Since her first solo trip at 13, she is just 9 countries away from becoming the youngest person to visit all countries

When Sophia Lee took her first solo trip to Costa Rica at the age of 13, she could hardly have imagined that this trip would eventually become an attempt to travel to every country in the world.

Sophie Lee’s journey from a solo journey in 13

The American traveler is now aiming for a record that would make her the youngest person to visit all 195 countries recognized by the United Nations. At the time of CNN’s report, Lee was just nine countries away from completing the trip.

Her ambitions began to take shape a year after the first trip. Lee learned about the record for the youngest person to visit each country and became interested in it herself. She continued to travel throughout her teenage years, initially not considering the challenge as a full-time job.

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However, by the time she was 17, she had already visited more than 50 of the 195 UN-recognised countries. It was then that the possibility of continuing the record began to seriously emerge.

There was one major complication. Visiting the country was not enough.

Lee found that the Guinness World Records attempt required extensive documentation to show where and when she had traveled. As a result, she had to revisit several countries to gather the necessary evidence and ensure her travels met the record requirements.

This process eventually turned her passion for travel into a highly organized venture involving visas, flights, accommodation, documentation and meticulous planning.

The journey also took her to places where traveling is much more complicated than simply booking a ticket.

How many countries has Lee visited?

Among the countries she visited, reports highlighted destinations including Iran, Libya, Somalia and Turkmenistan. She traveled with a security escort in Somalia, while a visit to Turkmenistan required her to join an organized tour. During a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she became seriously ill and considered ending the attempt.

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Lee also made it clear that she doesn’t see the country as just another tick on the list.

She described the desire for a meaningful experience in any destination, whether it involves meeting local people, tasting traditional food or visiting important cultural sites. This approach has shaped the way he documents the journey and the stories he shares with his growing online audience.

The scale of the business also changed her life. According to her interviews, traveling full-time meant missing out on some regular school experiences and family events. At the same time, she built friendships with people all over the world.

“I have friends in India and friends in Ghana and all over the world,” Lee told People earlier this year.

Her journey has also attracted commercial partnerships and sponsorships, helping to fund the increasingly expensive final stages of the trial. At the start of the trip, Lee reportedly traveled on a budget of around $100 per country. As her audience grew, sponsorship opportunities helped fuel her continued travel.

The record she is chasing was previously held by Lexie Alford, who completed her journey to all countries at the age of 21 years and 177 days in 2019.

Lee’s challenge is therefore not just about how many passport stamps he can collect. It’s also a race against time, requiring her to navigate some of the world’s most difficult destinations while meeting evidence requirements for the record.

And it all goes back to the first solo trip to Costa Rica at the age of 13 – a trip that turned a young traveler’s curiosity into an ambition spanning almost the entire world.