Counting Countries

Drew made his first appearance on Counting Countries in 2017 when we both were Wanderers for G Adventures, the global travel company.  We also crossed paths in Bangkok when Thor Pedersen passed through Thailand.  Drew and I continued a correspondence over the years with some recent communications when Drew was visiting Saudi Arabia, his last country, while I was also in the KSA.  This episode is Counting Countries’s 100th episode, and several months ago I pondered who would be a good choice for this milestone.  I decided Drew was a great fit for this episode, timing with his completion of every country in the world.  And also, Drew is arguably one of the most successful travel content creators, especially in the Chasing 193 universe.       I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons:  Phillip Jones, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Steph Rowe, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Thor Pedersen, and Adam Hickman for supporting this podcast. They help pay for the production of this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going to .  You can also support Counting Countries be writing a review or sharing this podcast with a travel lover.  My patrons will hear exclusive audio content from Drew as well as the full video of our interview.    A lot has changed since Drew’s first appearance (and I would encourage you to listen to that episode from the summer of 2017), and that is a tremendous understatement.  The numbers speak volumes in regard to his success, nearing 10 million followers and 5 billion views across his social media channels.  As I mentioned earlier, Drew completed his quest of visiting every country in the world in November of 2021.  We discuss a lot during this candid conversation from what counts as visiting a country to his responsibility in creating videos with such a large platform.  And of course, we have a lot of name checking … Dan Herszberg, Alvaro Rojas, former guests, Lee Abbamonte and Lexie Alford, Yes Theory, Nomadmania and Most Traveled People, Baderkhan, and Marlon Reed. As many of you have heard, Stefan Kraswoski and I have teamed up to host the Extraordinary Travel Festival, the world’s largest gathering of accomplished travelers. This will take place in Yerevan, 2022.  We are excited to produce this event to help grow our community while organizing great events, and hosting some amazing experiences.  Please go to ExtraordinaryTravelFestival.com to see our speakers, our sponsors, and some of the trips we are hosting.  Check back often since there are frequent updates.  If buying a ticket, please use code ETF to save $50.  Hope to see you in Yerevan.      A giant thank you for those of you who have been listening to this podcast, all 100 episodes since June of 2016.  Here is to the next 100.   I was in Chicago for this recording while Drew was in Arizona.   Please listen in and enjoy.    Thank you to my …. Phillip Jones, Thor Pedersen, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Steph Rowe, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims. And now you can listen to ! And Alexa! And write a review! More About Drew Binsky Counting Countries: Born: US Passports: US Blog: IG: YT: About Counting Countries Counting Countries is the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who’ve spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to every country in the world. Less people have traveled to every country in the world than have been to outer space. Theme music for this podcast is Demeter’s Dance, written, performed, and provided by .  About GlobalGaz Ric Gazarian is the host of Counting Countries. He is the author of three books: , , and .  He is the producer of two travel documentaries: and .   Ric is also on his own quest to visit every country in the world. You can see where he has and keep up with his journey at How Many Countries Are There? Well… that depends on who you ask!  The United Nations states that there are . The British Foreign and Commonwealth office states that there are . The Traveler’s Century Club states that there are . The Most Traveled Person states that there are . The Nomad Mania SISO says there are .   Me? My goal is the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, but I am sure I will visit some other places along the way. Disclaimer: I will earn a fee if from some of these links like if you order from Amazon/Agoda/etc. Or book a trip through G Adventures.  PS  Thanks!  Drew Binsky  Counting Countries