The Part-Time Backpacker

View Original

I'm writing about 195 countries in 195 days.

Join me on my virtual round-the-world adventure!

To say the past year has been tough is really understating things.

So many of us have lost loved ones. Millions have struggled to make ends meet. And I suspect almost everyone has struggled with their emotional wellbeing at one point or another.

Anyway, you didn’t come here to hear me complain about the pandemic. 

Although there are far bigger problems in the world right now, I really miss travelling. I miss the new people I meet, the foods, the smells and most of all the new experiences and things I learn.

This weekend I starting thinking about how I could replicate some of the feelings of travel even though I’m unlikely to be able to travel far beyond Copenhagen this year.

That’s when this hare-brained idea occurred to me. To spend an hour every day reading and learning about a new country. All 195 UN recognised countries to be precise. 

The UN’s retro world map

Yes, I know there are many different definitions of countries, and this list misses a few out. Wales for example. My parents won’t be happy. It’s a good start though, and 146 of them are completely new to me.

The plan is to read as much as I can about a different country every day, and then write a short blog post with something I’ve learned about the place and possibly even a photo.

If I’ve been to a country, I’ll take a slightly different approach and share some of my experiences travelling there in order to explain what makes it unique. I’ll also make sure to share a few photos from my trips.

So, join me on my round-the-world adventure! Together we’ll visit every country on the planet and the ticket is absolutely free.

Today we’re starting with Afghanistan. Tomorrow, Albania. All the way to Zimbabwe, hopefully in August.

List of posts:

- A -

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

- B -

The Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burundi

- C -

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Cape Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cuba

Cyprus

Czech Republic

- D -

Denmark

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

- E -

East Timor

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Estonia

Eswatini

Ethiopia

- F -

Fiji

Finland

France

- G -

Gabon

The Gambia

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Grenada

Guatemala

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

- H -

Haiti

Honduras

Hungary

- I -

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Ivory Coast

- J -

Jamaica

Japan

Jordan

Kazakhstan

- K -

Kenya

Kiribati

North Korea

South Korea

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

- L -

Laos

Latvia

Lebanon

Lesotho (Half-way point!!)

Liberia

Libya

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

- M -

Madagascar

Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mexico

Federated States of Micronesia

Moldova

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco

Mozambique

Myanmar

- N -

Namibia

Nauru

Nepal

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

North Macedonia

Norway

- O -

Oman

- P -

Pakistan

Palau

Palestine

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

- Q -

Qatar

- R -

Romania

Russia

Rwanda

- S -

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

San Marino

São Tomé and Príncipe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Africa

South Sudan

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Syria

Suriname

Sweden

Switzerland

- T -

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Togo

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Tuvalu

- U -

Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

- V -

Vanuatu

Vatican City

Venezuela

Vietnam

- Y -

Yemen

- Z -

Zambia

Zimbabwe

- Reflections -

What I learned writing about every country in the world