Q COSTA RICA – At 18, Cassie spent her first year of college in Costa Rica, her college experience starting off at Long Island Universities ‘Global College’, studying under the major of ‘Global Studies’ in Costa Rica and Nicaragua her freshman year. Here, she lived within local communities and studied rain forests, economic/political systems and global studies.
“Later, when I was 21, I saved up 2,000 bucks making it possible for me to travel to 25 countries. I could sustain those travels by getting jobs, sleeping at stations, etc,” she said. “I tried offering an online course after that for $5 only but it failed. I guess I didn’t have enough experience back then like I do now.”
In 2017, Cassie, at 27 years old, has finished her journey, Expedition196. As of February 2017, Cassie has traveled to 196 countries alone. Cassie is now working on the editing and distribution of the educational documentary she’s been filming, a book, TV shows, speaking engagements, branding agreements and has developed a seminar to help other fulfill their dreams and passions in travel.
Cassie De Pecol claims she has just broken the Guinness World Record to become:
- The first documented woman to travel to every sovereign nation
- The first American woman to travel to every sovereign nation
- The youngest American to travel to every sovereign nation (at 27)
In case you were wondering, there are 196 sovereign nations on the planet. Beginning at 23, on the Pacific island of Palau in Kuly 2015, Cassie’s journey lasted 18 months and 26 days, making her also the the fastest person to travel to every sovereign nation.
The official Guinness World Record holder for being the youngest person to visit every country in the world isJames Asquith (UK), who was 24 years and 192 days old when he arrived in the final country. James visited his first country outside of the UK, Lithuania, between 26 and 31 May 2001. He then visited every other sovereign country between 4 July 2008 and 8 July 2013.
Her journey was almost entirely funded by sponsorship, has been an installation in sustainability and ethical eco-friendly tourism.
These are, according to De Pecol, the top ten best countries in the entire world to visit and what she had to say:
10. United States
Home is where family is, it’s where my safety net is, it’s where everything that I’m familiar with is, and my country is rich in nature, which is important to me
9. Costa Rica
Monkeys, fresh fruit, good music and volcanoes…need I say more?
8. Peru
The Amazon rainforest and Aguas Calientes [gateway to Machu Picchu]
7. Tunisia, North Africa
To experience northern African culture with a Middle Eastern feel and an immense amount of archaeological history.
6. Oman, Arabian Peninsula
To immerse yourself in the desert and mountains, while learning from locals who live in the mountains, it’s a whole different lifestyle.
5. Pakistan
To get a true sense of raw, authentic Asian culture, and for the food.
4. Vanuatu, South Pacific
To experience the process of how Kava is made and to meet some of the kindest people.
3. Maldives
To see some of the bluest water, whitest sand and most stunning sand banks in the world.
2. Bhutan
To learn the ethics of peaceful living. The pilgrimage [to Paro Taktsang] was something out of Avatar, a dream to trek through low-hanging clouds with a harrowing drop at any given moment on either side.
1. Mongolia
To be immersed in the remote wilderness and to ride the wild horses.
Original Map (Hand-Written)
Countries: 205 Total
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela
North America
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States
Editor’s note:
Just in case you missed geography class, Costa Rica is in the continent of North America. By most standards, there are a maximum of seven continents – Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America.
Central America (Spanish: “América Central” or “Centroamérica”) is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. … Central America consists of seven countries: Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
Europe
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus (in Asia section), Czech Republic, Denmark , Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain1 , Sweden, Switzerland , Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City
Africa
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast (Côte d I’voire), Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tongo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Asia
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Burma/Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor Leste/East Timor (in Oceania category), Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Oceania
Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papa New Guinea, Samoa, Soloman Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
Sources: Cassiedepecol.com; Expedition196.com;
