Chasing 193: The Quest to Visit Every Country in the World

by Ryan Trapp, Lee Abbamonte

There are 193 official countries on Earth. Fewer than 100 people have seen them all. The 34 people interviewed for this book have made it their life mission to visit every last one of them.

Jam-packed with nearly 500 pages, these revealing Q&A interviews examine the lives of ordinary people who have undertaken extraordinary travels in their quest to visit every country in the world. Learn about their adventures and explore the highs and lows of what it means to be an extreme traveler, from near-death experiences to moments that have left even the most jaded traveler speechless.

How did they do this?

What have they sacrificed?

What compelled these people to go beyond the realm of the ordinary tourist to see the entire world?

The answers to these questions and more are contained in this rare look inside the minds of some of the world's most-traveled people. Their stories, ranging from being questioned by U.S. Special Forces while doing a solo tour of war torn Iraq, to showing a Costco ID card in order to tour a restricted launching place for space satellites in French Guiana, to entering Libya during Arab Spring and getting caught in the cross fire of cigarette smugglers, and many more, are guaranteed to fascinate and entertain every travel fan.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

432 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2015

About the author

Ryan Trapp was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska and has lived throughout the U.S.A. over his adult life (Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Colorado and Florida) and has long since made traveling one of his top passions, recently visiting places as diverse as North Korea, Kiribati, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, and the remote Kermadec Islands. He lives in Vancouver, Washington.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book, it is not a secret that I am a fan of Lee Abbamonte and when I learned that he wrote this book or at least took the stories of multiple travelers with Ryan Trapp I figured it would be a fun read.

I am pretty fascinated with anyone that has been to every country in the world, as a girl that loves to travel I do not think that is something I would accomplish but it is fun to read about. This book has taken the stories of multiple people who have in fact been every where. If you are a person that loves to travel this is certainly a book for you. It is an easy read and the travel stories are intriguing and awe inspiring.

Great read for any traveler or anyone that experiences wanderlust.

[Peter Kálnai · Rating 3 out of 5]

The editors chose a good set of questions that any reader doing travelling would like the answer themselves. All interviewees are extreme travellers with many stories to tell and one can learn interesting ideas from them.

On the other hand, there are problems that any compilation brings - good parts are mixed with dull ones. Some personalities are too egocentric. It took me quite some time to finish all interviews.

[Rebecca C · Rating 1 out of 5]

this drag is free on Kindle: that says it all. 1 star

[Jennifer Chesnut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Opened my mind to travel opportunities and different places that I hadn't heard about before.