Lexie Alford is at 21 years the youngest person to travel to every country in the world!

Traveling to 196 countries before the age of 22, that's impossible, right?! No, Lexie Alford actually did it and even got the Guinness World Record for the youngest person to travel to every country in the world!

Lexie Alford

Her amazing story is an inspiring one, especially for young women who might be a bit apprehensive to travel to lesser-known countries. It also inspires me personally that her parents, who have a travel agency, inspired her at a young age to travel the world and discover amazing places. It would be amazing if my kid in the future would be a little world traveler as well!

ps; doesn't she remind you of anyone? She looks like a real-life Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider-games!

Drew Binsky

“I finally met Lexie Alford, who in May 2019, became the youngest person in recorded history to visit every country in the world! She finished at 21 years old!! There have been roughly 250-300 people to visit every country, and about 95% of them are male…

I was particularly interested to tell Lexie's story because I get a lot of emails from woman travelers asking if it's possible to do it as a female, and (as you'll find out), Lexie is proof that it certainly is! Visiting every country has been a dream of mine for years and I will (hopefully) finish at 29 years old. It's remarkable how much perspective Lexie has gained about the world at such a young age.

This has been a fun story to tell because we naturally get along so well. I encourage you to follow her journey on YouTube and Instagram (@LexieLimitless) — she's one of the most courageous and inspiring travelers out there!”

 

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ITS OFFICIAL!!? After years of travel, months of planning & mountains of paperwork to prove it- I'm now the Guinness World Record Holder for the Youngest Person to Travel to Every Country!??⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It's been a crazy week celebrating here in NYC & having the Today Show surprise me with this certificate yesterday was literally a dream come true. I've been spending a lot of time reflecting on what I've taken away from traveling to 196 countries & honestly I feel like I've only just scratched the surface of how much there is to explore! Traveling to all these places around the world taught me that countries aren't as black and white as lines on the map. There's actually this beautiful, interconnected tapestry of cultures, beliefs and landscapes that blend together to create this strange & wonderful world we live in.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It's been such an honor & a privilege to experience so much and to share this journey with all of you. I definitely couldn't have done it without the many special people I encountered along the way. I'm feeling grateful for all the lessons learned & I'm SO EXCITED FOR WHAT'S NEXT? go to the link in my bio to subscribe to my brand new YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

Een bericht gedeeld door Lexie Alford (@lexielimitless) op 21 Nov 2019 om 6:45 (PST)

 

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5 in-person trips to the embassy in Los Angeles, 2 formal interviews, 3 different tour companies/fixers, 2 LOIs, countless phone calls and 6 months later I finally made it to PAKISTAN ?? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The media always exaggerates and blows out of proportion but so far I can’t get enough of this incredible country! Every day has brought not only new tastes & sights but also a renewed sense of appreciation for the kindness of people in faraway places. Even this truck driver’s nice way of telling me to move out of the way was to just start driving forward slowly ?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Thank you so much @cpicglobal for making this dream come true for me!

Een bericht gedeeld door Lexie Alford (@lexielimitless) op 27 Apr 2019 om 11:26 (PDT)

 

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Travel isn't always pretty? Sometimes it means risking spider, mosquito and bed bug bites (sometimes all at the same time). Travel is getting the flu (or malaria) and just having to deal with it on the road. It's weird allergic reactions and acne. It's ripped back nails in stressful situations, it's throwing up all night in hostel toilets, and it's even going to the hospital when the diarrhea becomes unbearable ? Nonetheless, I'm obsessed with travel and it's my favorite part of being alive. I miss it so much but I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy to take this time to recover from the miles I've put on my body over the past few years. I hope you enjoy this hilarious and vulnerable glimpse into the side of travel that social media rarely sees! Here's a very brief explanation for each photo: #1 Sri Lanka- spider bites all over my face #2 & #3 Senegal- worst spider bite I've ever gotten #4 Israel- going to the hospital because of food poisoning from Pakistan #5 Samoa- mosquito and/or bed bug bites? #6 Somewhere in transit- “burning the candle at both ends” basically #7 Côte d'Ivoire- being tested for malaria (no one in that hospital spoke a word of English?)

Een bericht gedeeld door Lexie Alford (@lexielimitless) op 30 Apr 2020 om 10:24 (PDT)

 

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Gringa's first CARNAVAL ???? Wild and colorful outfits, outrageous dirty dancing and music so loud it'll burst your ear drums *in a good way* For me, Carnaval came to mean celebrating the wonderful community that I am so blessed to have become apart of. 10 of us found ourselves in the middle of the LARGEST PARTY IN THE WORLD…but no, we weren’t in Rio de Janeiro… Salvador is home to Brazil’s most populated Carnaval celebration where 1 MILLION people take to the streets on any of the nights and over the course of the week that number even doubles. It’s hot, it’s humid, it’s loud, and it is nothing but pure joy. We danced our hearts out and felt immersed in a culture that couldn’t be more different from our own. Disclaimer: These photos were taken last month. This festival took place in mid-February which was before there were any confirmed outbreaks of covid-19 in Brazil.

Een bericht gedeeld door Lexie Alford (@lexielimitless) op 14 Mrt 2020 om 7:38 (PDT)

Becoming a freebird like Lexie is hard. But it´s made more easy thanks to Skillshare.

Also check out: The 10 most friendly countries in the world (according to world traveler Drew Binsky)