If you ever need a tour guide, for any country whatsoever, this is your man!
Gunnar Garfors has visited all 198 countries in the world, and at just 38, he’s the youngest person to ever do it.
The Norwegian media professional managed to do all of his travelling, while still working full time.
I travelled to every country while maintaining a full-time job, so there has been literally hundreds of trips and 3-4000 flights. I guess having visited every country as a hobby traveler shows that you don’t have to quit your job and set up a travel blog to see and experience the world. You just need to plan a bit, yet dare be impulsive – almost a contradiction.
Most of his travelling was done by car. That’s how he managed to cross off 18 European countries in a single day.
Yup, really.
Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland and Liechtenstein… All in 24 hours. How’s that for a road trip?!
Another very well planned day meant he visited five continents in a single day.
He managed to visit Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America all within 28 hours and 25 minutes, and due to clever timing with the timezones, he managed to land in all continents in the same day.
When asked which country has the most beautiful scenery, his wanderlust hadn’t stripped him of his love for his home country.
Both the midnight sun (in summer) and the northern light (in winter) in Northern Norway are incredible experiences that everyone should try.
The scenery is truly fantastic too, with fjords, glaciers, mountains and islands all over – only interrupted by the occasional village, town or city.
If you’re thinking about doing it yourself, he has some advice:
It will just take some planning. With low-cost airlines all over Europe virtually anyone can visit another country by booking tickets way ahead. And there are of course also trains, ferries and buses. And hitch-hiking and car sharing can also work. Then is possible to stay for free on someone’s sofa using sites such as Couch Surfing or Hospitality Club, you will then not only get a free bed, but a free guide and maybe a great friend too. And the most important thing is to smile and approach people. Most people will appreciate it, and suddenly you will find yourself invited to a party, mountain hike or even a dinner.
His website is filled with information and photographs from his travels, and his story is incredible, so his book will very probably be an interesting read.
Nice work, lad!
