Often mentioned in conversations today is the concept of a "bucket list," a collection of long-term goals that people want to achieve before they die. For example, a frequently heard goal is to travel the world. Many people dream of traveling around the world – or at least to a few selected countries. However, some people have never taken these trips or have only visited a few destinations in their lives. On the other hand, Expedition 196’s Cassandra De Pecol is far behind as in just 8 months, at just 26 years old, she has already reached 196 destinations in the world More than 100 sovereign states.
In my recent interview with Depecole, she quickly developed a sense of pluck, a bit like a Wall Street tycoon. However, her audacity is tempered by an inner desire to embrace humanity in all its forms. She's calm yet talkative; she can easily circle five countries in a few hours (as she did earlier this year on a trip with multiple stops from Tajikistan to Moscow, Qatar, Bahrain, and finally Ethiopia ), but honestly realize that you need to recharge. She is rigorous, relaxed, open-minded and self-realized. Her eloquence is refreshing. Essentially, even at such a young age, Depecole fit the mold of a world traveler, as if she was born that way.
In late April, Depecor embarked on the second leg of her trip to the South American country of Suriname, visiting only a few days because she had no contacts there. At the rate she's going, she'll reach another 95 countries sometime in 2017. What is her goal? Depecor plans to break the Guinness World Record for "fastest visit to any sovereign country." The current record holder is Yili Liu of Ann Arbor, Michigan, who set the record in 2010 in three years, three months and six days. De Pecol has until October 24, 2018 to complete her journey to achieve this goal. If she can beat Liu's time, she will not only prove that she is the fastest person ever to travel to all 196 sovereign countries, but she will also become the first woman ever to do so.
To be honest, her adventure didn't start in the most traditional way. Her explanation of how she ended up choosing this lifestyle is unusual. "I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, to be honest," she explains. "Any little thing, like, 'My finger hurts,' I get scared. (It finally made me realize) we don't know how much time we have left on this earth. It's a negative thing, but really Inspires me to follow my passion now rather than later.”
Yet despite admitting she suffers from depression, she travels to each destination alone because, in the end, her passion outweighs her fears. Her desire to visit every country was not driven by selfishness but by an innate need to extend kindness to those she met. The idea was catalyzed when, at the age of 25, she experienced a classic "quarter-life crisis" and decided she might not have the opportunity to travel again. This realization ultimately meant she felt she might miss an important opportunity to make a change if she didn't take some action first. Depecor believes this is a common mindset among Millennials, who she believes are people in this age group who tend to change the world, not just their own lives.
After about a year and a half of planning, including finding sponsors, securing funding and building her brand, she finally began her mission. Like her fellow Millennials, Depecor wants her travels to focus on issues that matter deeply to everyone on the planet. As such, her travels are integrated into responsible, sustainable tourism, and many of her international ventures are as a Peace Ambassador for the International Tourism Peace Institute. During these trips, Depecor spoke about travel to dignitaries and college students. To achieve her goals of sustainable tourism, she has planted the country's national tree in each country where she serves as ambassador.
Depecor explains that physical and mental health are crucial when exploring. A travel-focused life can lead to habits that aren't necessarily healthy, so De Pecol is very careful to maintain a thoughtful balance of activity and downtime. As a triathlete, Depecor can't help but exercise regularly, and she oddly finds herself doing more exercise while traveling than at home. However, she doesn't shy away from relaxing, going somewhere about every two weeks to stay fit.
Depecor says she's still learning to manage personal stress while traveling around the world: "The most important thing is not to get worked up, don't curse, don't show anger or worry. Just stay cool, collected, and collected — and be kind . ” To make herself as relaxed as possible, she uses fitness regimen and meditation—even in an Airbnb or hotel room.
As for scary situations, luckily she hasn't encountered many. Still, she did stop traveling with vitamin supplements after police detained her in Granada and questioned her about drug trafficking. She learned that the risk wasn't worth the convenience.
One opportunity Depecor did take, though, was transporting her tripod from one place to another. Although some international airport authorities mistook her for a media representative, a tripod and DSLR camera were her only means of capturing stunning photos on her Instagram account. She admits that travel photography is much easier when she has friends to help take photos, but as a solo traveler, she had few options for documenting her experiences.
As it stands, her favorite area of travel so far on this trip is the Middle East. "I just think there's a terrible preconception of the people and the religion there. I find both to be very peaceful. There are government and political issues - and radical groups - but that's not what the general population is like," she noted. She added that whenever travelers try to behave respectfully, locals in these places will take notice. “If you want to speak a language, even if you barely understand any language, give it a try.”
Depecor's journey is an inspiring feat, especially for a lone traveler. Her dream didn't come true until the semester before graduation, when she traveled to about 25 countries with $2,000 in her bank account. She slept in train stations, on couches, and worked odd jobs because what she wanted most was to travel. So for anyone hoping to see that world happen, she offers these honest words of wisdom: "If you really want it to happen, you can."
