Saturday 16 / November / 2024
Muscat: When most of us consider undertaking a round-the-world trip, we might choose to travel on a cruise liner, sedately whiling away the hours on board, while stopping to see the sights of the ports the ships dock at.
Not so for Cassandra De Pecol.
The 27-year-old American woman is attempting to enter the Guinness Book of World Records and become the fastest woman to travel across all 196 of the world’s sovereign nations in under three years and three months.
As of the 22nd of November 2016, De Pecol has travelled to 183 nations and seems to be well on track to visit the other 13, becoming not just the youngest woman to travel to every nation in the world, but also the fastest person to do so.
The record is currently held by Yili Liu, who set the record on the 29th of December, 2010. He took three years, three months and six days to set this record.
In attempting to enter her own name into the books, De Pecol has travelled on more than 254 flights and spent over $200,000, some of which has come from sponsors, such as Anantara, Air New Zealand, Avianca and AIG,
among others.
The Six Senses Zighy Bay resort in Oman is also a sponsor. “On behalf of the resort, we are more than pleased to be part of Ms. Cassandra’s expedition, in upholding the value which is most near and dear to our hearts – sustainability,” said Nurhayati Mohamad, the Marketing and Communications Manager. “Nowadays, in such a world, human connections suffer, either among people or nature,” she added.
“We are glad that Cassandra’s blog has been able to capture our beliefs in living for today and planning for tomorrow,” she added. “In our design and daily operations at the resort, we act responsibly to measure and minimise our carbon footprint and impact on the environment, all through active management of energy, water, waste, biodiversity, purchasing and chemical usage.
“By giving Mother Nature a major say in everything we do, we protect the long-term future of our business, and the world.”
Named ‘Expedition 196’, Cassandra De Pecol is attempting not just to break records through her globetrotting, but is also aiming to promote peace through tourism.
“As a young woman, I’d always dreamed that I would travel to as many countries as possible and make our world a better place,” said De Pecol.
“It bothered me, though, that I could never figure out how to ignite this inner fire and make it happen. “I went through my years desperately trying to hone in on this passion of mine and do something good with it, and I became frustrated that I couldn’t figure out how to succeed in doing so,” she explained.
“I studied historical figures who had made a difference by putting aside society’s limitations and following their dreams.
“In the end, they may have died, but they were able to make a positive and lasting impression on the world for generations to come,” she said.
Endorsements
“I received endorsements from the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism, obtained an accomplished team of supporters, accumulated sponsors, appeared in the press, and I was invited to attend the IIPT World Symposium in Johannesburg, and then the World Travel and Tourism Council Summit in Madrid.
“I watched this tame, inner flame grow into a wildfire, and it was all because of my decision to be fuelled by my fears, rather than run away from them.”
