175 Country Recap

The deeper we fall into the universe of travel, the more vivid and imprinting the memories become. It’s no surprise that the “final” countries we have left to visit just so happen to be some of the last countries on Earth that most people plan to visit. In fact, not many people have even heard of them, let alone can recall where they are on a map.

Because these far-flung places live in such a distant part of our world, they also seem to occupy a distant part of our brain. The challenges we face while traveling to them are fundamentally different, and often difficult to describe to people back home.

The “tourist” activities in a non-touristy country require a stretch of the imagination—and a mindset of gratitude—to fully appreciate. Excursions might consist of little more than a visit to the local market or trading area, where you can watch farmers and merchants exchange the local fare. The things we experience often come with a different kind of adrenaline rush. The happenings we witness on the street can still be shocking, but at the same time, they are no longer surprising.

One of the most important lessons is to try not to project our worldview onto others. To resist the instinct to feel “bad” for people simply because their lives look different from ours. Instead, there is something much more valuable in trying to understand why things are the way they are—and appreciating the people and cultures on their own terms.

Now that we’ve finally reached 175 countries, it would be easy to look at the remaining 20 and think they could simply be “done” or “knocked out” by the end of the year. But our goal has never been to just finish quickly or check a box. The goal is to understand and know the people on the ground: how they got to where they are, what shapes their lives, and what the future could look like.

Interestingly, two of the biggest things that happened during this stretch of travel didn’t help us at all in our “country counting” endeavor—but they helped us both spiritually and physically. Climbing Everest Base Camp was one of the most challenging things Hailey has ever done, while running a marathon at the North Pole left its own mark on Max. It’s been a year of physical endurance, maintenance, and grit building.

Of the new countries between this milestone and the last, all but one were in Africa, spread across five months. West Africa is always humbling. It is some of the least developed territory we’ve traveled through, despite the fact that Nigeria is the world’s sixth most populous country and the third-largest economy in Africa. We thought Nigeria was the most wild until we made it over into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There was—and still is—an Ebola outbreak in the country, adding another layer of complexity to an already intense journey.

And then there were the moments that captured both the highs and the lows of this incredible journey—the stories we’ll be telling for years to come. There was the time Hailey got sick while trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp, and the unforgettable experience at the North Pole Marathon, where Max completed his very first marathon and Hailey won the Half Marathon. In Benin, Hailey accidentally ate poisonous seeds from a market, leading to projectile vomiting in the middle of a sweltering 100-degree afternoon. Walking the ancient Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route in Japan, while together we were swindled in Malawi, learned about Africa’s last absolute monarchy in Eswatini, and found ourselves caught in a snowstorm in Lesotho. We toured through Makoko in Nigeria, rowed down the Congo River, and somehow survived driving the infamous “Highway to Hell” in the Democratic Republic of the Congo—not once, but four times. And, of course, woven throughout it all were countless bug bites, cold showers, missed connections, miscommunications, and every other unexpected challenge that made the adventure unforgettable.

At 175 countries, the number itself feels significant. But the number has never really been the point. The farther we travel, the more that becomes clear. The countries are simply the framework—the people, the stories, the challenges, the surprises, and the moments of wonder are what stay with us.