Wednesday, August 18, 2020
(Singapore) Audrey Walsworth is one of only 3 women to have visited every country and territory in the world. Her 50 year journey to becoming the world’s most well traveled woman is told in an exciting 6 minute video produced by Solo Female Travelers Club.
Audrey Walsworth took her first trip in 1969 and, over the past 50 years, has visited all 193 UN-Recognized countries, and all 327 Travelers Century Club (TCC) territories. This puts her among the most well traveled people on the planet, and makes her the most traveled woman in the world.
In a 70 minute interview with Solo Female Travelers co-founder Mar Pages, Audrey spoke to 67,000 women about her achievement. This interview has since been turned into a 6 minute film which tells Audrey’s story.
Three websites track the world’s most well traveled people – Travelers Century Club, Most Traveled People, and NomadMania – and they list less than 250 people who have visited all United Nations member countries. Of these, only 30 are women.
The list is even shorter when looking at the number of people who have been to all TCC countries and territories, just 24, and only 3 are women.
Mar Pages remarks: “More people have been to outer space (over 550) than have visited every country in the world, so Audrey’s achievement is incredibly rare. Based on current available records, few women even come close to Audrey.”
Starting in 1969 on a trip to her ancestral land of Lithuania with her mother and aunt, Audrey completed the UN list in Timor Leste in 2002, and the TCC list in 2009 in Wake Island, a military base.
To retain her title, Audrey has had to visit new countries as they have become independent, and new territories as they are added to the TCC list every odd year.
Audrey has always favored lesser visited places and some of her first trips in the 1980’s were to unusual destinations such as Egypt, Tibet and Papua New Guinea. She has been to conflict zones, including parts of Afghanistan and Iraq, and ticked off many bucket list experiences such as camping in Antarctica on the way to the South Pole, and trekking in search of gorillas and chimps in East Africa. Audrey loves buying artefacts and souvenirs from all over the world, and her home looks like a museum showcasing the world’s tribes.
In speaking to the 67,000 members of the Solo Female Travelers community, Audrey says: “If you want to go someplace and you have to go by yourself, go. Right now things are changing so quickly, so if you can – do it, and enjoy it. I’m sure you will.”
The full 70 minute interview with Audrey, and the 6 minute trailer of her 50 year journey are available at https://www.solofemaletravelers.club/most-traveled-woman/
Profile of the founders and high res images can be found here.