My name is Lexie Alford and if all goes according to plan, I will break the Guinness World Record for the Youngest Person to Travel to Every Country. I’m 19 years old and I have traveled to 96 countries. I will make it to 17 more countries by March. I aim to travel to all 196 countries before I’m old enough to drink in the United States. I intend to inspire others to choose the path less traveled by breaking down common misconceptions about millennials, women and foreign cultures.
Showing people that the world is not a scary place, every culture is accessible and kindness is present everywhere in spite of political and societal instabilities is my ultimate goal. This is my opportunity to become a part of history by personally demonstrating the interconnectedness of the world and to leave behind a positive legacy encouraging women everywhere to pursue their ambitions.
Traveling vast distances quickly and efficiently is a relatively new ability, for hundreds of years people never knew how much was really out there; until now. The world is becoming a smaller place and I feel overwhelming gratitude to experience the world in a way no one has before. The more I travel the more I feel at home anywhere in the world and if the whole world is your home then everyone that lives here is our family. It has become my mission to share this journey with you.
I’m often asked, “Aren’t you afraid of being kidnapped or killed? What if something bad happens to you?” My answer is that I’ve come to a place of acceptance that it is very possible that I could die attempting this record. This is a risk I’m willing to take because if I die, I would die doing something that fills my life with passion. It’s better to live a short life chasing your dream than a long life filled with missed opportunities and regrets.
I attribute every aspect of the person I am today to the way I was raised. My father set no limits to what I could become and my parents chose not to shelter me from the world around us. They didn't cover my eyes when I saw a family of four sharing one motorbike lying in a pool of blood after a collision in Vietnam. I grew up learning very real life lessons; the importance of wearing helmets is permanently engrained in my soul. Memories of the past make us who we are. I will never forget what it felt like to crawl into the Great Pyramid of Giza or the rush of diving into a shark cage surrounded by 16 ft. long, hungry great white sharks.
Everything in life happens for a reason. If it wasn’t for toxic relationships and depression, I may not have had the motivation to change my situation and graduate high school at 16. If it wasn’t for my experiences with orphans in Asian slums I may not have appreciation for the simply things in life most people take for granted. A lifetime of traveling the world has taught me many lessons but above all, I have learned to be grateful. To genuinely understand that this life, this very moment, is a gift because you never know which moment will be your last.
My intention is to use my experiences to make the world a better place in every way I can and I feel honored to have this opportunity to share my story with you. Supporting my mission not only empowers my journey around the world but also supports a new generation of women everywhere to pursue their passions not regardless of the obstacles we face but because of them. To find out more about this world record breaking mission check out living-lost.com or Instagram @lost_lexie and ask yourself, "how can you change the world if you have never been there?
Hi @lexiealford, welcome to Steemit! You're on an amazing quest!
@kevinwong Thank you, I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to pursue my dreams
Hello, @LexieAlford, and Welcome to Steemit.
I'm impressed by this tremendous challenge you are undertaking. But I'd agree with you that travelling alone is the best way to travel. It's great in that it takes you completely out of your circle of friends and family, and, by necessity, brings you into direct contact with the people of the world.
Hope all your travels are both safe and full of adventure.
Full Steem Ahead, on this platform and in your travels!
Welcome to steemit!
@cqf Thanks!
This is beautiful. When i read the title I did not think once about the question of aren't you afraid you'll die, instead i admire you for living. I see the spirit you carry with you. Have you been to New Zealand yet?
@kaykunoichi I really appreciate your kind words. My spirit has gotten me this far and I have no intention of stifling its potential. I went to New Zealand when I was just 5 years old. I have the most amazing memory of seeing my dad bungee jump there for the first time!
^_^ incredible!
Wow, this is an amazing story! My wife, three kids, and I plan to travel much more in the years to come and hearing stories like this is so inspiring.
@lukestokes Thank you! The best piece of advice I am qualified to give to a parent is to show your kids as much as you possibly can. Pull them out of school for a week or two every once in a while. I promise they will learn so much more than they ever could out of a text book
Agreed. :) We school at home so they do get a lot of different perspectives on education, but yes, we plan to travel a lot. Unfortunately we'd be in Peurto Rico right now if it weren't for the hurricane that went through there.
Question: how do you fund your travels?
Hi @lukestokes, I do understand that the question is for Lexie, so apologies for butting in. I often had a similar question; how do I fund my travels and slowly and steadily I read up on a lot of travel blogs and the manner in which they travelled and saved money. This blog below is where I got a lot of tips on how to finance my travel plans and I hope it helps you too: https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blog/ - there are a few others like him too, so if you google for it, you would get a truckload of information on how to fund the travels.
Thanks for sharing! I have three kids and a wife to consider, so it's a bit tricky for us. I'll check it out though.
@lexiealford,
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That is an amazing achievement! Incredible that you have been to so many places!
Please reply and I will nominate your introduction to the @OCD Curators for possible extra views and rewards to your blog post! Good luck in your Steem experience, and Welcome!
@ma1neevent Thank you so much for that offer, of course I accept! I really appreciate your nomination, please feel free to share.
It should be fun exploring the world at a young age. Me too wanted to do it. I’m 22 now and will be 23 at next February. Great to you,
@justinansako Exploring while you are young is such an amazing experience. Some people wait until they are older and the longer you wait the more obligations you will have and you can become less physically capable. Get out there!
Great girl!! Go on! Welcome to steemit :)
Hi Lexie!
Any plans to visit Antarctica, or have you already been there?
We love original content! Looking forward to your travel stories. =)
A couple of Steemit tips, ignore the automated bots, they do nothing for you and just earn from your votes.
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For many new people, the voting and points system seems complicated at first. Here is an excellent post and entertaining video about how it all works.
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You also earn rewards for resharing (resteem) and commenting. How cool is that? So it pays for us all to get involved with other people and their content.
Welcome aboard and full Steem ahead! =)
Leo.
@leoplaw I would jump at any opportunity to visit Antarctica, it's very high on my bucket list and its the only continent I haven't stepped foot on. I can't wait to share more stories with you. Thank you for the advice!
Maybe you should connect with @dandoval, he's travelled there and did a whole series of posts about it.
https://steemit.com/photography/@dandoval/penguin-highway-antarctica
Great sentiment! I do hope that more people abide by the same principle.
A few questions though:1. How are you able to fund your travels?2. Do you travel alone for most of your journey?EDIT: I have read the About section of your site immediately after I posted this comment.
I wish you the best of luck in completing your quest! To hold that distinction would certainly be an honor. I could only wish that I could travel even a fraction of where you have been. Best of luck and always stay safe! :D
@jedau I'm glad you checked out the site! I'm slowing addressing every question I'm asked, feel free to reach out for more info! I'll be writing more about how to budget travel in the future.
I appreciate the luck, I'll sure need it. Remember you can do anything you set your mind to!
Oh!! Looking forward to reading that! With the budget I have, frugal traveling would be the way to quench my thirst to explore haha!
Hi lexiealford.. Congratulations on your registration.. And congratulations on joining the steemit community. Steemit is a social media that rewards users through interesting postings. I am sure you will provide the interesting posts in steemit. The good work that can make the good produce. Good luck.☺
@ashfia thank you, I aim to post as much interesting content as possible. stay tuned!
That is an amazing goal you have there! A friend of mine traveled around the world in less than 80 days without any money together with a friend. He just used his finger and persuasion skills. They call themselves Optimistic Traveler on Facebook.
P.S. I just gave you 5 reputation points with my upvote. I didn't know I am that powerful. LOL
@flauwy I'll check out your friend's page, I'm always looking for good travel on a budget advice. How exactly did he use his finger...?
Thank you so much for the up vote!
He was hitchhiking most of the time. He also persuaded people for flights and more on his trip. He is really good at that. They wrote a book about it which they are promoting all over the place now. Check it out.
Hey @lexiealford, Welcome to Steemit! What a beautiful opportunity. What's your top 3 favorite cuisine in respects to the country you visited?
@scuzzy Great question! My favorite foods from around the world are 1. Sushi in Japan (of course) 2. Couscous from Morocco and 3. Icelandic Yogurt!
Oh! Everything sounds so good. I bet sushi from Japan melted in your mouth! Icelandic Yogurt? Is that something unique to just Iceland?
Welcome to Steemit Lexie! You've inspired me already :)
@dylantrussell why thank you, I aim to inspire the motivation to travel to places people don't usually go. Always looking for a new companion fyi
Welcome!! What a fantastic intro and mission you're on. You've clearly been taught some wonderful principles (and learned some along the way) I'll be holding thumbs for you on your journey and look forward to seeing you grow within the Steemit community :):)
@therneau I really appreciate your kinds words of support. I've learned so much from my travels already and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you!
Welcome, Lexie! Looking forward to seeing your posts from around the world! My feed just got more interesting.
@paulhallman Thank you for that amazing compliment, I will not disappoint! So much more to come.
Wow, trying to make it to all 196 countries and so young. You are doing so much more with your life then I did!
@justtryme90 It's never too late to live your best life!
Nice to meet you, Lexie! 👋
@pinay It is very nice to meet you too!
Wow, this is a great introduction post. Welcome to steemit!
It looks like you will be blogging about travel. As one of the editors for @steemitworldmap’s daily #traveldigest, I would love to see your future travel posts pop up on http://steemitworldmap.com. If you're interested, simply go to the website, click on code (down the bottom) and add a short description. It will then generate the code you need to copy and paste into your post (not the comments) to have it show up on steemit worldmap. There’s also a FAQ section if you get a bit lost.
You can find out about the project here:
https://steemit.com/travel/@steemitworldmap/steemit-worldmap
@choogirl All my blogs will be travel related, thank you for the opportunity to join @steemitworldmap #traveldigest I will definitely be including you in my future posts!
Welcome to Steemit, Lexie. Congratulation. Wow! That is a great thing that you have achieved in such a young age. I wish you all the luck. I will look forward to reading more about your travel around the world and you reaching the mark of 196 countries.
That's a very good question that you have asked
"how can you change the world if you have never been there?Most of us really have no answer for it. Thank you for sharing. Keep doing what you are doing. :)@firepower Thank you so much, I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to experience the world in this way. Stay tuned, I have a long journey ahead of me!
You're most welcome. I bet you do. Keep sharing as you go. Have fun. :)
@firepower Will Do!
Hey @lexiealford! Welcome to steemit community! Good luck with your quest.
@extremeromance Thank you!
makes me wanna hit the road again......one more time...upvoted ..resteemed and followed...
@tt-dogg I'm glad I inspired you, get out there!
I will again. This time with my son. After he gets a bit older.
@tt-dogg Yes I strongly encourage people to travel with their children, such an amazing bonding experience
Hi Lexie, cool to have you on Steemit. I read your post and it is impressive to travel that much on your own when you are 19.
You know, that you are very privileged to be able to do this. I think setting a record should be in no way the purpose of such a journey, for me it communicates the wrong message.. How do you want to use your experiences to make the world a better place? If everybody would do what you are doing, the world would be a much worse place.
Your whole post, mirrors exactly what people think about millenials.
"It’s better to live a short life chasing your dream than a long life filled with missed opportunities and regrets."
How would you help anyone, if you would die attempting this "record", your parents would be devastated and you clearly would not be able to use your experiences to make the world a better place.
I do not see anyone profiting from that whole journey apart from you -
which is ok.
But I really do not see the reason why I should support somebody flying around the globe, trying to break a totally silly record. Just my two cents..
@geniusloci I really appreciate your perspective and feedback. I am very aware that I am an incredibly privileged individual because I have witnessed so much inequality during my travels. I have been traveling since before I can remember, its the way I was raised. Setting this record has only been my goal for the past 6 months, to be completely honest... When I graduated college I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. All I have ever known was that I want to experience as much of the world as possible and use the knowledge I have gained to benefit society. I then asked myself what I can do to continue to live my best life and also inspire/enact others to do the same. The purpose of my journey is not solely to break a world record, it is to learn about the political and social condition of every country in the world in order to make a highly educated assessment about how to change it for the better.
I am a millennial who will use my life experiences from around the world to teach others and spread awareness about the global issues I have witnessed first hand. These topics span from the dysfunctional state of international adoption processes to the need for comprehensive health education to women in developing countries.
I strongly disagree that if other people traveled and experienced cultures vastly different from their own that the world would be a worse place. A major reason why we are so disconnected with the other 8 billion people living on this planet is because we don't know anything about each other, so why would we care about their living conditions? The change in perspective traveling brings not only makes you appreciate what you already have, it makes you more empathetic to others when you see for yourself what others live without and may even motivate you to make a difference in their lives.
Beyond the personal achievement aspect of this record, what I have to say will benefit the global community. I will share with others lessons I've learned while traveling in countries they probably have never even heard of but are in need of the most help. I will personally demonstrate how interconnected our planet has become by sharing the stories of the real people and how their living conditions could be improved. The first step of enacting global change is becoming aware of the issues then creating a solution as a conscious community.
The reason you should support my mission is because I am willing to put my life on the line in order to gain necessary knowledge about the least known areas of the world in order to improve the human condition to the best of my ability. Before you decide that someone's life goal is silly, you should consider the profound effect that someone whose mission in life is to improve the world can have.
Hey there @lexiealford ! awesome that you are reading the comments and that you are taking the time to answer my questions!
My point is, that everyone with an internet connection can learn about the social and political problems of the world.
What I ment by "the world would be a much worse place" is that people on our planet tend to move too much. The pollution of moving, escpecially flying, is putting incredible pressure on our environement - so if every person would move in the same ways as you do, the world would much likely be worse.
So many maniacs these days are obsessed with settings records, becoming the best here, climbing the highest there - maybe, making an average, concious life the new ideal would be a nice change for once. Maybe showing children that you do not need to put your life on the line and set records to lead a happy and fulfilled life would be an interesting way to look at things? Would you recommend people to put their lifes on the line?
A lot of western people dont even care about the homeless people in their country, do you think they do not care about the linving conditions of half of africa because they never heard of it? Do you think lack of knowledge is the reason?
I did not mean to offend you and I did consider the effects of your mission. I think you as a person will benefit greatly from all the experiences you have made and I really hope that you will be able to use it for the global change we desperatly need. But I strongly believe that people do not need to travel more around the world in order to understand its problems and find solutions.
I do not think that your life goal is silly at all! I consider the act of breaking a record itself to be silly. From what I read, you are determined to change the world in a positive way which is awesome!
This being said, if Nepal is still on your list, lets meet for a coffee in Kathmandu and discuss it further!
love&light
@geniusloci No offense taken! This has actually been my favorite discussion on Steemit thus far because it challenges me and forces me to answer questions that people do not usually ask so thank you for this opportunity to grow.
I see where you are coming from and I agree with most of what you are saying. Truthfully I am going to be working on finding the answers to the questions you posed for a while. Personally, I will be looking into the different way to offset my carbon footprint throughout my mission. I realize that pollution is a major global issue and flying is making the situation worse... There are many pros and cons to this debate with travel that I plan on formally addressing in the future.
As far as the example I would like to set for children, I would like to focus more on the aspect of being able to achieve anything you set your mind to, regardless of your age/gender; rather than encouraging them to live an 'extreme' lifestyle.
On the subject of westerners caring about impoverished countries: obviously having access to the internet and witnessing homeless people in their own country is not having an impact on these people in a way that motivates them to improve these issues. I aim to become a social influencer. Someone to act as a role model demonstrating the impact one person who wants to make a difference can have on society. I want to start a new trend showing that global consciousness is 'in'. I want to encourage people to strive to do something greater than themselves and benefit people in need.
Thank you for this great debate, I took a lot away from it. I will be in Kathmandu for a few days in January and would love to get some coffee! Meeting someone that knows the area is always helpful. Hope to see you soon!
Hey there @lexiealford! Thank you for the detailed answer! I will be in Kathmandu in january and would be happy to show you around, I know it quite well by now! How cool would that be! I am quite active on Steemit, link me in a comment when you know where and when you will be! Would be happy to help with accomodation etc. as well. We should make this happen. Wow, see you soon ;)
Happy Traveling Lexie, enjoy!
@robertchr Thank you! I will most certainly enjoy every moment
@lexiealford Thank you for being such an inspiration. I believe you can break the world record.
@dexterslab That means so much to me, thank you!
Welcome to steemit @lexiealford. Amazing quest, I want to follow.
@fullofhope Thank you, feel free to follow along
Congratulations @fullofhope! You have received a vote as part of @raserrano donation to this project.
I will be able to help more #minnows
Nice to see another traveller on Steemit :) My plan is to hitch-hike around the world in 2018/2019 and describe it on Steemit!
Aren't you tired with all that rushing just to "check" another coutry? Sometimes it's good to stay for few weeks to really get deepen into the culture, history, people etc
@saunter That is such an amazing goal I'm looking forward to seeing your journey. Never stop exploring!
I have stayed in most countries I have traveled to for at least a week. I don't like traveling this fast but I know with confidence that I will be back for the places I didn't get enough time to fully appreciate.
It's nice to hear that :) See you on the road!
Hey Lexie! What an incredible story! We're fortunate to have you on board of the steemit ship now.
Looking forward to witnessing more of your adventures.
Upvoted, shared and following - that's my 100% :-)
@surfermarly I'm happy to aboard and I'm ready to share with you every detail of the adventure!
Welcome to Steem @lexiealford I have upvoted and sent you a tip
Thank you so much @bottymcbotface I appreciate that!
Keep safe.
Welcome to the community!
Thank you I'm happy to be here @hiyo
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@tuanis Thank you for the advice
Hello Lexie , I am sure you have a lot of interesting things to share . I would love to see what you got . Upvoted and followed by me :)
@pork1 I have so much to share with you, thanks for following!
Welcome to steemit. @lexiealford
following you now.
@thailand-funfun Thank you, I loved spending time in Thailand by the way, such a beautiful country
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Hey Lexie. Welcome to Steemit.
That's a really wonderful achievement and wish you the best for covering the remaining countries. Looking forward to all your travel stories.
@wandereronwheels Thank you so much for your well wishes I really appreciate that.
nice traveling, your experiences to make the world a better place
@didarulselim That is exactly my goal in life thank you!
you are really nice, I like your work, god bless you
@didarulselim Such kind words! I really appreciate it
wonderful, you're a beacon of light!
@edward.maesen I really appreciate that, I intend to shine as brightly as possible.
Hay its really great , you had already travel 96 country and its awsome and just at age of 19. And we steemitian proud to get such great personality on steemit.
@googlee Happy to be here!
welcome! which countries are you off to next?
@motoengineer Hi! I'll be off to Bali, Indonesia on December 30th to start off my Asia trip
Truly inspirational. We will folow you on your journey
@niobe I'm thrilled to see I inspired you, can't wait to share my journey with you
welcome to steemit
enjoy your time
@jinaa Thank you, will do
That is awesome! Keep it up! my question is where do you get all the funding to travel so much?
@conner320 Good question. I have been saving every dollar I've made since I started working at age 12. I'm a travel consultant that has worked very hard to find every possible deal I can find. More budgeting details to follow
@lexiealford - that makes you among the most interesting newbies I've seen on steemit! Keep up the good work and welcome to steemit! :)
@roji.abraham That is a wonderful compliment thank you!
nice posting pitchers and traveling pitcher tell the the story
@arshadsayed Thank you
nice post
Me encanta :-)
@djnoel thank you
Wow, this is a wonderful story. Love to see more pictures from all your travel.
@detlev I have so much more to share, if you're interested in my photography check out my portfolios on my website living-lost.com
Had a look 👀 there and I smell many nice posts you might do here at steemit.
@detlev stay tuned for another post coming tomorrow!
Welcome to Steemit, Lexie! I am sure not to be the only one to be happy to have you here and join you in your mission! Have you been to Bulgaria yet? If you have not there are some beautiful places I can recommend :) I am actually running a series called Bulgaria Is Beautiful. You can check out the most recent one here. All the love <3
@gabchik So happy to be here and share my experiences with you, I have been to Sofia but I would still love your recommendations I can't wait to go back.