Get to know the first person who visits every country in the world without flying

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If you would meet Graham Hughes on the street, you would most likely confuse him with another backpacker, or perhaps with a student who no longer meet two weeks after shaving.

Behind the glasses and the modest smile is a man who has done extraordinary: Graham is the first person to travel every country in the world without climbing an airplane.

He used boats, cars, buses and trains to visit every corner of the planet, a trip that cost him for four years. The fact that, originally from Liverpool in Great Britain, he now lives on a private island in Panama is even more extraordinary. (Yes, we also bubble with jealousy.)

Graham came by Reddit this month and invited the readers to ask him everything - and we did it. Here is a summary of its most interesting answers.

first: How did you get the idea for this great adventure? All of this arises from my love for travel, which I have had since my childhood. Before I went on the trip, I was already around 70 countries in my life.

I can't sing, I can't play a musical instrument, I can't run 100 m in less than 10 seconds, but I am quite talented when it comes to moving up, making it easier to sleep, trying out things, trying out things, going out in every country without flying, it seemed to be something within my way. LAG - I was somehow surprised that nobody had done it before to be honest.

How did you finance your trips? I saved, I got some money for the TV show that I made for Lonely Planet. Towards the end of my trip, my family and friends helped ensure that I ended what I had started. The whole thing cost me around £ 27,000 for over four years - almost £ 7,000 ($ 10,000) per year.

Did you spend time in every country or went through a marathon style to check them off from a list? It was quite a marathon style, but in some places I stayed around and waited for visas or ships. Sometimes I stayed a little longer than I really needed ... Sometimes it was difficult for me to get rid of me. But as I always say, these places do not go anywhere and who knows? On the back of this thing I may get a TV show in which I can go back and really explore this places without having to run through (or keep a video camera on my arm length!).

"I lost my rag when I arrested and brought to the police station in Brazzaville. I shouldn't have done that. I learned an important lesson: smiled on."

Graham Hughes

What does your passport look like? A little like that and so and so and so 😀

What are your top 5 favorite countries? It changes every day, but I would always put Iran, Bolivia, Thailand, Madagascar and the United Kingdom at the top of the list.

Which country has the most beautiful women? Great Britain, especially Liverpooooooool !!

Which country has it most surprised and why? Iran. Because it was nothing that I expected. By far the friendliest country in the world. One night was a little old lady in front of me on a bus to Khorramshahr.

After we were traveling for about 20 minutes, she took out her cell phone and called someone. After talking to Farsi for a while, she turned around and smiled through the seat gap. I smiled back. Then she gave me her phone to my surprise and meant to stick it to my ear. I did it and the voice at the other end imagined as a hossein.

he explained that he was an English teacher in Khorramshahr, that I was sitting behind his grandmother and calling him because she was worried about me.

'Really? Why is she worried? 'I asked.

"Well," said Hossein, "she is worried that the bus arrives very early in Khorramshahr - at 5 a.m. - and that you can't go anywhere and nobody can do breakfast. She would like to know - if it is okay - whether she can take you home and take breakfast."

impressive.

... and which countries wouldn't you visit again? Well, I had unfortunate experiences in Cape Verde and in the Congo, but I think I would return there. People were nice, only with the police I had a problem!

Can you explain this in more detail? The good police officers from Cape Verde did not (understandably) understand what the hell I did when I arrived in a large wooden canoe in the country with a bunch of Senegalese fishermen. It was an idiot act.

There is no day that I don't kick that I am such an idiot. After that I was angry with Cape Verde for a while, but that was five years ago and I was alleviated my age. How serious? A wooden canoe ?? Total tail movement.

Congo - this is not that justifiable, but I lost my rag with the chief of police when I was arrested and brought to the police station in Brazzaville. I shouldn't have done that. However, I learned an important lesson: smile they stay! Seriously. It could have saved me a few days of sleeping on a concrete floor.

Have you ever felt really uncertain? It was only when a representative of the British message in the Congo visited me in my arrest cell and made it clear to me that the police, um, could "do if I don't stop screaming and kicking the door. It looks like an accident". That really frightened me.

What languages ​​do you speak? Could you agree with the locals if they couldn't speak English? I speak a little French and a little Spanish. I have to admit that I am not so good in languages, but I'm pretty good at making myself understandable. At the end of the day you can just smile and show things! However, I wish I had more language talent. I have a buddy who speaks eight languages. He is like a magician or something.

What is the most difficult region in the world if you try to only find your way around English? China used to be difficult when I went there for the first time in 2002, but now - since the 2008 Olympics - there are many signs in both Chinese and Latin characters, it is much easier to ensure that they are on the right bus. Russia is still pretty hard.

What was your longest single trip? On an old cargo ship from Australia to Nauru. The return trip lasted 34 days. On the way there I returned to the Salomons and Kiribati (places that I had "ticked off" in the previous year). The crew came mainly from Fiji. It was a lot of fun.

Do you think you would have had it more difficult as a woman? I think it would be more difficult, but not impossible. Some of the greatest travelers of all time - Nellie Bly, Gertrude Bell, Annie Londonderry - faced similar challenges than the world was much more dangerous. In order to stay on the safe side, to follow your intuition, always update your Facebook or Twitter and to wait for someone at the destination (couch surfing is great for this). You will find that you rarely travel alone, there is often someone who ensures that you get where you should go.

Did you get sick? No! Remarkable enough. So you should make super soldiers out of my DNA. I had all the vaccinations that I could have before I left the United Kingdom that I took anti-malaria tablets in malaria areas, tried not to drink tap water and tried to stick to warm dishes. Plus a decent pinch of happiness!

Have you ever been homesick? Not so much. With things like Skype and Facebook this is never far away at home.

Which country do you miss the most? The best food I had was in an awning on the roadside in Jayapura, West Papua. Inkfish sweet and sour on rice. I still have happy dreams of this squid.

And what do you like the least? The least I liked “Balut”, fertilized duck in the Philippines. Sounds as disgusting as it tastes.

Was there a time when they thought they wouldn't make it? Yes, after my sister died in March 2011, I really struggled to take the trip back. At that time I was in 184 countries and only had 17 before me, but I knew that they would be the most difficult to reach without flying (the Pacific island states and the nations of the Indian Ocean), but so many people had helped me to get so far. I really had to end it. I am glad that I did it.

If another country like the South Sudan splits, would you have to go to the new country? The South Sudan was my last country. I returned from Australia after visiting the island states in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. When I started it wasn't a country. If a new country appears, I can fly there without a flight. I have Bougainville and Greenland in mind!

What are you doing now? I was a wannabe filmmaker. Now I'm just chilling on my island and writing the book about my travels. I guess that makes me a wannabe author !!

How rich are you? At the moment I have £ 87 in my overdraft loan, so not very !! Although I have a share in this island on which I live, I am worth at least $ 100,000 on paper.

Did you work for additional money on the way? No, I don't, but you can find work quite easily while you are traveling - teaching, teaching, surfing, surfing fruit in Australia, etc.

What future goals do you have? Get the book ready! And I plan another world tour for 2016 with another Guinness World Record holder, Tyson Jerry.

How is life on the private island? Sweeeeeet! I live independently of the network, solar collectors, rainwater collection, all this jazz. Dolphin Bay on the back. The city of Bocas del Toro is only 20 minutes away by boat. I am the self -proclaimed mayor of Carrotopolis. I love this city !!

Can I live with you? I am very nice, I love animals and cook. Ha! You can surf my couch on the island of Jinja, Panama (look at Google Maps or Couchsurfing), but you have to be nice ... and a little crazy to live here!

You are a scouse? You know that you should never go alone, right? Not around the world gallop on your death! Ha !! Come on, the world is full of people! I never go alone!

Read more about Graham's adventure on Grahamdavidhughes.com.
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