In 2007 I made it my goal to visit one new country each year for the rest of my life. That was working until 2021. While I managed to sneak in Ethiopia just before the pandemic in 2020, I did not make it to any new countries in 2021. I also didn't go anywhere new in 2017, just because...
In 2024 I plan to revisit Asia (Japan, South Koream and Taiwan) instead of going anywhere new (unless business travel takes me there).
To catch up, I created a goal of traveling to 50 countries by the time I am 50 years old. (I hit 30 by 30, but 40 by 40 doesn't seem likely now with a 5-year old kid), but 50 by 50 does!
Countries I've Visited
Number | Country | Cities/States |
1 | USA | WA, OR, CA, NV, UT, AZ, NM, CO, KS, OK, TX, AR, MO, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, IL, MN, PA, NY, MA, HI, TN |
2 | Greece | Athens, Ikaria |
3 | Japan | Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Ehime, Yamaguchi, Shimane, Okayama, Tottori, Chiba, Kanagawa, Ibaraki, Hokkaido |
4 | Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
5 | South Korea | Seoul |
6 | Czech Republic | Prague |
7 | Germany | Berlin, Munich |
8 | England | London |
9 | Canada | Vancouver, Montreal |
10 | Mexico | Puerto Vallarta, Guanajuato |
11 | Iceland | Reykjavik |
12 | Norway | Oslo |
13 | Sweden | Stockholm |
14 | Denmark | Copenhagen |
15 | Finland | Helsinki |
16 | Taiwan | Taipei, Urai |
17 | UAE | Dubai |
18 | Qatar | Doha |
19 | Pakistan | Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Islamabad |
20 | Indonesia | Bali |
21 | Singapore | Singapore |
22 | Malaysia | Jahor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Mulu, Kuching, Penang |
23 | Thailand | Hua Hin, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai |
24 | Myanmar | Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan |
25 | Laos | Luang Prabang, Vientiane |
26 | Vietnam | Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Danang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Saigon |
27 | Cambodia | Phnom Penh, Siem Reap |
28 | Netherlands | Amsterdam, Haarlem |
31 | Ireland | Dublin, Belfast |
32 | The Gambia | Banjul, Upper River Region |
Timeline Breakdown
Year | Country | | | | | | | | |
1987 | USA | | | | | | | | |
1989 | Greece | | | | | | | | |
2001 | Greece (2nd) | | | | | | | | |
2002 | Japan | | | | | | | | |
2005 | Japan (2nd) | | | | | | | | |
2006 | Japan (3rd) | Japan (4th) | | | | | | | |
2007 | Hong Kong | South Korea | Japan (5th) | | | | | | |
2008 | Czech Republic | Germany | England | Japan (6th) | | | | | |
2009 | Canada | Japan (7th) | | | | | | | |
2010 | Mexico | Japan (8th) | | | | | | | |
2011 | Iceland | Norway | Sweden | Denmark | Finland | | | | |
2012 | Taiwan | Japan (9th) | | | | | | | |
2013 | UAE | Qatar | Pakistan | Taiwan (2nd) | Japan (10th) | | | | |
2014 | Japan (cont) | South Korea (2nd) | Indonesia | Singapore | Malaysia | Thailand | Myanmar | Laos | Vietnam |
2015 | Vietnam (cont) | Cambodia | Thailand (2nd) | | | | | | |
2016 | Greece (3rd) | Netherlands | Iceland (2nd) |
| | | | | |
2017 | Japan (11th) | Mexico (2nd) | |
2018 | Mexico (3rd) | Portugal | Taiwan (3rd) |
2023 | Mexico (4th) | The Gambia | |
2024 | Canada | Japan (12th | Taiwan (4th) |
What's next?
India, China, Mongolia, and Greenland!