2016. The previous world record was held by James Asquith, who hit his goal at the age of 24. This meant Alford had nearly 5 years to visit the remaining 124 countries.
Alford paid for most of her adventure by herself, through a few brand deals, as a travel consultant through her family's business, and as a traveling photographer.
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What Did She Learn From Her Travels?
"The countries that have such a bad reputation that people don't dare to go are the places that spark my curiosity," she said.
"I experienced so much more kindness and natural beauty in places like Pakistan and Venezuela than I ever found in typical tourist destinations. Going somewhere with no expectations and being absolutely blown away by what you find there has been the most fulfilling part of this project," she continued.
She did struggle as an American getting a visa to North Korea, due to the travel ban on the country. She got to go, but only to the North Korean side of the conference rooms in the "blue house" on the DMZ.
"I'll be visiting again as soon as the U.S. travel ban is lifted," she said.
The Only Way to Go Is Up
You will soon be able to pick up Alford's memoir about her travels, but if you want to hear her story sooner she will be giving a TEDx talk on June 15th.
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Via Forbes