A local — 21-year-old Alexis Alford of Nevada City — this week announced she had become the youngest person to travel to every sovereign nation.
“My name is Alexis Alford and I was born in a small town called Nevada City, California,” her website now reads. “I have been traveling for as long as I can remember with my family who started a travel agency.
“Welcome to my documented journey to becoming the Youngest Person to Travel to Every Sovereign Nation. I traveled to all 196 countries by 21 years old. My ultimate goal is to show people that the world is not a scary place and every culture harbors kindness in spite of political instabilities.
“My mission is to inspire others to choose the path less traveled by breaking down common misconceptions about the least visited countries in the world and female solo travel. Traveling to every country on the world is a relatively new ability. For thousands of years people never knew how much was really out there; until now. The world has never been so connected and I feel overwhelming gratitude to have the opportunity share these experiences with you.
“After finally completing this massive life goal, I’ll be taking the next few months to nourish my physical and mental health as I finish writing my book about this adventure and continue to make plans for the future.”
No word in the local media as of this post, but Lexie (as she’s known to friends) links to an article on Forbes.com that begins: “On May 31, 2019, a 21-year-old American woman named Lexie Alford stepped foot in North Korea and broke a record, becoming the youngest person in history to travel to every country on earth. In doing so, she beat out the 24-year-old current Guinness World Record holder and joined the historic ranks of other travelers like Cassie De Pecol, who at 27 became the first woman on record to visit every country, as well as the person to do it the fastest.”
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