Michigan Man Visited Every Country on Earth in 499 Days. What He Learned
There are 195 countries on Earth that are recognized or observed by the United Nations.
Some are probably countries you've never heard of. The list includes the Holy See, which is the Vatican and the home of the Catholic Church.
Now, a Detroit, MI, man has visited them all, and it only took him 499 days. His website says that only 600 people have visited every country in the world.
His name is Michael Zervos, and he told CBS News: "It felt long, terminable, difficult, frustrating, but at the same time, it was beautiful. It was mesmerizing. It was captivating, meeting people from all walks of life everywhere in the world."
Zervos is on Instagram under his venture Project Kosmos.
"Visiting every country in the ???? asking just one question: 'What is the happiest moment of your life?'" his Instagram page says. He has shared photos from his journey on the page.
"I've always been a thrill seeker and wanted to test my limits. I guess challenging yourself makes you better, but on the other side of things, I wanted to tell stories. I wanted to collect stories across the world about happiness and help other people," he told CBS, which reported that he broke a world traveling record.
"Project Kosmos is one man's voyage to visit them all--faster than anyone has ever done it in history. Starting 2024, join Michael as he races across the globe to break the world record. But there's more," the Project Kosmos website says.
What did he learn? "The smallest thing, a breeze, a cup of coffee, sitting down with loved ones, those can give you as much happiness as winning a contest," he told CBS. "...when you look at things small things, you can have those experiences of happiness pretty much every day and you don't have to climb a mountain to do it."
He told Hometown Life, "I approached dozens of people in Warsaw. Middle-aged, young, people who spoke English – and I kept hearing the same thing. ‘I don’t remember the last time I felt happy.’”
He made it into North Korea by using a Greek passport because he's a dual citizen, the site reported. The world journey entailed 230 fights and 80 visas, according to Hometown Life.
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