Cassie De Pecol’s story is one of bravery and exploration. One day, sat by her desk at her boring job, Cassie was dreaming of travelling the world. She planned out a route covering every single sovereign nation in a round-the-world trip. Proving too good an idea to pass up, Cassie quit her job and set off.
With the message of ‘Peace Through Tourism’, Cassie visited every single nation in under two years, winning her place in the Guinness World Records. Her story is an inspiration to many travel-lovers who, just like she was, are dissatisfied with their lives and look to do something worthwhile. Hopefully, after hearing her story, you will be inspired to take that extra step to go out and see the world.
Her Vision
Cassie’s desire to travel the world was peaked after university when she lived and worked in Europe and South America. It was when she got home and got a normal job that she felt her life was lacking its previous excitement. This is when the idea for Expedition 196 popped into her head. It was an ambitious plan that would take her to all 193 sovereign states as well as other unrecognised nations such as Taiwan and Palestine. Being the competitive type, it was decided that this trip would be the fastest ever and that the record was there for the taking.
Her Message
It was not enough for Cassie to just travel the world for fun, oh no! She was on a mission to spread the message of ‘Peace Through Tourism’ everywhere she went. She made it her goal as an ambassador for the Institute of Peace Through Tourism to talk to people in every country she visited about the positive impacts that respectful tourism can have on their lives. This ‘big conversation’, encompassed everyone from politicians to students and labourers.
Her Journey
Expedition 196 began in July 2015. Booking only last-minute flights to avoid cancellations, Cassie was able to make sure she hopped around as quick as possible. She was backed by sponsors who were determined to see her succeed, and the going was tough but safe for the majority of the trip, although in Congo she did have to pay a few bribes to get out of a sticky situation. After 20 months travelling she arrived back in Febuary 2017 and claimed the world record.
If you are inspired by this story, why not travel the world yourself? Maybe all 193 sovereign nations are a bit much, but I’m sure you could tick off a few. Buy a one-way ticket and sort out some single trip travel insurance and let the rest take care of itself. Keeping yourself protected is important and even job-quitting Cassie De Pecol made sure she was covered. If you need to break up your world exploration into more than just a single trip, travel insurance that covers multi-trip or sports cover is just as useful.
Ethan Bailey is an experienced adventure traveller and insurance expert with the team at Let's Go Insure. Ethan’s passion is to inspire his clients to go just that little bit further, deeper and higher on their travels and his expertise in providing the ideal insurance cover allows them to do just that. If you're looking for the best single trip travel insurance Let's Go works with the most experienced underwriters, intermediaries and insurers to offer a range of competitive insurance without compromising on cover.
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