This is the greatest time to be alive.”Alford was able to resolve some of the questions that sparked her 196-country-long trip.She has come to understand that humans are similar, everyone desiring the ability to follow their passions, feel fulfilled and immerse themselves in something greater.Frequently, she cited the happiest people in the world as those who struggled most and maintained few material possessions.“Surprisingly enough, the people that have the least end up being the most kind and generous people in the world,” she said.But there are boundaries to this sentiment, she said, as people need adequate food, water, health care and shelter before reaching this state of joy.Western cultures, particularly the United States, she said, can learn from this lesson by more effectively redistributing wealth and giving to those with less.Alford quoted an expression from the developing world to support her understanding that happier countries are ones that prioritize the betterment of community and ensure everyone has enough to live comfortably.“In Pakistan, she said, “they say, ‘no Pakistani goes to sleep hungry.’”While America is imperfect, Alford is grateful to be an American citizen, and for the political and social liberties that follow.“We really are free,” she said.
According to Guinness World Record's guidelines, visiting the North Korean side of the conference rooms in the legendary “blue house” in the Joint Security Area on the DMZ qualifies as a visit to North Korea. Going somewhere with no expectations and being absolutely blown away by what you find there has been the most fulfilling part of this project. "There aren't many flights, hotels or English-speaking guides so the operators have the market completely cornered," she explains. Working at an early age, she had been saving money since she was nine, and continued working through her travels as a photographer, clothing model and travel consultant for her parent’s company, she said.Money and loneliness aside, solving logistical problems to enter unsafe, or infrequently traveled, countries was her most difficult task.Regardless of the country’s political turmoil, though, the people she encountered were always welcoming, according to Alford and her mother.“She never had a problem in any country she went to,” said Jan Alford, except on one occasion when a West African immigration officer made a comment about “keeping her in his closet.”That misogynistic sentiment aside, her gender seldom hindered her travels either from hecklers domestically or abroad, she said.“I think the world is very ready for women in leadership roles and doing things that were once dominated by men,” said Alford. Page Transparency See More. "On her Instagram feed, Alford often passes along advice about how to reconnect by disconnecting. Alford grew up in a family that owns a travel agency in California. Maybe the most intimidating of them struck her not in the crowded, noisy streets of Delhi, but rather in the solitude of an empty hotel room.Learning to be lonely and accepting the feeling of isolation, she said, soon became a strength. "I've also made sure to keep my monthly overhead as low as possible by living at home with my parents, I don't have a car payment or student debt and I don't spend my money on unnecessary material possessions. "Alford originally wasn't trying to break a record; she was just an intrepid traveler. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. "I experienced so much more kindness and natural beauty in places like Pakistan and Venezuela than I ever found in typical tourist destinations. "It wasn't until things started getting really challenging that I realized I was inspiring people around me, especially young women. "I graduated from high school two years early and had gotten an associate's degree from a local college. I have been traveling for as long as I can remember with my family who started a travel agency.I traveled to all 196 countries by 21 years old, breaking the Guinness World Record for the Youngest Person to Travel to Every Country by over 3 years.I graduated from high school two years early and received my Associates degree from a local college by 18.
And that’s something that is easy to take for granted or overlook because we do have so many problems.”Otherwise, she said, no country is perfect — none entirely happy nor worry free — including those in northern Europe, By 2018, Alford had visited 120 countries. Honestly, in the beginning, I simply wanted to push the limits of what I thought I could do with my life and see as much of the world as possible in the process," she says. Each year my parents would send me to travel to different places for several weeks.” She further continued, “As time goes on, my parents took me to different countries. Photo submitted by Lexie Alford. On May 31, 2019, a 21-year-old American woman named Lexie Alford stepped foot in North Korea, becoming — as she claims — the youngest person to travel to every country on earth. Alexis Rose Alford, also known as Lexie Limitless, is an American woman who is notable for traveling to 196 countries before reaching the age of twenty-one.