I'm conflicted about travelling. One the one hand, it's always pretty cool to go to different countries to see just how similar people are, but how they go about dealing with being human in a completely different way. On the other hand, leaving the country usually means leaving behind a ton of work and responsibilities I have back home that I need to take care of, so I always feel like I'm hitting the reset button when I get back. Which sucks.
But what if you love travelling and found a way to make it your job, without having to go through all of the hassle of finding an entirely new occupation?
Well that's what this guy did.
Gunnar Garfors works at the Norgwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), and managed to keep his job while still traveling the globe.
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He's set the Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest man in the world, at 37 years old, to have visited 198 countries.
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Iran.
He's written about his amazing experience in his book, 198: How I Ran Out Of Countries, and launched a website detailing his travels.
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Afghanistan.
A friend of Garfor's took this photo of a woman in a burqa while they were in Afghanistan. It was used in a French publication.
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Garfor and his guide got stuck in the ice in Antartica.
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I'd be freaking out, personally.
He was chilling with some penguins (heh).
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A suit jacket was a trusty traveler's companion for Gunnar. It ensured he received better service in most areas and had plenty of pockets to keep his important items close and safe.
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Gunnar wasn't a fan of Obama beer, a popular beverage in Benin.
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An archery competition in Bhutan.
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Knocking back some brewskies with the po-po in Chad.
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No-hoverhands for Gunnar in Punta Cana, DR.
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A Congolese mother with her seven children.
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Gunnar had to repeatedly apply for a Visa to enter Eritrea.
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The Faroe Islands lie between Norway and Iceland.
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The peak of Mount Klubbviktind in Norway. Garfors even has his own log cabin built here.
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Gunnar isn't bothered by the fact that his car isn't exactly a pimp-mobile because he gets to travel a bunch instead.
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Playing chess in a Greece coffee shop.
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Boating in India.
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A selfie at Petra, Jordan.
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Skiing...in Iran. Yeah, and Garfors, a Norwegian native, says it was pretty damn awesome.
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This Iranian girl offered to marry Garfors, and he politely declined the offer. But he did agree to dress up as a royal couple and snap this photo.
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Kids in Yemen smoking hookah.
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The Island Republic of Kiribati looks like a spot Jack Sparrow would be marooned on.
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Dried fruit salesman in Kuwait. Garfors wasn't a fan of the country due to its blend of strict religious laws and extreme capitalism.
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In Lesotho, Garfors received yet another marriage proposal.
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Garfors with travelling companion, Adrian Butterworth. They managed to visit five continents in a single day; another Guinness Record.
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He also broke another record when he visited 19 European countries in under 24 hours with two other travelling companions.
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Garfors with his sister, visiting a New Zealand town with the second-longest name in the world.
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Garfor says the name translates to:
"The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, climber of mountains, the land-swallower who traveled about, played his nose flute to his loved one."
Eating fish in Zambia.
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A Buddhist Monastery in Bhutan that looks a lot like the location of Raz Al-Gul's training facility in Batman Begins.
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Schoolchildren in Somalia don't see many foreigners so they wanted to touch Gunnar to make sure he was real.
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Feasting in Tajikistan.
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Blowholes in Tonga geyser-ing all over the place.
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The beaches in Tonga were mostly empty, leaving all of this beauty to Garfors and Garfors alone.
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Tukemnistan's Door To Hell, which was caused by a botched gas drilling operation.
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Children in Tuvalu posing for a picture.
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A snapshot of the Cash and Visa cards Gunnar used in his travels he took while in Uzbekistan.
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Along with a very friendly camel.
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And a donkey that doesn't look too thrilled Gunnar's on top of them.
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He visited Chile with his ex-girlfriend, which is where she's from.
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A Vietnamese butcher posing for a photo.
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The last country on Gunnar's list: Cape Verde. Note his "Been There Done That" t-shirt.
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You don't have to rub it in, Gunnar.
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And of course, no amazing journey is complete without a victory, '80s movie, pre-credits jump. Here's Gunnar's.
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A heck of a journey. (h/t insider)