Former lawyer and one-time Playboy editor Albert Podell, now 78, is one of a tiny group of travelers to have visited every country on the globe. He started in 1962 and has had to retrace his steps several times as the world map was redrawn. All told, the voyage took 18,513 days, cost a modest $300,000 (gas was 50 cents a gallon when he began), and filled seven passports with stamps. His new book, Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth, debuts in March. Here, his journey in numbers.
Podell poses with a North Korean soldier.Courtesy of Albert Podell
201: Countries visited, including several that no longer exist, such as the USSR and South Vietnam.
62: Continuous days without a hot shower or bath.
7: Near-death experiences, including a bout with giardiasis, a tiger-shark attack, and an attempted hanging in Pakistan.
5: Different kinds of antibiotics he carries in his medical kit.
14: Times robbed, mugged, or pickpocketed on his odyssey. (Six of those were in New York City.)
This story is from the March 1, 2015 issue of Coins2Day.