Cassandra De Pecol (born June 23, 1989[citation needed]) is an American author, traveler, activist, and speaker.[1][2] In 2017, she set Guinness World Records in two categories: "Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries" and "Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries—Female".[3] Both records were broken in 2019.[4]
Cassandra De Pecol | |
|---|---|
 De Pecol holding her two Guinness World Records | |
| Born | June 23, 1989[citation needed] |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Author, activist, traveler, speaker, social media influencer |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Website | cassiedepecol |
Career
editWorld travel and Guinness record
editFrom July 24, 2015, to February 2, 2017, De Pecol traveled to every sovereign nation in the world.[5][6] In 2017, De Pecol had two Guinness World Records: "Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries" and "Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries - Female".[7][8][9] In 2019, both records were beaten by Taylor Demonbreun.[4][10][11]
While traveling, she spoke to over 16,000 university students in 40 countries, and acted as an ambassador of peace for the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism and SKAL international.[12]
Though she planted trees to help offset her carbon footprint, she was criticized for taking a large number of flights, as well as for spending only a little time in each country.[12]
The trip around the world cost about US$111,000 and was funded by sponsors that De Pecol obtained throughout the expedition.[13][14] De Pecol filmed her travels and uploaded them in her social media pages.[15]
Other ventures
editAs a public speaker, she spoke in various events like; TEDxMile High, World Domination Summit and Future Leaders in Travel Retreat.[16][17][18]
In July 2018, De Pecol released her memoir, Expedition 196: A Personal Journal from the First Woman on Record to Travel Every Country.[19]
Lawsuit
editDePecol has been sued by Travelers United, which states that she has made “unfair and deceptive” claims related to advertising.[20] Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz wrote that Travelers United "hopes that the lawsuit will be a watershed moment in the industry, bringing more accountability to claims made by travel content creators. Lauren Wolfe, counsel for Travelers United, stated "We hope that other nonprofits will be emboldened to bring similar lawsuits."[21] Travelers United said that De Pecol had incorrectly said she was the "first woman to travel to every country" and that she had said she would be the "first sponsored astronaut" by Virgin Galactic.[22]
Reality television appearance
editOn December 8, 2013, DePecol appeared on the show Naked and Afraid in a special called "Double Jeopardy".[23][24]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Peace through sustainable tourism is possible: World Traveler Cassandra De Pecol, tells the Oslo Times". The Oslo Times. November 12, 2015. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ^ "This woman visited every country on Earth". CNN Travel. 2017-02-10. Archived from the original on 2017-11-15. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
- ^ "Monday Motivation: Around the world in 558 days". Guinness World Records. 2017-03-31. Archived from the original on 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
- ^ a b "From Iran to Iceland: One woman's adventure to visit every country in the world in 18 months". Guinness World Records. 2019-06-10. Archived from the original on 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
- ^ Rizzo, Cailey (February 13, 2017). "27-year-old Becomes First Woman to Visit Every Country in the World". Travel + Leisure. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ^ Lippe-McGraw, Jordi (February 20, 2017). "How this woman funded her record-breaking trip to every country in the world". Today. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ^ Stephenson, Kristen (March 31, 2017). "Monday Motivation: Around the world in 558 days". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ "Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries (overall)". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 2022-05-28. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
- ^ "Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries (female)". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
- ^ Gore, Leada (2019-06-14). "24-year-old Alabama woman now holds 4 Guinness World Records". al. Archived from the original on 2019-10-26. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
- ^ Drew Taylor. "Tuscaloosa native sets Guinness records for world travels". Tuscaloosa News. Archived from the original on 2019-10-26. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
- ^ a b Del Valle, Lauren; Moghe, Sonia (February 10, 2017). "This woman visited every country on Earth in record time". CNN. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ^ Schwarz, Kirrily (November 5, 2016). "Cassie De Pecol traveled to every country in the world, but we have some questions". News.com.au. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ^ Quezada, Veronica (April 13, 2017). "This 27-Year-Old Is the Fastest Woman to Visit Every Country in the World. Here's How She Paid for It". Money.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
- ^ Rachel Hosie (February 13, 2017). "Woman breaks world record for visiting every country in the world in fastest time". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 11, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ^ Admin, TEDxMileHigh (2017-06-07). "Meet Cassie De Pecol". TEDxMileHigh: Ideas Worth Spreading. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ "World Domination Summit". worlddominationsummit.com. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ "Cassie De Pecol". Future Leaders In Travel Retreat. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ Pecol, Cassie de (2018-07-30). Expedition 196: A Personal Journal from the First Woman on Record to Travel to Every Country in the World. Lioncrest Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5445-1151-1.
- ^ "Travel influencer sued over claim she is 'first woman to visit every country'". The Independent. April 14, 2022. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ Lorenz, Taylor (April 13, 2022). "Does traveling to every country count if you don't post on the Internet?". The Washington Post. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ^ "Travel Influencer Sued for Telling "Increasingly Bold Lies" to Build Her Brand | Frommer's". www.frommers.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
- ^ "Cassie DePecol". Discovery. 2013-12-01. Archived from the original on 2016-11-20. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
- ^ Vorel, Jim. "Naked, afraid and hostile: The Discovery Channel's human drama". Herald-Review.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-23. Retrieved 2017-02-28.