Archive · 3 Oct 2026
American Traveller Nears Record After Visiting 186 Countries
Sophia Lee started travelling on her own when she was 13.
Her first solo trip was to Costa Rica.
Later, she decided to try to visit every country in the world while still young.
In the report, she had visited all but nine of the 195 countries recognised by the United Nations.
She has to keep careful records to prove where and when she travelled.
That meant returning to some countries to collect evidence.
Some parts of the trip have been difficult, and she became very ill in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lee says she wants to learn about people, food and culture, not just check countries off a list.
She hopes to beat the record set by Lexie Alford, who completed the challenge at 21.
Sophia Lee is attempting to become the youngest person to visit all 195 countries recognised by the United Nations.
At the time of the report, Lee had nine countries left to visit.
She began travelling alone at 13, with her first solo trip to Costa Rica.
Guinness World Records documentation rules led her to revisit some countries to gather proof of her visits.
Lee has travelled to destinations including Iran, Libya, Somalia and Turkmenistan, and says she seeks meaningful experiences in each country.
- Who
- American traveller Sophia Lee.
- What
- She is attempting to become the youngest person to visit all 195 countries recognised by the United Nations; the report says she had nine left.
- When
- The report does not give a publication date; Lee began travelling solo at 13 and was 17 when she had visited more than 50 countries.
- Where
- Countries around the world, including Costa Rica, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Turkmenistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Why
- Lee became interested in pursuing the record after learning about the youngest person to visit every country, and says she wants meaningful experiences in each destination.
Record-focused challenge
Meaningful travel
How the journey is framed
Record-focused challenge
Lee is attempting to set a record by visiting all 195 countries while young, with documentation required to prove each visit.
Meaningful travel
Lee says she does not want destinations to be mere checklist items and seeks meaningful experiences, including local people, food and cultural sites.
Costs and trade-offs
Record-focused challenge
Sponsorships and commercial partnerships have helped finance the increasingly expensive final stages of the attempt.
Meaningful travel
Full-time travel has meant missing some conventional school experiences and family events, according to the article.
- Countries recognised by the UN
- 195
- Countries remaining at time of report
- 9
- First solo trip
- Costa Rica, at age 13
- Countries visited by age 17
- More than 50
- Previous record holder
- Lexie Alford
- Previous record completion
- 2019, at 21 years and 177 days
- Early travel budget
- Around $100 per country