When21-year-old Lexie Alford stepped foot in North Korea, she didn’t simply visit another foreign country; she became the youngest person to visit every country in the world.
Alford claims she broke the Guinness World Record held by James Asquith, who was 24 when he won the title in 2013. Guinness is currently in the process of verifying 10,000 pieces of evidence that Alford delivered to them, before officially naming her the youngest person to travel the entire world.
The 21-year-old spent her entire life preparing for this record-breaking feat without even knowing. Her family owns a travel agency in California, so she went on countless adventures in her youth and started thinking about breaking the record after graduating from high school.
“It wasn’t until things started getting really challenging that I realized I was inspiring people around me, especially young women. I was determined to show everyone that the world isn’t as scary as the media portrays it to be and that there’s kindness everywhere,” said Lexie Alford in an interview with Forbes.
Lexie claims she funded her adventures on her own. She’s been saving money since 12, but brand deals and campaigns have also helped her finance her travels. Good research is also extremely important for Alford, and she’s always on a lookout for good deals and affordable accommodation.
