World Travellers

A collection of landmark records, expeditions, and resources celebrating women who have travelled extensively, shattered records, and redefined what world travel looks like.

 

Records & Firsts

• First woman to travel to every country in the world (documented) — Cassie De Pecol (USA) — 1 year 189 days — 7 December 2018

• Fastest woman to visit all sovereign countries (female) — Taylor Demonbreun (USA) — 1 year 189 days — 7 December 2018

• First verified/documented Black woman to visit every country in the world — Jessica Nabongo (Ugandan-American) — arrived at final country on 6 October 2019

• Youngest person and youngest female to travel to every sovereign country — Lexie Alford (USA) — 21 years, 177 days — 4 October 2019

• Oldest woman to visit every country in the world — Luisa Yu (Philippines/USA) — age 79 — November 2023

• First person to circumnavigate the globe in an electric vehicle — Lexie Alford (USA) — ~30,000 km — 26 March 2024

• First woman to visit all seven continents in record time — Alma Asinobi (Nigeria) — 71 hours 26 minutes 25 seconds (attempting 60-hour record) — March 2025

• Attempting to become the youngest and fastest woman to visit every country, and fastest to do so — Sophia Lee (USA) — ongoing (has reached ~150 countries)

 

Expeditions, Projects & Organisations

• The Royal Geographical Society (UK) — A body advancing geography, supporting geographers, and archiving expeditions globally. 

• Expeditions Database – Women category — Over 180 expeditions featuring women; filters available by region, type (polar, wilderness, cultural).

 

Examples of Notable Women-Led Expeditions & Projects

Below are examples of expeditions and initiatives led by women or focused on women’s experiences in travel, ecology, climate, culture, and exploration:

 

• Polar Maidens 2020 — Expedition to the South Pole

• The role of women in ecotourism — Samara, Guanacaste region (Costa Rica)

• Mujeres Tarea Vida — Gendered Experiences of Climate Change in Cuba

• Euro Arabia Expedition 2018 — North Pole

• SES Sir Charles Blois Explorer 2018 — Juruá River, Amazon

• Northern Patagonia Women’s Expedition — Avellano Valley

• The Matriarch Adventure — Namib-Naukluft National Park

• Trekking in Tajikistan: Finding the Woman of Stone — Cultural & natural heritage focus in Tajikistan

• Equal Opportunities on Ice: Gendered institutional change in twentieth-century Antarctic science (USA)