Graham Hughes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Graham Hughes
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Hughes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 2010
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| Born | 28 February 1979 |
| Known for | Visiting all 193 UN member states without flying |
Graham David Hughes (born 28 February 1979) is a British adventurer. He is famous for being the first person to visit every country in the world without using an airplane. He traveled to all 193 countries that are part of the United Nations. He also visited several other places around the world. During his amazing journey, he even had his own TV show called Graham's World on the National Geographic Adventure channel.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Graham Hughes was born in Liverpool, England, in 1979. He went to schools in Liverpool, including the Liverpool Blue Coat School. Later, he studied at the University of Manchester. After his studies, he started his own video production company.
The Odyssey Expedition: A Global Journey
The Odyssey Expedition was Graham Hughes's incredible trip to visit every country. His main goal was to travel to all 193 UN member states. He did this without ever getting on an airplane.
More Than Just UN Countries
Graham didn't stop at just the UN countries. He also visited other places like Vatican City. He went to Palestine, Western Sahara, Kosovo, and Taiwan. This brought his total to 201 "countries" visited without flying. People often wondered how he reached places like North Korea or Iraq. He said these were actually some of the easier countries to enter.
Rules of the Journey
Before starting, Graham worked with Guinness World Records to set clear rules for his trip.
- He could not fly at all.
- He could not use private taxis for long distances. Shared taxis were allowed.
- He was not allowed to hitchhike.
- He could not drive a vehicle or ride a motorbike himself.
- He had to step onto dry land in each country. Just sailing into the waters didn't count.
- He could take short breaks from his journey for personal reasons. If he did, he had to return to the exact spot he left from. He did this twice.
The clock for his record kept running the whole time.
Challenges Along the Way
Graham faced many challenges during his expedition.
- He was put in jail in the Republic of the Congo.
- He got caught trying to enter Russia without permission.
- He managed to get into Cuba during a blockade.
- He was arrested in Estonia and Cameroon.
- He spent time in jail in Congo-Brazzaville and Cape Verde.
In January 2013, he returned to Russia with a proper visa.
Helping Others on His Trip
While on The Odyssey Expedition, Graham also helped a charity called WaterAid. He raised money and made people aware of their work. WaterAid helps provide clean water and sanitation around the world.
Setting World Records
Graham Hughes set two new Guinness World Records during his journey.
- He visited "133 countries in one year by scheduled ground transport." This was during the first year of his four-year trip.
- In February 2014, Guinness World Records confirmed his main achievement. He set the record for "The fastest time to visit all countries by public surface transport." This took him 4 years and 31 days. The record verification process was very long because of how complex his journey was.
Sharing His Adventures
Graham Hughes shared his experiences through television shows, books, and online videos.
Television Shows
The videos Graham took during the first year of his trip became a TV series. It was called Graham's World or Lonely Planet's The Odyssey. The show was made for the National Geographic Adventure channel.
Travel Writing
Graham wrote a book about his travels. His first travel memoir is called "Man of the World: Book One of The Odyssey Expedition." It tells the story of the first year of his journey. The book was published in October 2017.
YouTube Videos
Graham has been active on YouTube since 2006. In 2013, his video "One Second Every Country" became very popular. It showed a one-second clip from each country he visited. The video quickly got almost a million views. This led to him appearing on news shows and in articles.
Life After the Journey
After completing his world record journey, Graham Hughes continued with new adventures and activities.
SOS Island Competition
In December 2013, Graham won a TV show called SOS Island. It was a survival-style show. The prize was $100,000 to buy an island. He bought an island in Panama and named it "Jinja Island." He lived there for almost three years without being connected to public utilities.
Political Involvement
Graham Hughes has also been involved in politics. After the Brexit vote, he became a strong supporter of the UK remaining in the European Union. He ran as an independent candidate in an election in 2017. He also led and hosted a large march called the "People's March For Europe." In 2018, he ran as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats in local elections in Liverpool. He also created a YouTube channel called "Politics Social" to discuss political topics.
