I am the FIRST (and ONLY) person to visit EVERY COUNTRY in the world WITHOUT FLYING. I now live on a private island in the Caribbean. ASK ME ANYTHING!!!

Did you unlock the private Caribbean Island after completing the main storyline?

Yes. I found it by opening the mouth of the giant stone monkey head.

What country were you most surprised by and why?

Iran. Because it was NOTHING like what I was expecting it to be. Friendliest country in the world by a mile.

If another country splits, like South Sudan did, would you have to go to the new country?

I did!! South Sudan was my final country, I returned there from Australia after visiting the Pacific and Indian Ocean Island states. Wasn't a country when I started.

When I finished my journey I overlanded it back to the UK, so if a new country emerges, I can head out there - without flying - from my hometown of Liverpool. Got my eye on Bougainville and Greenland!

Scouse? You know you're meant to NEVER walk alone right? Not galavant around the whole world on your tod!

Ha!! C'mon, the world is full of people! I never walk alone!

Sorry about Liverpool football this year mate.

He might be an Everton supporter, in which case it's much better.

I am an Evertonian. TRUE STORY!!

What does your passport look like?

A bit like this.............

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.418203755041.212636.718910041&type=1&l=7ec2bcf23b

And this: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.418290970041.212699.718910041&type=1&l=560dbf4cd2

And this: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.418310395041.212719.718910041&type=1&l=2976f1992d

And THIS: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151433156620042.527804.718910041&type=1&l=685d7f6308

:D

Gotta catch 'em all! :)

YES!

Wow, impressive!

Side note: I just saw on your Facebook that we have a mutual friend, how weird! Though we're both scouse so it's inevitable but still strange!

Scousers get everywhere, we really do :D

Can you expand a bit on why you were put in jail?

The words many a scouser has heard at a job interview

Ahh... ya funny fecker!! :D

The fine police officers of Cape Verde (understandably) didn't quite understand what the hell I was doing arriving in the country on a big wooden canoe with a bunch of Senegalese fishermen. I was an idiotic thing to do, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't kick myself for being such a fool. I was angry with Cape Verde for a time after that, but it was five years ago and I've mellowed in my old age. Like seriously? A WOODEN CANOE??

Total dick move.

Congo - that's not as justifiable, but I did lose my rag with the police chief (once I'd been arrested and taken to the police station in Brazzaville). I shouldn't have done that - I learnt an important lesson though.... KEEP SMILING! Seriously. Could have saved me a good few days of sleeping on a concrete floor.

Which country's food do you miss the most?

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm food........

The best meal I had was in a street-side awning in Jayapura, West Papua. Sweet and sour squid on rice. I still have happy dreams about that squid...............

Eating lots of Mexican-style food here in Panama now. FOOD IS SO GOOD!!

Can I live with you? I am extremely nice, I love animals and cooking.

On a more serious note: Why did decide to take up the adventure of visiting everywhere?

Ha! You can surf my couch over on Jinja Island, Panama (look it up on Google Maps, CouchSurfing), but you'd have to be nice... and a bit crazy to live here!

I did it because:

1. Nobody had done it before
2. To raise money for the charity WaterAid
3. To prove it could be done... on a shoestring budget
4. To encourage people to travel
5. To show that the world isn't this big scary place the media often portrays

In some of the bigger countries (United States, Mexico, etc.) where did you go in each? Like did you just pick the most popular spot in each, or did you travel around?

In the US I went to Florida, hung out in Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Key West for a few days, then after visiting Cuba I buzzed on up to New York. In Mexico I just travelled through really, only stopping at Cancun, Mexico City, Veracruz etc to get on a bus. This year I returned to Mexico and visited the Mayan sites of Tulum, Coba, Chichen Itza, Palenque amongst others.

In China I spent 7 days in Tibet, stayed in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong. Australia I travelled up the coast from Melbourne to Townsville (via Fiji). I got loads more of Brazil and Russia to discover, I barely scratched the surface, same with Canada (although Halifax is a great little place).

How were you able to finance your travels? Were you able to communicate with the locals when they couldn't speak English? Did you ever suffer from homesickness? And thank you in advance for answering my questions.

I saved up, I got some money for the TV show I made for Lonely Planet (https://www.youtube.com/show/theodysseylonelyplanet - not in the UK? Use Hola) and towards the end of my journey, my family and friends chipped in to ensure I finished what I had started. The whole thing cost me around £27,000 over four years - just under £7,000 (US$10,000) a year.

Yeah, communication was never really a problem, at the end of the day you can just smile and point at stuff! I wish I had more of an aptitude for languages though. I've got a mate who speaks like 8 languages, he's like a wizard or something.

Homesickness no so much... with stuff like Skype and Facebook, home is never far away. But it IS good to be home (when I'm home!!).

$10k a year? Shit, if I fund it how about you and I travel it all over again.

Me too. Three's company too right?

Can I tag along as well?

I'm not even asking. I'm coming.

THAT'S THE SPIRIT!!! :D

Did you ever feel really unsafe?

Not really... only when a representative of the British Embassy in Congo came to visit me in my holding cell and made it quite clear that if I didn't stop shouting and kicking the door the police might, erm, "make it look like an accident".

That proper freaked me out.

Have you really been to every country, or only those in the United Nations? Your wikipedia article is a bit unclear, but your initial post says every country.

It's all of the members of the UN, plus Kosovo, Palestine, Western Sahara, Taiwan and Vatican City. What Guinness World Records regards as "all countries". I also went to 18 territories, such as Faroe Islands, Martinique and New Caledonia.

Which countries would you avoid visiting again?

Well, I had unhappy experiences in Cape Verde and Congo, but I reckon I'd go back there (the people were lovely, it was just the police I had a problem with!). At the moment, I wouldn't be too keen on returning to Syria, for obvious (and heartbreaking) reasons. When I was there in 2010, the country was at peace.

What was your favorite country to visit?

This always comes up... the honest answer is... I dunno!! I'd go back to them all (including the ones that put me in jail). I'll admit to having a special affection for Iran, Thailand, Bolivia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea... OKAY I'M MAKING LISTS NOW I'LL STOP!!

I think it's an obvious question, but how did you do it?

Also don't mind me asking but how did you afford it?

It wasn't so hard. Getting visas and catching rides on ships to island nations (São Tomé and Príncipe, anyone?!) was the hardest bit - but a bit of patience (something I had to learn as I was travelling) and a bit of determination paid off.

What languages do you speak? What's the toughest region of the world for trying to get by just on English?

I speak a little bit of French and a little bit of Spanish. I have to admit I'm not so good at languages. But I'm fairly good at making myself understood. Kinda. China used to be tricky, back when I first went there in 2002, but now - since the 2008 Olympics - a lot of the signage is in both Chinese characters and Roman letters, so it's a lot easier to ensure you're on the right bus. Russia's pretty tough still.

what is the most important thing you learned about yourself and is approximately 7 days per country enough to get a solid impression??

I learnt that I'm more capable than I give myself credit for.

And no, it's not. Even living here in Panama for the last 8 months I barely feel like I know the place!! You get an impression, and it's tremendously subjective. I guess it's a bit like a relationship, or friendship. Do you know people any better because you've known them for years? I'm not so sure... people can still surprise you, and so can countries!

Which country has the most beautiful women?

[deleted]

I CONCUR.

How does riding in helicopter not count as flying?

Eh? At which point was I in a helicopter??

Were you ever in trouble or in fear for your life at any point?

Oh God yes! Here's the stupidest thing I've ever done: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8088001.stm

And here's the scariest: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8251715.stm

Do you have any packing tips?

Travel light. I know everyone says that, but you'll seriously make your life a misery if you're trying to carry 25kg on your back around Africa. Just suss out what you can do without (ie. a towel, Douglas Adams) and minimise, minimise, minimise!!!

Would you say that Earth is mostly harmless? You'd be more qualified to answer than most.

I think it sums it up nicely. Although I do wish they had mentioned the magnificent fjords.

What do you do for a living?

Edit: where and when can we see your movie/tv show?

I was a wannabe filmmaker. Now I just chilling on my island and writing the book about my travels. I guess that makes me a wannabe writer!!

My TV show is here: https://www.youtube.com/show/theodysseylonelyplanet you might have to install Hola to watch it.

You were actually thrown into jail?Where and why.?

Yup. Cape Verde (6 days) - for arriving on a Senegalese fishing boat (fair enough, daftest thing I've ever done) and Congo (6 days) for JUST BEING TOO DAMN SEXY. Also possibly a journalist. Or a spy. I dunno. They never told me.

Having been born in the 'Pool, what's your favorite Beatles album?

Ooooooooh....... GOOD ONE!!

Hmmmmmm.............. Sgt. Peppers. It's got Day In The Life on it.

But I couldn't live without any Beatles album!!

Any place you found was your favorite?

Never going back to?

Most beautiful?

Can I live on your island?

Difficult to say. I loved lots of places!! At the moment I'm most interested in returning to Iran. There's nowhere I wouldn't go back to. Awwwwww come on! Anywhere, everywhere can be beautiful... just check out /r/EarthPorn/ !!! I have special affection for Palau in the Pacific though! No you can't live there, but you can come visit for free via the CouchSurfing network!

Do you think you would have had a harder time if you were a woman, or would it have been less safe?

I think it would be harder, but not impossible. Some of the greatest travellers of all time - Nelly Bly, Gertrude Bell, Annie Londonderry etc took on similar challenges, back when the world was a LOT more dangerous.

Staying safe includes following your intuition, always updating your Facebook or Twitter and having somebody waiting for you at your destination (CouchSurfing is great for that). You'll find that you'll rarely travel alone, there's often someone who'll make sure you get where you're supposed to go.

There's an incredible woman from Ghana who is attempting to go to every country. She's a mother of six. GO PRINCESS!! http://theglobetrottingprincess.com/

Macedonian here: how did you like macedonia?

I did, but I really buzzed through Skopje on my way from Greece to Kosovo... however, I did go to a Macedonian wedding in Melbourne, Australia (of all places) and that was very, VERY cool. We danced a lot.

Did you fall ill of any diseases while doing this and if so which ones?

No! Remarkably enough. They should so make SUPER-SOLDIERS from my DNA. Dunno if they'd be any good at fighting though, probs just end up down the pub.

I had all the vaccinations I could possibly have before I left the UK, I took anti-malarial tablets in malarious areas, tried not to drink the tap water and tried to stick to hot food. Plus a fair dollop of luck!

Are there countries that are so similar that you mix them up in your memory? If so, which ones?

Good question! Actually, no, I don't think so. There's always something that triggers a unique memory of a place. Some places I feel I didn't spend enough time in, but they're not going anywhere... I'll come back someday!

What was the most beautiful place you have visited, and what made it so special?

I had many, many incredible experiences on my journey and saw so much beautiful stuff - the animals of Madagascar, the people of Papua New Guinea, the landscapes of New Zealand... I guess one thing that sticks my head was swimming with the stingless jellyfish of Palau. That was like being on another planet!!

How the heck does a helicopter not count as flying? Seems like a bogus loophole to me.

It would be flying, that's why I didn't take a helicopter. No hot air balloons either. Or jetpacks.

What was your longest single journey?

Going to Nauru on an old cargo ship from Australia. The round trip took 34 days, on the way I returned to The Solomon Islands and Kiribati (places I had "ticked off" the year before). The crew was mostly from Fiji. It was a lot of fun.

Lebanese here. Did you like Lebanon? Plus Armenia, how was it?

I did like Lebanon. I first went there in 1999, and to return there in 2010 was a real treat - you know why? THE FOOD!! Oh my god you guys have the BEST kebabs in the WORLD. DITTO ARMENIA (I really like kebabs. The ones you get in Turkmenistan suck balls). Both really beautiful countries, I so need to spend more time in both of them. I will. I'LL BE BACK!!

How did this whole thing start?

It all stemmed from my love of travel, which I've had since I was a kid. Before I embarked on the journey I had already been to about 70 countries in my life up until that point. I can't sing, I can't play a musical instrument, I can't run 100m in less than 10 seconds, but I am fairly gifted when it comes to getting around, sleeping in uncomfortable places, making myself understood, trying new things, putting myself out there... going to every country without flying seemed like something that was within my capabilities - I was kinda surprised nobody had done it before, to be honest.

How was Somalia?

I don't really know. I visited Somaliland in the north, and even there I just stepped in and then out. I'd like to go back at some point, but when things settle down.

Which country's currency did you find the coolest or most appealing?

Zimbabwe had 50 billion dollar notes, which was crazy. The Queen is smiling on the money in Fiji. Eritrea and Guyana have really well designed banknotes. When I was in Libya, Gaddafi was on every note - on one of them he looks like he's forgotten his keys. I tend not to like plastic notes, but somewhere like Bangladesh it's preferable to fabric. I love the name "kwacha" for the money in Zambia and Malawi and "quetzal" for Guatemala. In Uzbekistan the biggest banknote was worth about 50 cents, you walk around with these massive wads of money like you're some ridiculous high-roller. In America they have "In God We Trust" in the UK we have Charles Darwin. That makes me smile.

Which was your favorite Scandinavian country?

I have family in Denmark and I've been to a couple of Roskilde festivals, so I reckon I might be a bit biased, but Denmark!

How do you have internet access?

Claro mobile stick! $15 a month.

Can you name all the countries you've visited alphabeticly? :-P

No, but I can name them in the order in which I visited them. It works better in my memory as a journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHtdyY8HrAo

How many countries are there on planet earth as of this writing?

There's 193 members of the UN, plus Kosovo, Palestine, Vatican City, Taiwan and Western Sahara. That was my list (and Guinness's), others include more places, but I needed to draw the line somewhere, or else I'd still be travelling now!