Do you think you are one of the world’s most traveled people? My friends thought I was but I kept telling them they were crazy. Even with all the travel I do, I wasn’t even close, not even by a long shot. Case in point: Log on to MostTraveledPeople.com.
Founder Charles Veley is a retired software executive from San Francisco. After cashing out in 1999, he spent his time and earnings traveling the world. He set up the website and according to their members, the world is made up of 673 countries, territories, autonomous regions, enclaves, geographically separated island groups and major states and provinces. Just to be clear: there aren’t 673 countries in the world. The United Nations lists 193. But to visit all 673 of the places Charles lists on his site would be to go “everywhere”. Charles is listed at the top, having visited a whopping 629 of them. I, on the other hand, have only been to 102. I know – I’m a slacker. Actually, I checked out some of Charles’ travels and that man hops around way too much. By the looks of the dates of his travels, as recorded on his site, Charles sometimes went to four places in one day! That’s crazy. I keep reminding myself that traveling is not just about putting pins on a map (though it is fun and I still stare at my map every day). My goal is not just to set foot on the soil of a particular place but to really see it, understand the culture, the people, the food, everything. But don’t get me wrong! I’m still envious of Charles and I have some serious catching up to do! By the time I’m 80, I hope to have all 673 pins on my map.
Before the Internet, travel enthusiasts would often spend time clipping travel articles from magazines. Many still do this but it’s not very organized or convenient. Then came along Warner Johnson, a Harlem-based entrepreneur who launched a new type of web-based travel service that the NY Times calls the first aggregator of glossy news. Warner and his crew spent months going back two years, reading old issues of Vogue, Tatler, British Harper's Bazaar, Daily Candy, The FT, Vanity Fair, W, Wallpaper, Town and Country, Elle and Elle Decor. They then listed that content on their website, so people could find information on where to stay and where to eat at destinations around the world. Any Internet user can peruse their offerings for free and can “clip” interesting tidbits and store them in an online file. If you missed something or want to write your own post, you can do so in your “My Clippings” file. It’s pretty handy; you should try it out.
