From Yemen to Jordon to Kathmandu to Pakistan, 21-year-old traveller Lexie Alford has been to every country in the world. Lexie has officially broken the Guinness World Record by becoming the youngest person to visit the 196 sovereign nations. And here I am, still saving up money to go to Goa!
For Lexie, travelling is in her blood. She shared how her parents, who own a travel agency, would take her out of school to travel. “Travel has been a part of my life since before I can remember. My parents would take me out of school and place me on independent study for weeks and months at a time every year,” she recalled in an interview with a magazine.
Source: Instagram
Lexie, who goes by the handle @lexielimitless on Instagram, has experienced it all, from the sunrise in Myanmar to shooting a gun in the war-struck country of Yemen and visiting the Chernobyl Exclusion site. “My parents placed a lot of importance on exposing me to every way of life around the world and that had a very profound impact on the person I am today. I’ve always had a curiosity about other people’s ways of life and how they find happiness.”
Source: Instagram
On Instagram, Lexie often shares pictures of people she has met on her adventures, one such being of the children from Tanzania who inspired her to value everything she takes for granted.
Source: Instagram
So, what inspired Lexie to break the record (previously held by James Asquith at the age of 24)? “The very first time I thought about breaking the world record was in October 2016 in my home, California,” she said. “I was ready to start my gap year when I dropped the idea of going back to school and began to pursue the record full-time. I always knew I wanted to take time off to travel so I’ve been working every job I could find and saving since I was 12-years-old,” she added.
Source: Instagram
Lexie’s trips are self-funded; she saves up for them and plans her itineraries meticulously. “I do a lot of research in advance to find the best deals, utilise points and miles for my flights, stay in cheap accommodation like hostels or create content for hotels in exchange for accommodation. I’ve also made sure to keep my monthly overhead as low as possible by living at home with my parents, I don’t have a car payment or student debt and I don’t spend my money on unnecessary material possessions,” said Lexie in the interview.
Around the world in 21 years! Lexie’s Instagram is giving us major vacation goals.
Featured Images: Instagram
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