193countries

Great questions.

1. No, I don't believe so. It's important to realize that airlines benefit from the Frequent Flyer mile programs they set up. In many cases it's a profit center for them, not something they expense.

2. I had a dispute with Egypt Air and they withheld my passport in Cairo. They wanted me to pay them $600 (long story) and I preferred paying them $0 and receiving my passport back. Finally they agreed to return my passport as long as I signed a piece of paper saying that I would pay them later. I signed it "Under Duress" and wrote "This is bullshit" -- but as the guy explained it, that was good enough for him and he returned the passport. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable flying Egypt Air again, though.

Nauru was odd. Aside from Australia, it's the only country in the South Pacific that requires a visa in advance. None of the info I read in advance indicated this fact, and I was denied boarding the flight in Brisbane on my first attempt. I regrouped, got the visa, and was able to visit a few months later. It's a tiny, tiny place with very little to do. The high point for me was going for a run up and down the actual runway, which is only used as a landing strip twice a week when the plane from Brisbane returns. The rest of the time, people go out at sunset to walk along it or play soccer on it.

I'm pretty basic. Everything fits in a carry-on bag (Briggs & Riley) and a laptop bag (Tom Bihn). The thing that takes the most space is my running shoes. I take the same clothes with me wherever I go. Tech-wise, I always (always) have my laptop and iPhone. I'm working almost everywhere I go, usually for about half the day. The other half is transit, sightseeing, or meeting up with friends and readers.

Thanks! Tough competition. :)

1. I'm fortunate to be connected to an amazing community of people doing far more interesting things than just flying to every country. One of my goals for the near future is to do a better job of telling their stories.

2. Tim and Gary are great guys. I admire their generosity and persistence.

Dozens and dozen of times, especially airports. Ironically some of the worst experiences were in places that you might not expect to be miserable: Rome, Paris, Dallas, JFK, etc. Of course, sleeping on the floor of an airport in central Africa isn't great either, but I didn't really plan on visiting TGI Friday's there.