The youngest American to travel each and every one of the 196 sovereign nations has some stellar travel advice for you, before you book your next getaway.
Cassie de Pecol also claims to be the fastest person to visit all of them on her Expedition 196, so she’s certainly done the appropriate research.
On her route to break the Guinness World Record to become the first documented woman to travel to every sovereign nation, Cassie compiled a list of her favourite ten places in the world.
10. USA
Cassie told the Telegraph:
Fall in New England is something everyone should experience. They say home is where the heart is, and the more I travel, the more that’s becoming more real to me.
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, Central America
Cassie said:
Monkeys, fresh fruit, good music and volcanoes…need I say more?
8. Peru, South America
Cassie said:
You’ve got to visit the Amazon rainforest and Aguas Calientes, the gateway to Machu Picchu.
7. Tunisia, North Africa
Cassie thinks you should go:
To experience northern African culture with a Middle Eastern feel and an immense amount of archaeological history.
6. Oman, Arabian Peninsula
Cassie thinks you should go:
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
Cassie thinks you should go:
To get a true sense of raw, authentic Asian culture, and for the food.
4. Vanuatu, South Pacific
Cassie thinks you should go:
To experience the process of how Kava is made and to meet some of the kindest people.
3. Maldives
Cassie thinks you should go:
To see some of the bluest water, whitest sand and most stunning sand banks in the world.
2. Bhutan
Cassie thinks you should go ‘To learn the ethics of peaceful living’, adding:
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.
Prayer flags swayed through the pines, prayer wheels spinning in the breeze, and tsa-tsas (ashes of the dead) wedged between crevices of stone.
1. Mongolia
Cassie thinks you should go:
To be immersed in the remote wilderness and to ride the wild horses.
This ‘travel inspo’ should get you through the drizzly British bank holiday weekend. Happy wanderlust!
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.