It's a large feat to travel. It takes time, money, patience, and a lot of strategic planning. Some travelers are up for the challenge, though, and go for the gold by committing to traveling to every country in the world. It's said that there are fewer people who have traveled to every country than who have been to outer space, so there's plenty of room for more people to join the ranks and, better yet, to break records while doing so.
When New York native Alexandra Colon went to India in November 2019, something sparked. She had heard of Lexie Alford, the youngest person to travel to every country in the world. Alexandra once had a fear of traveling alone, but she thought, "This is a young girl; if she can do it, why can't I?" Shortly after hearing about Lexie Alford's Guinness World Record-Breaking feat, she heard of Jessica Nabongo. All of these women were breaking stereotypes and records while exploring the globe. Alexandra decided she was up for the challenge, and she would join every country club, breaking a record as the first Latina woman to complete the feat.
We had the exclusive opportunity to speak with Alexandra Colon just a few days shy of her big trip to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in November 2022.
Why She Wants To Break The Record
When asked why it was important for the Latin community for Alexandra to achieve this great accomplishment, she said it was because she wanted to serve as an inspiration for people.
"Many people say, 'I can't travel because I don't have money, I can't travel because I can't travel by myself, I can't travel here because I'm a woman,' but I want to demonstrate to people, women mostly, that you can do it." She says simply having the dream and sheer determination is a great place to start. "There's no limitation."
Not only has Colon set out to travel to every country in the world, but she's done the majority of her travels alone.
"After traveling to 112 countries, I can say that traveling alone is awesome. I enjoy it, but if you ask me if I prefer to travel alone or with someone, the answer is with someone if they are able to travel like me."
She further explains that her international ventures are not luxury getaways but, instead, full-on adventures filled with unexpected turns, thrills, and deep dives into local culture in the short amount of time she gets to spend at each place. Her jaunts to far-off nations like Zimbabwe and Oman are taken when she has breaks from her full-time teaching career in New York City. Alexandra teaches Spanish (imagine having a teacher as cool as her!) and says being bilingual helps quite a bit when on the road. There are 475 million native Spanish speakers in the world, and Alexandra says she meets them in places where she'd least expect it.
Challenges That Come With Her Goal
It goes without saying that what Colon has set out to accomplish, though rewarding, has and will continue to come with hurdles. Travelers in the "Every Country Club" have to deal with a lot of stress when planning, from tricky visas to funding expensive flights to ensure they stay safe when visiting countries in conflict. When asked what the biggest obstacle of the goal is, she said right off the bat that the Covid-19 pandemic was a huge challenge, between taking excessive tests to meet protocols and that the paranoia of traveling during this time was so intense she would not even post pictures when traveling internationally. The US finally lifted its 24-hour testing requirement back in June 2022, which has helped more travelers, Colon included, feel better about taking international trips.
With Covid-19 restrictions finally at ease, she says her biggest challenges are now getting tough-to-obtain visas, specifically in nations such as Nigeria, Niger, and Ghana, which she plans to travel to next. Other countries which are on her future radar, like Eritrea, require not only obtaining a visa, which is challenging enough, but also a letter of invitation from a resident. Colon isn't too worried, though; she knows she will reach this accomplishment no matter what, and after having visited 112 countries already, she's well on her way.
Nations On Her Future Radar
It goes without saying that some nations are less tourist-friendly due to either an ongoing war, a current conflict, or simply rough worldly relations. Though she knows in order to reach her goal, she has to visit some of these spots; she expressed a small amount of hesitation with nations like Yemen and Libya. However, that's where living in a place like New York pays off. Alexandra has several Yemeni friends in New York, and she's hoping her worlds will collide to help ease some of the stress.
She's planning these countries, as well as spots like Afghanistan and Syria, for last, hoping that maybe some of the conditions will change. As for where her final country will be, she's unsure. She's a person of opportunity, so she's simply winging it, enjoying the ride, and going to countries she's yet to travel to as soon as the opportunities present themselves. All she knows is wherever her final country is, she wants to bring her family and throw a party.
Follow Her Adventures
So, where is Alexandra headed next? For readers who want to follow along on this amazing woman's ventures around the globe, Alexandra's Instagram is alexandra_traveling_the_world.