I’m the youngest man in the world to visit EVERY country on Earth – here are my surprising favourite destinations
A GLOBETROTTER has become the youngest man in the world to visit every single country on Earth.
Luca Pferdmenges, 23, completed the impressive feat on Thursday after landing on Palau, an island nation in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Luca took on the monumental challenge in 2017 while working as a juggler with a travelling circus.
Fast forward eight years and he has become the youngest man to visit all 195 countries in the world.
The content creator from Mönchengladbach, Germany, shared his favourite destinations from his adventures.
Luca said: “I like to rate countries in categories such as safety and affordability, but I would say Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia are my favourites.”
But Mexico came out on top thanks to its incredible people, atmosphere and, of course, food.
Luca also shared his favourite cities, saying: “City-wise, I did really like Tel Aviv in Israel.
“Bhutan is a really fun because it’s like a little town in the Himalayas. I want to travel to places that no one has ever been to.”
He added that the best food he tried was in Ethiopia, while his most underrated destinations were Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Myanmar.
Luca left fellow travellers with some wise words: “You have to give every country a chance, you have to be open-minded.
“You have to give every country a chance.”
Luca has made so many memories while on his adventures including a memorable visit to North Korea, getting spotted in Tuvalu, and having a tribal shower with a cow in South Sudan.
He said the Palau was the perfect place to finish his world tour and hinted at some exciting plans for the future.
Luca reflected on his travels, saying: “One of my biggest takeaways from these trips is that people are kinder than you think.
“I walked through the streets of Haiti, I went to the Barrios of Venezuela, and I’ve visited some of the most dangerous countries in the world, and I was greeted with smiles and open hearts.
“I couldn’t care less about the world record because I have other Guinness world records from my juggling.
“For me, it’s all about the experiences and the lessons, and the learning.”
Luca's top travel destinations
By Lydia Doye
LUCA said his favourite destinations were Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia – with Mexico just coming out on top thanks to its incredible people, atmosphere and, of course, food.
His favourite cities included Tel Aviv and Bhutan.
Luca’s most underrated destinations were Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Myanmar.
And his top destination for food was Ethiopia.
Luca took his first ever flight in August 2017 – racking up a whopping 70 countries before he quit the circus in 2020.
He said: “At the end of 2017, I took my first solo trip with a friend to Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and other Balkan countries.
“The first trips were mainly to Europe’s Balkans, and I went to countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland – some of the easier countries to visit.
“Just after Covid, it was pretty difficult as I had to do Covid tests and some countries were closed.
“In recent times, North Korea has opened up to tourists.”
Some of Luca’s trips lasted just a few days allowing him to travel with one backpack and a small bag for food and drink.
He stayed in other places for a few months, but said these trips were much harder as he needed more luggage.
Luca funded his travels mostly through brand partnerships spending around £85,000.
The 23-year-old can speak an impressive six languages – including French, Spanish and Hebrew.
These have all come in handy on his travels with Spanish being particularly helpful in South America and French in some African countries.
Luca now lives in Dubai but occasionally returns to Germany for short stays to visit family and friends.
Luca stole the globetrotter crown from Brit James Asquith who achieved the feat aged 24 in 2013.
The current youngest person to travel to every country is Lexie Alford, an American, who achieved the record aged 21 in 2019.