Most people are passionate about travelling and different people travel for different reasons.
It could be for recreation, tourism or vacationing, research travel, the gathering of information, visiting people, volunteer travel for charity, migration to begin life somewhere else, religious pilgrimages and mission trips, business travel, trade, commuting, and other reasons, such as to obtain health care or waging or fleeing war or just for the enjoyment of travelling.
Alexis Alford popularly known as Lexie who finds pleasure in travelling was born in a small town called Nevada City, California.
She started travelling when she was really young because her mum has a travel agency.
Lexie has travelled to all 196 countries by 21 years old, breaking the Guinness World Record for the Youngest Person to Travel to Every Country by over three years.
The following list is the official member states according to the United Nations and divided into the global region:
Africa: 43/54 countries
Algeria- Angola
BeninBotswanaBurkina FasoBurundi- Cabo Verde
CameroonCentral African RepublicChadComorosCongoCôte d’IvoireDemocratic Republic of the CongoDjiboutiEgypt- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
EthiopiaGabonGambia- Ghana
Guinea- Guinea-Bissau
KenyaLesotho- Liberia
- Libya
MadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMauritiusMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNiger- Nigeria
Rwanda- São Tomé and Príncipe
SenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth SudanSudanSwaziland- Togo
TunisiaUgandaUnited Republic of TanzaniaZambiaZimbabwe
Asia-Pacific: 44/53 countries
55. Afghanistan
56. Bahrain
57. Bangladesh
58. Bhutan
59. Brunei Darussalam
60. Cambodia
61. China
62. Cyprus
63. Fiji
64. India
65. Indonesia
66. Iran (Islamic Republic of)
67. Iraq
68. Japan
69. Jordan
70. Kazakhstan
71. Kuwait
72. Kyrgyzstan
73. Lao People’s Democratic Republic
74. Lebanon
75. Malaysia
76. Maldives
77. Marshall Islands
78. Micronesia
79. Mongolia
80. Myanmar
81. Nauru
82. Nepal
83. North Korea
84. Oman
85. Pakistan
86. Palau
87. Papua New Guinea
88. Philippines
89. Qatar
90. Samoa
91. Saudi Arabia
92. Singapore
93. Solomon Islands
94. South Korea
95. Sri Lanka
96. Syrian Arab Republic
97. Tajikistan
98. Thailand
99. Timor-Leste
100. Tonga
101. Turkmenistan
102. Tuvalu
103. United Arab Emirates
104. Uzbekistan
105. Vanuatu
106. Viet Nam
107. Yemen
Latin America and Caribbean: 32/33 countries
131. Antigua and Barbuda
132. Argentina
133. Bahamas
134. Barbados
135. Belize
136. Bolivia (Plurinational State)
137. Brazil
138. Chile
139. Colombia
140. Costa Rica
141. Cuba
142. Dominica
143. Dominican Republic
144. Ecuador
145. El Salvador
146. Grenada
147. Guatemala
148. Guyana
149. Haiti
150. Honduras
151. Jamaica
152. Mexico
153. Nicaragua
154. Panama
155. Paraguay
156. Peru
157. Saint Kitts and Nevis
158. Saint Lucia
159. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
160. Suriname
161. Trinidad and Tobago
162. Uruguay
163. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic)
Western Europe and others: 29/29 countries
164. Andorra
165. Australia
166. Austria
167. Belgium
168. Canada
169. Denmark
170. Finland
171. France
172. Germany
173. Greece
174. Iceland
175. Ireland
176. Israel
177. Italy
178. Liechtenstein
179. Luxembourg
180. Malta
181. Monaco
182. Netherlands
183. New Zealand
184. Norway
185. Portugal
186. San Marino
187. Spain
188. Sweden
189. Switzerland
190. Turkey
191. United Kingdom
192. United States (observer)
Eastern European: 23/23 countries
108. Albania
109. Armenia
110. Azerbaijan
111. Belarus
112. Bosnia and Herzegovina
113. Bulgaria
114. Croatia
115. Czech Republic
116. Estonia
117. Georgia
118. Hungary
119. Latvia
120. Lithuania
121. Republic of Macedonia
122. Moldova
123. Montenegro
124. Poland
125. Romania
126. Russia
127. Serbia
128. Slovakia
129. Slovenia
130. Ukraine
Observers
193. State of Palestine
194. Vatican City (Holy See)
195. Kiribati
196. Taiwan
Now at just 22, she uses her online platforms and brand name, “Lexie Limitless” – to inspire budding travellers via Instagram, YouTube and her website.
Euronews caught up with Lexie during International Women’s Day on 8 March, to celebrate her title as the youngest person to reach every country in the world.
In the interview, Lexie described northern California as “the most diverse of the American states, there’s nowhere I’d rather be”.
Lexie currently resides full time in Sunny Los Angeles.
EN: Hey Lexie! Thank you for joining us. Firstly – have you managed to travel much in the past year or so?
Lexie: It’s pretty crazy, I was at Carnival in Brazil the day before the first registered case there (in early March). So I came back to the US and we were straight into full lockdown.
But yes, during lockdown I did manage to travel for work. I went to Turkey to do a two-week road trip for my YouTube, and another two-week road trip in Iraqi-Kurdistan.
EN: Did you set out with the intention of becoming the youngest person to reach every country in the world?
Lexie: It was more of natural evolution. I started travelling when I was really young because my mum has a travel agency, a business she started when she was just 19. Growing up she would always pull me out of school and take me exploring with her, which was really cool.
This lifestyle meant that by the time I was 18 I had travelled to around 70 countries already. I had graduated early from high school and got my associates degree by 18.
But one of my biggest dreams, from being 12 years old, was that I wanted to experience what it was like to live for one year of my life with no school and no work. So I saved up, a crazy amount, so I could take this gap year and travel the world.
I wanted to see as much as I could and learn as much as I could. It was during that gap year that it dawned on me: how many countries are there? I was only 18, I knew I had some time to do it. So I Googled the youngest person to travel to every country, and James Asquith’s Guinness World Record came up.
When I saw that, I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t at least try.
EN: A lot of people want nothing more than to travel, but financial and time restraints can get in the way. You’ve already said you had set that one year aside – but how did you pay for it?
Lexie: My project was entirely self-funded. I was working from a really young age and for my mum’s travel agency. I was really lucky because I was not only earning money, but I was learning so much about travel – specifically how I could do it on a shoestring budget.
I managed to stretch out those savings for a year and a half. And during that time I picked up my camera, started doing blogs, and learnt about social media. I was starting to meet people from the industry and built up a network. I slowly started getting more of a client-base that I was writing content for, and that’s really what launched my business that I run today.
It’s important to bear in mind that when you’re climbing a really big mountain if you look right to the top you’re going to be discouraged and overwhelmed. But if you just take one step at a time, it’s a lot easier to get to the top.
EN: Do you have a favourite place that you visited? And why?
Lexie: I have a list, I have a top five. But this is like having to choose a favourite child. The places are my favourites for different reasons. I love Indonesia because of the diving. I’m a diver and the underwater world there is fascinating.
Venezuela, because of its natural beauty, and the kindness of the people. Pakistan was the most hospitable place and the people I visited. It has an incredible mountain landscape as well.
Egypt for history – its preservation is incredible. You can still see the paint and smoke on the walls inside the Great Pyramids. And Iceland. It’s just such a unique island, the most unique place in the world.
EN: Is there anywhere you wouldn’t go back to?
Lexie: I’m always wary when I talk about favourite places and least favourite places because it’s so subjective. I don’t think there’s anywhere I wouldn’t go back to – never say never.
But my travel experience now is very different from three years ago. It’s less about counting countries, and more about seeking out these unique experiences, so it really depends on whether the opportunity is there.
One thing I know is that any travel experience is all about people. They make or break the journey. It’s the people who make experiences last in your mind forever.
EN: There’s still a lot of stigma around women travelling alone, especially from a safety perspective. But you did much of this journey alone, and so young. Was it ever something that worried you?
Lexie: I travelled to around 50 or so countries by myself. So that was maybe seven or eight months on my own.
Just as a side note, I truly think it’s something every person, man and woman, should experience at some point in their life: solo travel. It teaches you how to be independent and navigate this crazy world alone. But it also makes you truly appreciate the time you get to spend with people when you’re back home, or with your family and friends.
Taking the first step into solo travel doesn’t have to be huge. You don’t have to go to a completely different culture, with a completely different language, and try to figure it out. A neighbouring city, a closer country. Just somewhere that you can be with yourself and your thoughts.
You can ease into these things slowly and start learning how to navigate the world. But it teaches us how to be grateful: for the people, we have in our lives, the experiences we have in our lives.
That’s the main thing I’ve learnt on my travels I think. Gratitude.
EN: What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
Lexie: I love that we celebrate women (the day, women’s history month), and take the time to reflect on how far women have come in society, and also how women are being empowered to do things they’ve never been able to do before. It’s about how we are excelling. We feel empowered to pursue our dreams, and there’s no one holding us back.
It’s easy to point out all the ways that we need to continue to improve. But we have to celebrate the progress we’ve made too, and that’s what this day is for me.
EN: What’s the one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to pursue their dreams?
Lexie: A piece of advice I’ve been given and carried with me for years is to never take no for an answer. Anyone who doubts your ideas, who doesn’t want something to work out in your favour, being rejected. It’s up to you to persevere.
EN: Your social media name is Lexie Limitless, emphasis on the Limitless. Are there any travellers you would recommend people should follow?
Lexie: Bree from @eyeofshe, she’s an amazing adventure travel creator. Andi from @destinationchaser is another inspiring traveller who has a very unique outlook on the world, and Ciara from @hey_ciara is a solo female traveller, so if that’s something you’re interested in make sure you’re following her.
On her website, she gave some advice on what it takes to travel around the world, she wrote:
“In a word: compromise. Beyond taking the occasional vacation, it takes sacrifice to live a life abroad for an extended period of time. Saving money at a young age is extremely difficult, especially when you are living on your own; paying all the bills that go along with being independent.
“If your goal in life is to travel, one of my biggest pieces of advice to you would be to move back in with your parents! It isn’t always that easy and for some people doing this is impossible, but if you have the opportunity to live at home (free of rent) you should take it. This is the reason why so many young people can afford a travel lifestyle.
“Money is a lot easier to save at home, and saving is the name of the game. You are capable of doing whatever you put your mind to. Work harder than anyone you know, do anything and everything you can to save the money you make because it will take you so much farther than you could ever imagine.
“You may not have expensive material things or a fancy degree, you may even have to sacrifice relationships with people in your life and the daily comforts you’ve grown accustomed to. These are the challenges that one must overcome in order to experience what other places in the world have to offer.”
She also gave some travelling tips on her blog especially to the ladies who love to travel.
She advised them to always do their homework by researching the country they intend to travel to before they even start packing, to know the religion of the people, how to dress, so that you don’t appear disrespectful.
“For example, in the capital of Maldives, Mali, you are not permitted to wear a bikini on the beach because of the strict Islamic culture. Or you might be pleasantly surprised to discover that abayas are mandatory in Saudi Arabia, but hijab is not,” She wrote.
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