America's Lexie Alford has travelled to almost every country on earth. This is her amazing story!
IMAGE: Lexie Alford, 21 has travelled to 196 countries in the world. Photographs: Kind courtesy Lexie Alford/Instagram
On May 31, 2019 when Lexie Alford landed in North Korea, she had created history.
The 21 year old became the youngest person to have travelled to 196 countries in the world.
Alford also beat the previous Guinness World Record of James Asquith from the UK who had travelled to all the sovereign countries of the globe when he was 24.
Since 2015, she's been documenting her travel on her Instagram page 'Lexie Limitless.'
Here are some photographs from her inspiring travel journey so far.
IMAGE: 'Officially travelled to every country in the world,' Alford described her historic moment.
'It’s crazy to have years of hard work culminate into one single moment. I’m so grateful to everyone that’s helped me get here. The greatest chapter of my life is coming to a close. Cheers to a new beginning,' she wrote.
IMAGE: Before her first bungee jump approx 750 ft off 007 Goldeneye Dam in Switzerland.
When Lexie started her dream mission in 2016, she had already travelled to 72 countries.
Thanks to her family who operate a travel agency, she's been travelling around the world as a kid and had already been exposed to some of the popular and exotic locations in the world including floating villages of Cambodia to Burj Khalifa, Dubai and Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
IMAGE: Posing with lemurs in Madagascar.
For nearly a year and half, Lexie survived on her savings, while keeping her expenses low.
'I always knew I wanted to take time off to travel so I've been working every job I could find and saving since I was 12-years-old,' Alford told Forbes.
IMAGE: Sharing this picture from her trip to Tanzania, Alford wrote: 'It's outrageous that every once in a while I'll spend $100 on yoga pants I don't even need when I've seen countless children around the world without a pair of shoes to their name.'
'I feel ashamed of the importance society has placed on our things instead of each other.
'Our generation is perpetuating the issues of inequality because we lack the global consciousness necessary to reinvent the distribution of wealth.
'Our planet has been vigorously divided by imaginary borders between countries in order to make us feel like we aren't obligated to care about the people on the other side.'
IMAGE: It's 50 degree celsius at Sahara Desert and look how Lexie Alford is making the most of it.
IMAGE: Swimming underwater in Indonesia.
IMAGE: Doing a hand stand in Costa Rica.
When she ran out of funds, Alford would offer to blog, photograph and create content for hotels and travel sites to make money.
'I do a lot of research in advance to find the best deals, utilise points and miles for my flights, stay in cheap accommodation like hostels or create content for hotels in exchange for accommodation,' Alford told Forbes.
IMAGE: Admiring the world's tallest indoor waterfall in Gardens by the Bay, Singapore.
IMAGE: Currently, she's in the process of writing a book describing her experiences and the lessons she's learned along the way.
She will also deliver her first TEDx talk on June 15, 2019 about how she accomplished this mean feat.
If Lexie can do it at 21, what's stopping you?