Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #10 – ETF/ABS Index, Baba Ahmed El Bekay, Ahmed Abdulrazzaq, & NM Awards

Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #10 – ETF/ABS Index, Baba Ahmed El Bekay, Ahmed Abdulrazzaq, & NM Awards

Author: Ric Gazarian September 30, 2024 Duration: 1:13:38
Hey now, I am your host Ric Gazarian on the 10th update for the Extraordinary Travel Festival. We have a lot of news to share with you today. So grab that coffee of if in Thailand, grab a chamanow and please listen in. The event is now about a month and a half a way. But still time to join, use code BANGKOK to save at www.extraordinarytravelfest.com. Some quick updates ... we have added three new speakers, Luisa Yu, Matt Bowles and Sabbatical Tommy. Luisa is well known in the community for her determination and her multi-decade quest to visit every country in the world. She finished at age 79! So impressive. Matt is the host of the super entertaining the Maverick Show Podcast, where he speaks with amazing travelers from around the world. He will be speaking on his 10 plus years of being a digital nomad. Tommy is a travel content creator on YouTube and also a polyglot! That's cool. Are you scared of ghosts? Did you know that ghosts play a cental role in Thai culture? We have partnered with Bangkok Haunts to provide you with an introduction to ghosts and spirits in Thailand. We offer a half day tour on November 14 and 18. Check it out! First, I speak with Professor JP. I think so many of us love lists and rankings. So I am excited to share a new travel index will be premiered at the ETF. The index is called the ETF/ABS Magellan Traveller Index. This will rank the top 100 travelers in the world. We will be sharing this list and announcing the top 3 ranked at ETF. I want to thank both Most Traveled People and NomadMania for partnering with us and sharing their data. I also speak to 2 great individuals and partners of ETF. These two people are sponsors of ETF and deserve a special thank you for supporting our event. First up is Baba the founder of T'Ore Mauritania. Baba has been welcoming and introducing travelers to this amazing Saharan country. Many members of the extreme travel community know and have traveled with Baba. Please consider Baba if you are travelling to Mauritania. Baba will be exhibiting at ETF as well as moderating a session on Mauritania to answer all of your questions. I also speak with Ahmed, the founder of Aknaf Alsawary. Ahmed was my guide when I visited Iraq the other year. Ahmed is a virtual sponsor of ETF. Ahmed offers fixed date group tours to Iraq, and he is raffling a 50% off coupon to one of these trips at ETF. In addition, ETF is pleased to announce that we can offer a $150 off these fixed date trips. Click here to check out the agenda and dates. Contact me to get your $150 off his tour. ric @ globalgaz.com And after I speak with Ahmed, I will do a little recap on the ETF and the NomadMania Travel Awards, nominate your favorite traveler today! Up first is Baba, please listen in and enjoy.

The journey to visit every country on the map is a pursuit that defines a life, blending obsession, logistics, and profound personal discovery. Counting Countries, hosted by Ric Gazarian, explores this rarefied world through conversations with the travelers who are doing it. This isn't a typical travel podcast about tips or destinations; it's about the human stories behind the stamps. Each episode delves into the motivations, the decades-long itineraries, the close calls, and the unexpected moments of connection that happen along the way. Listeners hear firsthand accounts of what it truly costs-financially, emotionally, physically-to chase this singular goal. The podcast naturally examines the shifting definitions of travel and countryhood, the ethical considerations of crossing borders for a list, and the quiet reflections that come from a lifetime of movement. Gazarian guides these discussions with the insight of someone who understands the quest, creating a space for honest talk about an endeavor fewer people have completed than have gone to space. It’s about the texture of the world, one border at a time, and the unique perspective gained from seeing all of it. Tune in for intimate narratives that go far beyond passport counts, revealing the deeper meaning of a global life.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Counting Countries
Podcast Episodes
Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #7 – Meet The Attendees II [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:51
Join us in Bangkok for the Extraordinary Travel Festival in November of 2024. Please use code – BANGKOK – to save $100. Reserve your place today. I believe there are 3 main pillars of why you might want to consider atten…
Joel Oleson … Hungry For Travel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:32:13
Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. You might know Joel from his flowing beard on social media. Joel is someone I have known of for years but virtually. And in fact, we ran into each other randomly on our travels in C…
Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #6 - Meet The Attendees [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:05
Join us in Bangkok for the Extraordinary Travel Festival in November of 2024. Please use code – BANGKOK – to save $100. Reserve your place today. I believe there are 3 main pillars of why you might want to consider atten…
Nabil Kazi … Make Every Day Count [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:14:44
Nabil Kazi has traveled to 129 countries Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. I am excited to share my conversation with Nabil Kazi. I connected with Nabil Kazi back in 2021 when he suggested a guest (Nick Butter - epi…
Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #5 - Richard Barrow [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:27:21
Join us in Bangkok for the Extraordinary Travel Festival in November of 2024. Please use code – BANGKOK – to save $120. Reserve your place today. The discount will be reduced starting in May, lock in your savings and buy…
Tan Wee Cheng … An Iconoclast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:23:11
Tan Wee Cheng has traveled to 187 countries Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. Wee Cheng, a regional neighbor, and I have communicated on and off for several years, but like many of us in the community we were only v…
Elena Chechina … A Lost Day Of Your Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:50:01
Elena Chechina has traveled to 158 countries Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. I met Elena back at the ETF in Yerevan and started to realize what a unique life she was leading. She is a true global citizen with true…
Hayley Kennedy … Overcoming Obstacles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:13:09
Hayley has traveled to every country in the world Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. I started to follow Hayley in the last year or two on Instagram. And over the last several months we started sharing some messages.…
Extraordinary Travel Festival II Update #4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:21:16
To hear the entire podcast join us on patreon.com or Apple Podcast subscription. Join us in Bangkok for the Extraordinary Travel Festival in November of 2024. Please use code – BANGKOK – to save $120. Reserve your place…