Gunnar Garfors facts for kids

Gunnar Garfors was born on May 29, 1975, in Hammerfest, Norway. He is a famous Norwegian traveler, author, and media expert. Gunnar is known for being the first person to visit every country in the world not just once, but twice! He also holds several amazing world records for his travels and has written many books about his adventures.

Gunnar has worked in broadcasting and helped develop new ways to share information since 2001. He loves exploring the world and sharing his experiences with others.

About Gunnar Garfors

Gunnar is the oldest of seven children. He was born in Hammerfest in Northern Norway. Soon after, his family moved to Naustdal Municipality on the west coast of Norway. He grew up there with his mother, Ruth Berit Stensletten Garfors, his father, Reidar Magne Garfors, and his six siblings.

Gunnar has lived in many different places around the world. These include Havøysund, Førde, Dublin, Falmouth, Copenhagen, and Taipei. Today, he lives in Oslo, Norway, with his wife, Jacqui Kunz.

Gunnar studied at Falmouth College of Arts in Great Britain, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He also has a Master of Management degree from the Norwegian School of Management.

Amazing Travel Records

Gunnar Garfors is famous for his incredible travel achievements. He holds several Guinness World Records for his journeys around the globe.

Visiting Five Continents in One Day

On June 18, 2012, Gunnar Garfors and his friend Adrian Butterworth made history. They became the first people ever to visit five different continents in just one day! This was a truly amazing feat of travel planning and speed.

19 Countries in 24 Hours

In September 2014, Gunnar set another record with Øystein Djupvik and Tay-young Pak. They managed to visit 19 countries in only 24 hours! Imagine how fast they had to travel to achieve that.

Around the World in Under 57 Hours

Gunnar set another Guinness World Record on February 2, 2018. He traveled around the entire world, visiting all six inhabited continents. He did this on regular airplanes in an astonishing 56 hours and 56 minutes. He completed this journey with two Dutch friends, Erik de Zwart and Ronald Haanstra.

First to Visit Every Country Twice

On December 16, 2018, Gunnar Garfors achieved a truly unique milestone. He became the first person in the world to visit all 198 countries not just once, but twice! This includes all countries recognized by at least 10 United Nations members. It shows his incredible dedication to exploring the world.

Books by Gunnar Garfors

Gunnar Garfors is also a successful author. He has written several travel books, sharing his adventures and tips. His book Ingenstad even became a bestseller in Norway.

From 2013 to 2015, Gunnar wrote a travel column every two months for the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun. He also occasionally wrote travel articles for The Guardian newspaper.

List of Books

• 198: Mi reise til alle verdas land, Samlaget, Norway (2014)
• Ete fysst, Selja, Norway (2014)
• 198: How I Ran Out of Countries, self-published, USA (2015)
• Ingenstad, Skald, Norway (2019)
• Bortom allfarveg, Skald, Norway (2021)
• 198: Como eu conheci todos os países do mundo, self-published, Brazil (2021)
• Bortom allfarveg Vestlandet, Skald, Norway (2022)
• Omakase, Spartacus, Norway (2022)
• Ahol csak a madár jár, Cser Kiadó, Hungary (2023)
• Elsewhere, Broken Sleep Books, UK (2024)

Work in Broadcasting

Besides his travels and writing, Gunnar Garfors has a long career in broadcasting. He worked as an advisor for broadcasting and new media at the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) in Oslo. He held this position from 2000 until 2022.

He was also the president of IDAG (the International DMB Advancement Group) from 2010 to 2021. For one year, in 2008 and 2009, he was the vice president of the mobile expert group for the European Broadcasting Union. In 2004, he was in charge when NRK launched the first test of live TV on mobile phones.

From 2008 to 2013, Gunnar Garfors was the CEO of Norwegian Mobile TV Corporation.