Long-haul flights. Desert safaris. Canoe trips on rivers… and at times on foot.
American explorer Cassandra De Pecol spent 18 months travelling around the world. Visiting all the world’s 196 sovereign nations in 18 months and 26 days, Cassie became the first documented woman to travel to every country in the world.
She embarked on her world tour, titled Expedition 196, in July 2015, promoting sustainable tourism everywhere she went as an ambassador for the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism, a nonprofit founded in 1986 to promote cultural understanding after terrorist incidents sparked tensions between Eastern and Western countries.
Over the course of her trip, Cassie met with mayors and ministers of tourism, presenting them with the institute’s “Declaration of Peace.” SKAL International, an association of tourism professionals with chapters all over the world, considered her a peace ambassador and helped Cassie arrange meetings with dignitaries in more than 50 countries.
The Expedition 196, well-documented through social media, ended last February, and Cassie has been hibernating for a while.
But she has now embarked on her first journey out of the US after concluding the Expedition, with a trip to the Maldives. Spending a much deserved vacation in the idyllic beach resort of Sun Siyam Irufushi in the northern Noonu Atoll, Cassie will travel to capital Male on April 1 to deliver a motivational speech.
The forum, titled Anything is Possible, is organised by Maldives TV, a channel hosted by state run Public Service Media (PSM), and Maldives Media Institute. The forum will take place at the Maldives National University (MNU) and is expected to draw a crowd of more than 500 Maldivian youth craving adventure and inspiration.
The 27-year-old has became the ultimate go-to source on unmissable destinations because she can say, with a certain level authority most of us can’t, which countries truly are the best. And the much sought after holiday destination of the Maldives has definitely made to Cassie’s list of must see countries in the world!
Here’s the full list:
- Mongolia
- Bhutan
- Maldives
- Vanuatu
- Pakistan
- Oman
- Tunisia
- Peru
- Costa Rica
- United States