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Mike Spencer Bown - 193 countries Mike is a true traveler and explorer, who over a twenty plus year time period has traveled to every country in the world. Mike shared with me some incredible travel tales, including a road trip with a nun in a war-torn, African country. \xa0 Mike has been on the road for over twenty years, exploring and discovering the remote corners of our planet. \xa0He travels slow and espouses a simpler lifestyle with all of his belongings in one bag. \xa0\xa0\xa0 More about Mike Spencer Bown: \xa0 Born in: Canada Passports from: Canada Favorite travel book: \xa0I like old Jack Vance fantasy travel books such as and . \xa0Also, early travel accounts such as the . \xa0 Favorite travel site: \xa0\xa0I\u2019m kinda old school, not a big user of the internet. I don\u2019t travel with electronics, not even a phone or camera. Must carry: Mosquito net, a Swiss Army knife, Flagyl (for ) and Coartem ( for ). \xa0I bring a collared shirt for embassy visits. \xa0I also bring an outfit similar to what an NGO or U.N. inspector would wear, including clipboard for impersonating officials to get past roadblocks. And finally a journals for writing in. Favorite food: Any kind of exotic fruit or fish. Favorite drink: \xa0. \xa0Chinese whisky with \u2018special\u2019 herbs. Favorite Airline: \xa0The cheaper the better. For example, I liked those old flying in Iran. Favorite Hotel: \xa0I like to find one that used to be the best hotel in the city, but say, in the 1920s, and nothing has been done to upgrade or refurbish it, so it's a charming semi-ruin, in the $5 to $10 a night range. Facebook \xa0\xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 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 . About GlobalGaz Ric Gazarian is the host of Counting Countries. He is the author of three books: , , and . \xa0He is the producer of two travel documentaries: and . \xa0 Ric is also on his own quest to visit every country in the world. You can see where he has and keep up with his journey at How Many Countries Are There? Well\u2026 that depends on who you ask! The United Nations states that there are . The British Foreign and Commonwealth office states that there are . The Century Club states that there are . The Most Traveled Person states that there are . The Best Traveled states that there are . Me? My goal is the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, but I am sure I will visit some other places along the way. Disclaimer: I will earn a fee if you order from Amazon/Agoda.