Travel Blogs

Every Country in the World in 5 Years: Interview with Chris Guillebeau

Chris Guillebeau at the border of Togo.

In 2002, Chris Guillebeau and his wife Jolie moved to West Africa, where they would spend the next four years volunteering for a medical charity. For Chris, that experience sparked a passion for travel that has led him to embark on a new mission: to visit every country in the world. And he’s well on his way, having visited 77 countries already.

In this interview with TravelBlogs, Chris talks about his dream of visiting every country in the world, Africa and volunteering, and combining work with travel.

Why do you want to visit every country in the world?

It’s been an evolving goal. About three year ago I was riding a train through Eastern Europe and first worked out the cost of visiting 100 countries. I had already been to a lot of places, and I figured that to get to the remaining 60 or so and stay for a few days in each would cost roughly $30,000, or the cost of a large S.U.V. I prefer to use public transport and don’t own a car in Seattle, so I thought, wow, that’s cheap. I could have a large vehicle and complain to everyone about the cost of fuel, or I could have the world. It was an easy choice that I’m sure your readers will understand even if other people don’t.

Then, while taking the ferry from Hong Kong to Macau a year and a half later, I began to think about expanding the goal from 100 to all 193 U.N. member states, plus a few places like Somaliland, Taiwan, and Palestine that aren’t diplomatically recognized as sovereign countries but are effectively their own states.

I asked myself that same question many times—why do this? Is it really worth it?

I asked myself that same question many times—why do this? Is it really worth it? There will be a great number of sacrifices—time away from home, a lot of money and time, visits to a few places that are not necessarily that exciting or safe, and loneliness. But in the end, I think I try to do it because I would always regret it if I didn’t. And more importantly, I hope to use the documentation of the process to inspire other people to set and achieve important goals.

I’m not 100% sure I’ll achieve the goal in the next five years, but one thing I believe is that nothing worth doing is ever easy. Serious travel deserves our respect, and working towards a challenging goal like visiting every country in the world is one way to show that respect.

Would you consider yourself a modern-day nomad?

Yes, and “modern-day” is the key adjective. Traditional nomads, including those who still live in places like Mali, don’t usually travel by 777 or take extra OneWorld flights in pursuit of Executive Platinum Frequent Flyer status.

While I don’t believe that the world is flat for most people, it’s true that globalization has made access to information and world travel a lot easier now than it ever has been. In 2007 I went to 26 countries, and in 2008 I hope to visit at least that many. Lots of times I wake up and don’t remember where I am, I have three sets of extra passport pages so far, and I’ve given up on fighting jet lag. So yes, I like the modern nomad concept.

What was it about Africa that sparked your interest to travel more?

Until I lived overseas, I didn’t really think about travel that much. I was comfortable going to parts of Europe and Asia, but I didn’t have a lot of experience beyond that. West Africa can be one of the most challenging places in the world to travel in, so after traveling on behalf of the NGO I represented in ten African countries, I learned quite a lot. I have a section on my academic CV where I list “Relevant Skills,” and I included things like emergency dental repair, bribery, evacuation, etc. All of those skills came from living and working in West Africa.

After learning so much from Africa—and not just how to travel, but far more about life in general—the desire to go elsewhere and see what is similar and what is different became a primary motivator for me.

Volunteerism and volunteer vacations – are they a benefit to volunteers or to others?

This is a complicated issue, but on balance I think the potential benefits to a well-run volunteer vacation usually exceed the concerns. Often when you travel to a place that is foreign to you, where you don’t speak the language, it can be difficult to meet people who are not directly involved in the tourism industry.

Volunteer vacations counter this problem by facilitating relationships that can be beneficial to everyone, both the foreign traveler and the local community. The key to a successful experience for both sides, of course, is appropriate involvement from the communities that are impacted, not just the organization or company that plans the trip.

Having said that, though, I don’t think I’d be interested in taking a volunteer vacation myself. I think they are probably better for people who have not had extensive travel experience already.

Do you think that everyone who can afford to travel should do so at some point in their lives?

Perhaps what is more important is an overall appreciation of what responsible travel shows us, especially a respectful perspective of culture and diversity.

Well, I wrote an essay called “Why You Should Quit Your Job and Travel Around the World” that is currently one of the most popular articles on my site as judged by the readers. But actually, I don’t necessarily think everyone should travel, because not everyone wants to. Perhaps what is more important is an overall appreciation of what responsible travel shows us, especially a respectful perspective of culture and diversity. Many of us achieve this perspective through travel, but for those who don’t want to or are unable to, there are other ways to broaden our worldview.

How do you combine your work with travel?

I have worked as an entrepreneur for ten years now, never really creating a large enough project to sell off and achieve financial independence, but always successful enough to keep me self-employed and with the freedom to travel and work on volunteer projects, which usually take up at least 25% of my time by design.

My work continues when I travel, but only for a couple of hours a day. About once a week, I get behind on things and have to hole up somewhere trying to get caught up. I definitely experience my share of stress as I try to find reliable internet connections around the world. The process of travel, whether by plane, bus, or other mode of transport can also be tiring, and I’m not usually staying in business hotels, which further complicates things.

It’s not the best system and is sometimes messy, but it’s all part of the adventure, right? I’m tremendously grateful for the chance to work on the road and not be restricted to a set number of days away from the office. I have some crazy experiences everywhere I go—calling my wife from a Liberian market while she is in Holland, spending 36 hours on a bus from Uganda to Tanzania, traveling overland through the Baltics, and so many more. I certainly wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Visit Chris’ website, The Art of Nonconformity, to read more of his writing about travel, work and life.

Subscribe to TravelBlogs Posted by Eric Daams on April 1st, 2008 in Interviews.
Tags: Africa, cultural experiences, nomadic travellers, Perpetual Travel, volunteering, voluntourism, working on the road