Travel · Stephan Wagner

Traveling

I’ve been traveling for over 20 years now. While my home base is Augsburg, Germany, most of my time is spent adventuring around the world. To date, I’ve visited 216 of the 330 countries and regions listed by the Travelers’ Century Club.

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Road Trip

2021 - now

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Castle
Neuschwanstein

Lofoten,
Norway

Sossusvlei

Crossing
the Himalayas

Once the world reopened after the pandemic, I eagerly set out to explore again. What started as a short road trip through Europe quickly grew into a journey across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Over the last four years, I’ve covered more than 112,000 miles across 109 countries. Now, I’m in Australia, exploring the country once again. Find out more!

Travelers’
Century Club

142 / 330 (43%)

World Record:

211 / 330 (63%)

ISO 3166
Standard

109 / 249 (43%)

World Record:

183 / 249 (73%)

United NationsUN
Member States

102 / 193 (52%)

World Record:

159 / 193 (82%)

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This list compares my journey with the legendary road trip of Emil and Liliana Schmid – holders of the Guinness World Record for the most countries visited with the same car.

Visited by me, but not by Emil and Liliana.

Visited by Emil and Liliana, but not by me.

Colored flags mean visited, grey flags mean not visited.

Europe

60 / 68 (88%)

Aegean Islands

ASG
982

Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Svalbard and Jan Mayen

Africa

35 / 55 (63%)

Central African Republic

São Tomé and Príncipe

Middle East

14 / 21 (66%)

Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah

Emirate of Sharjah

Emirate of Umm Al Quwain

Asia

29 / 52 (55%)

Contiguous Azerbaijan

North America

0 / 6 (0%)

Alaska

Contiguous United States

Mainland Canada

Mexico

Prince Edward Island

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Central America

0 / 7 (0%)

South America

0 / 14 (0%)

Caribbean

0 / 30 (0%)

British Virgin Islands

St. Vincent & Grenadines

San Andrés and Providencia

Sint Eustatius and Saba

Sint Maarten

Trinidad and Tobago

Turks and Caicos Islands

U.S. Virgin Islands

Atlantic Ocean

3 / 15 (20%)

Indian Ocean

0 / 15 (0%)

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

British Indian Ocean Territory

Christmas Island

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Pacific Ocean

1 / 40 (2%)

Juan Fernández Islands

Line and Phoenix Islands

Lord Howe Island

Main Islands of New Zealand

Mainland Australia

Mainland Papua New Guinea

Northern Mariana Islands

Antarctic

0 / 7 (0%)

Antarctica New Zealand

Argentine Antarctica

Australian Antarctic Territory

British Antarctic Territory

Chilean Antarctic Territory

Dependencies of Norway

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Europe

44 / 50 (88%)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Svalbard and Jan Mayen

Africa

33 / 50 (66%)

Central African Republic

São Tomé and Príncipe

Middle East

8 / 14 (57%)

Asia

21 / 35 (60%)

North America

0 / 4 (0%)

Canada

Mexico

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

U.S.A.

Central America

0 / 7 (0%)

South America

0 / 14 (0%)

Argentina

Bolivia

Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba

Caribbean

0 / 26 (0%)

British Virgin Islands

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

St. Vincent & Grenadines

Sint Maarten

Trinidad and Tobago

Turks and Caicos Islands

U.S. Virgin Islands

Atlantic Ocean

2 / 9 (22%)

Indian Ocean

0 / 10 (0%)

British Indian Ocean Territory

Christmas Island

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Pacific Ocean

1 / 26 (3%)

Northern Mariana Islands

U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

Vanuatu

Wallis and Futuna

Antarctic

0 / 4 (0%)

Antarctica

Bouvet Island

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Europe

39 / 43 (90%)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Africa

32 / 49 (65%)

Central African Republic

São Tomé and Príncipe

Middle East

8 / 13 (61%)

Asia

21 / 32 (65%)

North America

0 / 3 (0%)

Canada

Mexico

U.S.A.

Central America

0 / 7 (0%)

South America

0 / 12 (0%)

Caribbean

0 / 13 (0%)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

St. Vincent & Grenadines

Trinidad and Tobago

Atlantic Ocean

1 / 2 (50%)

Cabo Verde

ASG
982

Iceland

Indian Ocean

0 / 5 (0%)

Pacific Ocean

1 / 14 (7%)

Antarctica

2022

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To take a break from driving, I went on a cruise to Antarctica. The ship departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, making stops at the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The wildlife in South Georgia was superb, with incredible opportunities to see seals, penguins, and various bird species. Finally, we cruised into the Antarctic Peninsula, where the scenery was nothing short of breathtaking.

Walking

2019 - 2020

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Wild camping

Crossing
the Pyrenees

Morocco

Sahara Desert

In October 2019, packed with just a few essentials, I began my walk toward Portugal. Over the next six months, I trekked an astonishing 4,242 miles through 14 countries solely on foot. The experience was both challenging and rewarding, filled with unforgettable moments, including the adventure of crossing the Sahara Desert. Find out more!

Central and South America

2017

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In Toronto, I couldn't sell my car in time to make my flight back home. Instead, I visited some friends in Mexico City to celebrate New Year’s. With no particular plan, one thing led to another, and I found myself driving along the Pan-American Highway all the way to the southern tip of the continent, before making my way back up to Rio de Janeiro.

Canada and USA

2016

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At 34 years of age, I took my last chance to obtain a work and travel visa in Canada. I spent three months living in a tent among the forests of British Columbia and Alberta, planting trees for a living. Later, two of my German friends visited for a road trip through the USA, exploring its stunning national parks.

China, Korea, Japan

2009 - 2010

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I’ve been living in Tianjin, China for just over a year, teaching English at a public primary school. My travels then took me on a quick visit to South Korea, followed by an amazing holiday in Japan.

Southeast Asia

2008 - 2010

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Guided by Lonely Planet, I’ve visited nearly all the countries in Southeast Asia on multiple occasions. With only Myanmar remaining, I’m certain I’ll return to check this last destination off my list as well.

New Zealand

2007

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For six months, I worked at a dairy farm near Ashburton, milking cows all day. After that, I traveled around the country with my beautiful 1973 Volkswagen Kombi, first with Mum and Dad, then with my friends Hanna and Steffi.

Papua New Guinea

2007

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What began as a visit to a friend’s family transformed into a breathtaking journey through lush jungles and scattered villages, where people continue to live as they did hundreds of years ago.

Australia

2005 - 2008

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I lived and traveled in Australia for over five years on and off. During two of those years, I explored the country in my 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser, covering 20,000 miles through some of the nation’s most challenging terrains.

Blogs

I have a few blogs in the works. Until they're ready, enjoy this blog by Theresa about our self-driving safari through Etosha National Park:
Blog: Etosha - Self-Driving Safari

Fun Facts

I'm on my 7th passport now. One of them was completely filled in under 2 years!

I've taken a total of 195 flights, 114 international and 81 domestic, covering 296,000 miles. That's the equivalent of flying around the world 12 times!

My favorite way to travel is by car. I've been on 4 epic road trips that altogether have accumulated 180,000 miles.

I've bought 3 vehicles outside of my home country: a 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser in Australia, a 1973 Volkswagen Kombi in New Zealand, and a 2004 Ford Explorer in Canada.

I've lived in 4 countries outside of my home country: Australia, New Zealand, China and Canada! By "lived" I mean I was a resident there and paid taxes.

While living in Australia and Canada, my main job was planting trees. To date, I've planted 972,000 trees, and I'm determined to reach a million one day.

Traveling

Road Trip

Europe

Africa

Middle East

Asia

North America

Central America

South America

Caribbean

Atlantic Ocean

Indian Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Antarctic

Europe

Africa

Middle East

Asia

North America

Central America

South America

Caribbean

Atlantic Ocean

Indian Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Antarctic

Europe

Africa

Middle East

Asia

North America

Central America

South America

Caribbean

Atlantic Ocean

Indian Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Antarctica

Walking

Central and South America

Canada and USA

China, Korea, Japan

Southeast Asia

New Zealand

Papua New Guinea

Australia

Blogs

Fun Facts

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