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Michael Noel has traveled to 192 countries Please fill out this survey and provide feedback - https://forms.gle/1RmLQh7hLuw2Xnc6A Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. Checking in with our new guest, Michael Noel and I crossed paths in the Douala airport en route to Bangui.\xa0 We ended up sharing a dinner and a trip to a waterfall.\xa0 Always great to run into fellow travelers in the least traveled places, and he shared a number of stories which I thought would make a fascinating conversation. As some of you might have heard the next Extraordinary Travel Festival will be held on November 15, 2024 in Bangkok, plenty of time to save the date. You can buy your ticket now and use the code BANGKOK to save big at the\xa0.\xa0 I am also excited to announce our first trip, and that is 3 different agendas to Bhutan after the festival.\xa0 Check out the website or send me a message. We have some great speakers who have already been announced for the event with more to come.\xa0 One of the speakers is Pablo Nemo, who has been walking from south to north for almost two years in Africa.\xa0 You can vote for him in the Nomad Mania Awards as the Most Intrepid Traveler.\xa0 There are a lot of other amazing travelers, so take a moment to recognize them.\xa0 Vote today! After the interview with Michael, I will be checking in with Harry Mitisdis, who has recently published Welcome To The Hotel NomadMania.\xa0 This is a classic whodunit with many fictionalized character from the Extreme Travel Community.\xa0 \xa0\xa0 I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons: Jorge Serpa, Per Flisberg, Justine Kirby, Marc Jorgensen, Sonia Zimmerman, Lori Pastorelli, Carole Southam, Sunir Joshi, Philippe Izedian, Gin, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Steph Rowe, Thor Pedersen, Adam Hickman, Katelyn Jarvis, Ed Hotchkiss, and Barry Hoffner for supporting this podcast.\xa0 You can support this podcast by going to .\xa0 My patrons will hear extra content with Michael that you will not hear. And we have a new patron, Phil Marcus.\xa0 You might have heard me refer to Phil on the podcast several times.\xa0 Phil have teamed up over the last couple of years on some very memorable Africa and Middle East travels.\xa0 If you follow Phil on IG or FB, you might recognize him for his BFF better known as Beaker, a famous muppet, who he travels with all of the time and appears in many photos and video.\xa0 And speaking of video, make sure you follow him on YouTube at , which has a ton of great videos.\xa0\xa0 I was in Chicago for this recording while Michael was in Cali. Please listen in and enjoy.\xa0\xa0\xa0 Thank you to my \u2026. Phil Marcus, Jorge Serpa, Per Flisberg, Justine Kirby, Marc Jorgensen, Sonia Zimmermann, Lori Pastorelli, Gintaute Liutkeviciute, Barry Hoffner, Ed Hotchkiss, Katelyn Jarvis, Carole Southam, Thor Pedersen, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles, Ted Nims, Sunir Joshi, Gintaute Liutkeviciute, Philippe Izedian & Dale Wursten.\xa0\xa0 \xa0 \xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0 And now you can listen to ! And Alexa! \xa0 And write a review! More About Michael Noel Counting Countries \xb7 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 Where were you born o \xa0 Mather AFB, Sacramento, CA \xb7 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 What passport (s) do you hold o \xa0 USA \xb7 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 Favorite travel book o \xa0 Currently published: \u201cThe Long Road to Cullaville.\u201d Though of course I think my upcoming book \u201cBreaking the Tourist Barrier\u201d will be a favorite soon as well. ;) \xb7 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 Favorite travel film o \xa0 Not really into travel films, maybe some documentaries but nothing stands out. \xb7 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 Favorite travel app or website o \xa0 Been a big fan of the \u2018Fog of World\u2019 app recently, though make heavy use of \u2018Flighty,\u2019 \u2018Mark O\u2019Travel,\u2019 and \u2018Polarsteps.\u2019 \xb7 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 Must carry item when traveling (like flashlight, Kindle, deck of cards etc.) o \xa0 Only real need is smartphone and passport. Everything else is optional. I travel exceedingly light, nothing more than a small backpack and/or small satchel. \xb7 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 Favorite food o \xa0 Sooo many choices and it really depends. Honestly, my favorite depends on region, I do try to eat as local as possible. If you press me to come up with something I\u2019ll say Durian. \xb7 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 Favorite drink o \xa0 Same as above, depends. I don\u2019t really like anything sweet though. Again, if you press probably espresso, but depends on where I am in the world. \xb7 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 Favorite airline o \xa0 Tough one, as I have status on United Airlines so that\u2019s where I\u2019m most likely to get upgraded, treated well, etc., but let\u2019s be honest, it\u2019s not the BEST worldwide. Probably Emirates if I\u2019m being honest. \xb7 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 Favorite hotel o \xa0 Actually not really a hotel guy\u2026I like what\u2019s closest to the action and what doesn\u2019t wall me off from the locals. Often times that means staying in someone\u2019s house or an Airbnb. But if you press me for an answer I\u2019ll probably say the Hotel Sapphire in Istanbul, mainly because of location and it\u2019s a great deal. \xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0How to stay in touch o \xa0 Travel blog (unfortunately woefully out of date but still useful info there: . ) o \xa0 X/Instagram/Threads: @sharingtheglobe About Counting Countries Counting Countries is the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who\u2019ve spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to every country in the world. Less people have traveled to every country in the world than have been to outer space. Theme music for this podcast is Demeter\u2019s Dance, written, performed, and provided by .