Pick My Adventure Show

No one else has a “traveler” story quite like Rauli Virtanen. While reluctant to claim the title of “the first person to visit every country”, Rauli says that no one has challenged the assertion since NomadMania began proclaiming him as the first person to ever visit every country in the world. The organization says that many who had previous claims incorrectly counted visits to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that sits between North Korea and South Korea as having visited North Korea. What is undisputed is that Rauli is one of the few to have visited almost all of the countries for work – as a foreign correspondent, specifically. In Rauli’s comprehensive interview, you’ll hear about… His fascinating career that has led him to high-profile interviews with Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, Pelé, and Kofi Annan, amongst others How he has been on the ground, reporting, at almost every major world conflict over the last 50 years, including the Angolan Civil War, Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge, Lebanon, Romanian Revolution, Tiananmen Square in China, and Afghanistan with the Taliban, amongst others Why Mongolia, Ecuador, and Oman were some of the mores surprising countries he visited How and why he took his kids on different types of “vacations” as they were growing up How Finland is teaching their youth to decipher real and fake news What he carries with him, emotionally, from covering conflicts for over 50 years… Listen on all your favorite apps – including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and more – or in video format below on YouTube or Podbean. (Although, Rauli’s pictures from covering the world as a journalist are so incredible, video format is recommended!)👇

No one else has a “traveler” story quite like Rauli Virtanen. While reluctant to claim the title of “the first person to visit every country”, Rauli says that no one has challenged the assertion since NomadMania began proclaiming him as the first person to ever visit every country in the world. The organization says that many who had previous claims incorrectly counted visits to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that sits between North Korea and South Korea as having visited North Korea. What is undisputed is that Rauli is one of the few to have visited almost all of the countries for work – as a foreign correspondent, specifically. In Rauli’s comprehensive interview, you’ll hear about… His fascinating career that has led him to high-profile interviews with Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, Pelé, and Kofi Annan, amongst others How he has been on the ground, reporting, at almost every major world conflict over the last 50 years, including the Angolan Civil War, Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge, Lebanon, Romanian Revolution, Tiananmen Square in China, and Afghanistan with the Taliban, amongst others Why Mongolia, Ecuador, and Oman were some of the mores surprising countries he visited How and why he took his kids on different types of “vacations” as they were growing up How Finland is teaching their youth to decipher real and fake news What he carries with him, emotionally, from covering conflicts for over 50 years… Listen on all your favorite apps – including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and more – or in video format below on YouTube or Podbean. (Although, Rauli’s pictures from covering the world as a journalist are so incredible, video format is recommended!)👇 More interviews with the world's most traveled people here: https://pickmyadventure.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/pickmyadventuretraveler/ 

While Harry Mitsidis, the founder of NomadMania, is probably too humble to admit it, he’s most likely the most knowledgeable person on everything to do with visiting every country in the world – including all the people who have accomplished the remarkable feat! As one of only three people who have visited every country twice – on top of being one of only 300+ overall to visit once – he adds to his knowledge base as the founder of NomadMania, a non-profit dedicated to helping and connecting the world’s most passionate travelers. Harry’s comprehensive interview offers us layers of travel tidbits, including: His favorite countries on each continent – including a European country previously named as a favorite by one of the other 300+ travelers who have visited every country How he accomplished traveling the world (the first time around) on a teacher’s salary How and why NomadMania has divided the world into 1301 regions to help travelers explore countries more deeply The most interesting and inspiring travelers he has ever met, including the first person believed to have traveled to every country in the world His worst travel moments, including spending a night in a Yemeni jail What does someone do for an encore after visiting every country twice Listen on all your favorite apps – including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and more – or in video format below on YouTube or Podbean. 👇 https://pickmyadventure.com/

While Harry Mitsidis, the founder of NomadMania, is probably too humble to admit it, he’s most likely the most knowledgeable person on everything to do with visiting every country in the world – including all the people who have accomplished the remarkable feat! As one of only three people who have visited every country twice – on top of being one of only 300+ overall to visit once – he adds to his knowledge base as the founder of NomadMania, a non-profit dedicated to helping and connecting the world’s most passionate travelers. Harry’s comprehensive interview offers us layers of travel tidbits, including: His favorite countries on each continent – including a European country previously named as a favorite by one of the other 300+ travelers who have visited every country How he accomplished traveling the world (the first time around) on a teacher’s salary How and why NomadMania has divided the world into 1301 regions to help travelers explore countries more deeply The most interesting and inspiring travelers he has ever met, including the first person believed to have traveled to every country in the world His worst travel moments, including spending a night in a Yemeni jail What does someone do for an encore after visiting every country twice Listen on all your favorite apps – including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and more – or in video format below on YouTube or Podbean. 👇 https://pickmyadventure.com/

Gina Morello had four countries left in her quest to visit every country when the pandemic struck in 2020. However, that only delayed her goal, as she was able to get to her final country of Mozambique in December of 2020 – becoming the first person to finish seeing every country post-pandemic! You might think that would be the end of her major travels – as she had taken a year off work to complete the 20+ year journey – but it was only the beginning! Her marriage of 10 years took an amicable split, as Gina’s travel desires were different than her ex-husband, and her home base became Georgia (the country) and now Portugal. In Gina’s interview, you’ll hear about her international career working for the airlines, consulting out of places like Rome and Pakistan. But you’ll also hear about the struggles maintaining a relationship and friendships when you’re constantly on the road. Other things you’ll hear in the Gina’s interview: Her travel tips learned from consulting for airlines and analyzing data What she did during the pandemic while waiting for her four remaining countries to open up Smaller travel goals, including visiting the Top 50 Bars in the world Her favorite (and least favorite) countries Why she’s still considering going back to her least favorite countries Why she chose Portugal to live Countries she felt harassed in for what she was wearing What female travelers should look out for when traveling solo Listen on all your favorite apps – including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and more – or in video format below on YouTube or Podbean. 👇