Did you know that travelling can make your life better and happier in several ways? Travel impels people to their limits and gets them outside their comfort zone. It is an ideal place to discover how resourceful we are when we’re exposed to new places, people and experiences.
Here is a story of a young traveller who visited every sovereign country in the world.
Who is James Asquith?
James Asquith, a 28-year-old man from Surrey in England, received a Guinness World Record for achieving the title of the youngest person in the world to travel to all sovereign countries.
Apart from traveling, the Guinness World Record holder is an author and investment banker. Asquith was born in Sussex but has spent most of his life in London. Asquith’s father was also a pilot who worked in BMI (British Midland International) which indicates that he could visit various destinations he otherwise may not have visited.
What is the Guinness World Record?
The Guinness Book of World Records, is a reference book which is published annually. It lists world records both of human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. The brainchild of Sir Hugh Beaver, the book was co-founded by twin brothers Norris and Ross McWhirter in Fleet Street, London, in August 1954.
As of the 2021 edition, it is now in its 66th year of publication. It is published in 100 countries and 23 languages, and maintains over 53,000 records in its database.
Asquith’s Travel Story
From an early age, Asquith has been saving his money by washing neighbourhood cars and at the age of 12, asked for money instead of presents at birthdays and Christmas. At the age of 18, he had saved enough money to take a gap year and travel to Southeast Asia with friends. When Asquith entered his final country, Federated States of Micronesia, on 8 July 2013, he was 24 years and 192 days old.
In 2007, Asquith started travelling during his time at The London School of Economics, where he studied a BSc in Economics. He started his journey by volunteering in Southern Vietnam. This motivated his travel bug, and he set off on an around-the-world tour that lasted five years.
Asquith mentioned that, some of his most memorable trips include visiting Middle Eastern countries like Jordan and Syria. However, finding the funding to keep up his hobby wasn’t always easy, so when the financial crisis hit, Asquith took his chances on the stock market.
James Asquith- a Book Writer
After completing his travels, Asquith wrote a book. The book documented his journey to every country in the world. The title of the book is ‘Breaking Borders – Travels in Pursuit of an Impossible Record’.
His book broke the top 10 in travel literature on Amazon. The traveller has worked for major banks including Deutsche Bank, HSBC and SMBC Nikko. James is currently the CEO at Holiday Swap. Holiday Swap allows users to match up and swap their accommodation anywhere in the world.
Inspirational Words from ”James Asquith”
“I spend 360 days a year on the road traveling for work discovering new experiences at every turn, trying out the best and the worst airlines around the world. I set the Guinness World record for being the youngest person to travel to all 196 countries in the world by the age of 25, and you could perhaps say I caught the travel bug over that 6-year journey. I now take over 100 flights every year and I am still discovering many new places, both good and bad, whilst writing about my experiences along the way. In addition to rediscovering known destinations, I visit some of the World’s least frequented regions such as Yemen to highlight untold stories.” says Arthur.
As far as choosing a favourite country, Asquith says the US stands out because of its diversity, and is also the country he has travelled to the most.
The young Guinness World Record holder inspires a lot of youth to pursue their dream of becoming a traveller. Asquith’s journey also highlights the value of money and hard work.
