What do you do after you’ve visited every country in the world?
Easy.
You do it again.
Or apparently… a third time.
Welcome to the wonderfully strange, slightly obsessive, and surprisingly welcoming world of extreme travel.
In this episode of The Radio Vagabond, I catch up with my friend Ric Gazarian – also known as Global Gaz – host of the Counting Countries podcast and founder of the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Bangkok.
And this is a peek inside one of the most fascinating travel subcultures on the planet.
The Tribe You Didn’t Know Existed
When I talk to Ric about the Extraordinary Travel Festival (ETF), one word keeps coming up:
Tribe.
Because that’s really what it feels like.
Not a conference. Not a trade show. Not a bunch of influencers taking selfies in front of a step-and-repeat banner.
A tribe.
People who love travel deeply. Sometimes irrationally deeply. People who’ve built their lives around exploration. And people who, perhaps for the first time, find themselves surrounded by others who actually understand why spending years trying to visit all 193 UN countries somehow makes perfect sense.
Ric explains it like this:
“It’s all about community, being with your tribe, the content, awesome speakers, and travel and exploration in Bangkok, Thailand, the greater region.”
That sense of belonging wasn’t even part of some grand master plan.
According to Ric, it happened organically.
How A Podcast, A Facebook Group, And COVID Created A Festival
Ric didn’t wake up one morning and decide to build the world’s largest gathering of extreme travellers.
Instead, it evolved.
First, there was his podcast, Counting Countries, where for more than a decade, he’s interviewed only two kinds of people:
People who’ve been to every country in the world. And people trying to get there.
That’s… a niche inside a niche.
Then came his involvement as a moderator in Every Passport Stamp, one of the biggest online communities for people chasing all 193.
And on top of that, he spent ten years organising travel meetups in Bangkok.
Looking back, he sees it now as accidental preparation.
“I think I did 50 or 60 of these meetings. So there’s a lot of dry runs or practice of finding speakers, organising, and marketing.”
Then COVID happened. Travel slowed down. Virtual friendships piled up. And Ric had an idea.
“I have so many virtual friends… people like you, whom I only get to see once a year or once every two years. Let me create a platform that gives the opportunity for everybody in the community to come together in person.”
Chasing 193… Or Not
For the uninitiated, “193” refers to the number of UN member states.
In some travel circles, that’s the magic number. The quest. The holy grail.
But if you’ve listened to The Radio Vagabond before, you’ll know I’m slightly conflicted about all this.
Yes, I’ve visited 127 countries. And you’ve heard the jingle “…on a quest to visit every country in the world”. No, now I’m not entirely sure I’m going to complete the 193.
When I mention that in the conversation, Ric jokingly threatens to revoke my membership card.
“I heard you say you weren’t definitively sure if you’re gonna chase 193… I might have to delete our interview on Counting Countries.”
Fair enough. Because for some travellers, the count matters enormously.
For others – me included – it’s more about the joy of the journey. The people. The absurd situations. The random conversations in bars, markets, taxis, border crossings, and dusty backstreets.
But even if you’re not chasing countries, this world is fascinating. Because the numbers are honestly a bit mind-blowing.
So… How Many People Have Actually Visited Every Country?
You might think the number is tiny. And it is. But it’s growing.
According to data tracked by Nomad Mania, more than 500 people had completed all 193 countries by the end of 2025.
Even more surprising? Over 80 people finished the quest in 2025 alone. That’s a lot more than I expected.
But then Ric reveals the next level of insanity. Some people don’t stop after finishing. They go back and do every country again. Twice.
And now… Three times. Yes. Really.
“There’s a new category… the insane of the insanest.”
One traveller has now reportedly completed every country in the world three times.
I mean… At that point, you’re no longer collecting passport stamps. You’re collecting life achievements on expert mode.
More People Than You’d Think… And Less Exclusive Than You’d Assume
At the last Extraordinary Travel Festival, around 250 people attended.
More than 30 of them had visited every country on Earth.
That sounds intimidating.
Like some secret club where everyone casually discusses visas for obscure island territories over breakfast.
But Ric is very clear:
You absolutely do not need to have visited 150 countries to belong.
Or 100.
Or 50.
Or even 20.
You can simply be curious. You can love travel. You can be dreaming about your next trip. You can be an armchair traveller who just finds this whole world fascinating.
As Ric puts it, the event is a collision of people from everywhere:
“It’s 20 to 81 years old. It’s male, it’s female, it’s six different continents, it’s every religion.”
And honestly… that part may be the most interesting thing about it.
Travel Nerd Heaven… In Bangkok
This year’s Extraordinary Travel Festival takes place in Bangkok from 22–25 October. And yes, Ric has expanded it.
There’s now a dedicated Travel Content Creation Day with documentaries, authors, filmmakers, content creators, and travel storytellers.
Because apparently a normal four-day festival wasn’t ambitious enough. There are also optional trips before and after the event. Because of course there are.
It’s a travel festival.
Want To Go Down This Rabbit Hole?
If you’re curious about the strange and captivating world of extreme travel… If you’ve ever wondered what motivates someone to visit every country… Or if you simply enjoy hearing passionate travellers talk about the thing they love most…
You should definitely listen to this episode.
Who knows?
You might discover your tribe. Or at least discover that your own travel obsession is perfectly normal after all.
Compared to someone trying to visit all 193 countries for the third time.
Listen to the episode in the player above.
Relevant Links
- Extraordinary Travel Festival: https://www.extraordinarytravelfest.com
- Get $100 off your ETF ticket with promo code: VAGABOND
(Discount decreases as the event gets closer.) - GlobalGaz: https://globalgaz.com/
- Counting Countries Podcast: https://globalgaz.com/counting-countries/
- Nomad Mania: https://nomadmania.com
- Every Passport Stamp (Facebook Group):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/everypassportstamp
Extraordinary Travel Festival 3
Bangkok, Thailand
22–25 October 2026
Plus optional day trips and multi-day adventures before and after the event.
I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Please tell me where are you and what are you doing as you listen to this episode? You can either send me an email on listener(a)theradiovagabond.com, go to TheRadioVagabond.com/Contact or send me a voice message by clicking on the banner.
Either way, I would love to hear from you. It’s so nice to know who’s on the other end of this.
SPONSOR
A special thank you to my sponsor, Hotels25.com, who always provide me with the best, most affordable accommodation wherever I am in the world.
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