Aug 232016
 

So, this is it. In just about a week I will board an IcelandAir flight and takeoff for Reykjavik, Iceland. Iceland will be my 196th, and final country in the world to visit!

Of course, that would be far too easy after the logistics of planning the first 195 countries! As a brief history, what led up to this point:

First off, the journey has covered approximately 2.4 million miles to this point and a total of 157 airlines. When mapped, it looks something like this:

welt479061471981708

As of 1988, I had visited five countries: The US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, and the Soviet Union.

By 2000, that list had only increased to 11, taking in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and South Africa.

From there, things started going faster:

2002: 16 countries, including first trip to Asia
2003: 23 countries, including first trip to Central America (Costa Rica)
2004: 31 countries, including Australia
2005: 34 countries, including being part of the first group of Americans to visiting North Korea in decades
2006: 41 countries, including lots of South America
2007: 55 countries, including a big trip around the Middle East
2008: 65 countries
2009: 72 countries, including most of Europe and Southeast Asia complete
2010: 81 countries, includiong Afghanistan
2011: 102 countries, including my first RTW trip
2012: 130 countries, with about half of the new ones in Africa
2013: 149 countries, including several trips to Africa and Central Asia
2014: 171 countries, notably Syria, Nauru, and Angola
2015: 185 countries, finally visiting Yemen, CAR, Chad, and Eritrea
2016: 195 plus one to go….Iceland!

The question I get all the time is, “when did you really start doing this?” I guess I was in casual traveler mode, going to new places when convenient from around 2002-2010. By 2005 I’d decided that one day I would go everywhere, which is why I jumped on North Korea when the chance was there, since it was unclear how long they might allow Americans in. 2010 was when things really started picking up, and I added 20+ new countries per year.

Of course, I don’t do anything the easy way. First off, I opened my trip up to family, friends, and coworkers, and will be going to Iceland with around 40 people to share the final country experience.

Then, because IcelandAir essentially costs the same to fly to Iceland or to Europe with a stop in Iceland, I had to add something on. But, I had no idea what…so because tickets were selling quickly I booked into London after Iceland and back a week later from Helsinki. But, what to do in between?

First thought was “let’s do an epic train adventure!” But…I’d rather save that for London to Singapore by train some day when I have time…so what else. Then it hit me. My previous trips to Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine were incredibly brief, so let’s spend a few days there. Perfect!

So, the trip was set, and the route:

kefmap

Trip report will be split into roughly these parts:

1. Washington to Reykjavik with Iceland Air, arrival in country #196
2. Reykjavik City Tour and Final Country Celebration
3. Blue Lagoon and the Reykjanes Peninsula
4. The Golden Circle Tour
5. Other Iceland Musings and Reykjavik to London with Iceland Air
6. Overnight in London, London to Riga with Air Baltic
7. Day in Riga and Riga to Vilnius with Air Baltic
8. Day in Vilnius and Vilnius to Kiev with Ukraine Intl Airlines
9. Exploring Kiev
10. Chernobyl Tour
11. Kiev to Helsinki with Ukraine Intl Airlines
12. Day in Helsinki, and Helsinki to Washington with Iceland Air

I can’t believe the end is finally in sight, but here it comes! Thanks to all who have virtually joined the travels along the way, as well as those who have actually joined me for some of the trips…it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun and rewarding without you!


  6 Responses to “Final Country Planning”

  1. Jason, congrats on this accomplishment! Been a reader on the blog for a while (maybe somewhere around the 160s?), I’m myself somewhere in the high double digits but more casual than anything else.

  2. Reading your blog for a while now excited to see the report of your final country. I love Iceland visited probably 20 or so times. In all honestly even though its your first time I would skip the blue lagoon day two plan, you could get the first flight of the day up to Akureyri in the north, there’s a tour company that meets the first arrival from Reykjavik (leaves from the city airport so no slog to KEF) there tour that does some highlights of the north it also goes to a natural hot spring bathing centre. It’s called Nyvatn Nature baths, not as flashy as the blue lagoon but much more authentic. They then drop off in the town centre centre a few hours before the final flight back to Reykjavik. Alternatively if you didnt want to fly up to the north I again would skip the blue lagoon and do the South Shore Tour instead (i enjoyed that one more than the golden circle)

    Also if you haven’t planned out your evening dining (im sure you have already checked everything out) there are three places that are awesome, Grillmarkadurinn, Tapas Barinn and Fridrik V they do an awesome beer pairing there. I would say make reservations for any of the decent places.

    • Thanks for the feedback – it’s a week away now and changing plans for a group of 40 won’t be happening at this point!

      Grillmarkadurinn is already booked for my birthday, but will definitely check out the others time permitting!

  3. Congratulations on hitting 196 countries. Really interesting to see that you didn’t really make it your goal to visit every country in the world until much later in life. Looking back on your journey, which country surprised you the most once you visited it and why?

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