Sophia Lee Nears Record as Youngest Person to Visit Every Country Worldwide
Sophia Lee is just nine countries away from completing her seven-year journey to visit every country in the world. If she receives official recognition from the Guinness World Records, she will become the youngest person to achieve this feat. Lee, who began traveling alone at age 13 after receiving special permission from her parents to fly solo to Costa Rica in 2019, documents her travels on Instagram, where she has over 135,000 followers.
Her journey started with a solo trip that boosted her confidence despite initial security challenges. After becoming a certified yoga instructor and funding her travels through odd jobs and volunteering, she decided to forgo college to continue exploring the world. Inspired by the current record holder, Lexie Alford, who completed the journey at 21 years and 177 days, Lee officially registered for the challenge and adheres to strict rules including GPS tracking and revisiting about 50 countries she had previously visited.
After a family-related break, Lee resumed traveling continuously in 2024. She has not seen her parents for over a year and some family members for nearly three years, with few peers her age due to her lifestyle. Initially traveling on a budget of about $100 per country, she later gained sponsorships and commercial partnerships. Over the last two years, she visited 186 countries and territories, including challenging destinations like Iran, Libya, Vietnam, and Albania.
Lee emphasizes cultural immersion as essential to counting a country, engaging with locals, tasting traditional foods, and visiting key cultural sites. Some trips were difficult, such as requiring security escorts in Somalia, joining organized tours in Turkmenistan, and facing severe illness in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A memorable moment was visiting Uganda with her grandfather to see mountain gorillas. India remains her favorite country, which she has visited five times.
Her final stop is planned to be Venezuela in August, though recent earthquakes there may affect her plans. Despite the record pursuit, Lee remains grounded, noting that records are meant to be broken and expressing a desire to eventually settle down after years of living out of a suitcase.
