A globetrotter has earned the title of the youngest man to visit every country in the world. Luca Pferdmenges, a 23 year old from Mönchengladbach, Germany, embarked on his remarkable journey to explore all 195 countries in 2017 while working as a juggler for a travelling circus. The content creator achieved his ambitious goal when he touched down in Palau, an island nation in the Western Pacific Ocean, yesterday (24).
His globe-trotting adventures have been primarily financed through brand partnerships, with his travels costing around €100,000. Luca's top pick is Mexico, which won him over with its cuisine, ambiance, and friendly locals. "I like to rate countries in categories such as safety and affordability, but I would say Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia are my favourites," he shared.
"City-wise, I did really like Tel Aviv in Israel. Bhutan is a really fun because it's like a little town in the Himalayas. I want to travel to places that no one has ever been to. You have to give every country a chance, you have to be open-minded. You have to give every country a chance."
He praised Ethiopian cuisine as the best he had tasted, and listed Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Myanmar as his most underrated destinations. Luca took his maiden flight in August 2017, visiting 70 countries before leaving the circus in 2020 to focus on his global exploration.
"At the end of 2017, I took my first solo trip with a friend to Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and other Balkan countries," he recalled.
"The first trips were mainly to Europe's Balkans, and I went to countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland, some of the easier countries to visit. Just after Covid, it was pretty difficult as I had to do Covid tests and some countries were closed. In recent times, North Korea has opened up to tourists."
A polyglot, Luca fluently communicates in six languages including French, Spanish, and Hebrew, revealing that Spanish comes in particularly useful in South America and French in certain African nations. His journeys have varied in length, with some spanning only a brief period and others encompassing several months.
"I travel with one backpack and a small bag with food and drink," he explained. He acknowledged that longer sojourns pose greater challenges due to the increased amount of baggage needed. Now settled in Dubai, Luca occasionally makes trips back to Germany for quick visits to catch up with family and friends. One of the most enriching aspects of his travels has been the diverse array of people he's met and cultures he's experienced.
Luca reflected: "One of my biggest takeaways from these trips is that people are kinder than you think." He recounted: "I walked through the streets of Haiti, I went to the Barrios of Venezuela, and I've visited some of the most dangerous countries in the world, and I was greeted with smiles and open hearts. I couldn't care less about the world record because I have other Guinness world records from my juggling. For me, it's all about the experiences and the lessons, and the learnings."
Luca has amassed an incredible trove of memories from his extraordinary journey across all 195 countries, featuring standout moments like a visit to the secretive state of North Korea, being recognised in the tiny island nation of Tuvalu, and even taking a traditional shower with a cow in South Sudan. Speaking from the tropical haven of Palau, Luca declared it the idyllic final stop on his globe-trotting adventure.
"I'm really looking forward to having more time again, and I want to do a lot of things that I have planned in the future," he shared, reflecting on the journey's end. The title of the current youngest person to travel to every country is held by American Lexie Alford, who clinched this monumental feat at the age of 21 in 2019. Before her, British globetrotter James Asquith set the bar as the youngest man to visit every country, accomplishing this impressive quest at 24 back in 2013.
