A 19-year-old's solo journey through 118 countries

American traveler Arjun Malaviya single-handedly crossed war zones, set foot on little-visited island nations, and conquered 118 countries before the age of 20.

Arjun Malaviya, 19, from Westlake Village, California, began his solo travel journey in June 2023. Malaviya claims to be the youngest person to visit 100 countries alone and among the first to travel to all of Oceania. The 19-year-old has also escaped Russian airstrikes in Ukraine, stayed with the Taliban in Afghanistan, and visited rare island nations like Nauru.

Malaviya poses for a photo at the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun while visiting Egypt earlier this year. Photo: Arjun/Instagram

Malaviya set foot in her 100th country at the age of 17, surpassing the record of Lexie Alford - an American girl who visited more than 70 countries at the age of 18.

His passion for solo travel stemmed from business trips with his parents as a child. After completing high school at Moorpark College, the young man decided to pack his bags and pursue his dream of traveling the world before turning 20, instead of going to a four-year university. He worked a variety of part-time jobs while in school to build up his finances, from youth tennis coach to administrative assistant.

Malaviya poses with Syrian children in July 2024, the 110th country he has visited. Photo: Club 100+ Countries/Instagram

Malaviya said he likes to travel because he is always curious and wants to explore cultures, languages, and people in different lands. The time of social distancing due to the pandemic and lack of social interaction makes him want to set foot in faraway lands that he had only seen in books and newspapers before.

The American tourist's journey started from Southeast Asian countries such as Japan and Korea, to South America, Europe and island nations in Oceania.

Some of the experiences include teaching English to students in Iraq, visiting Rock Island in Palau in Oceania, visiting villages in Myanmar, the capital Caracas and its surroundings in Venezuela, working in rice fields in rural Indonesia, attending religious festivals in Iran, and visiting Saddam Hussein's Babylon palace - a place rarely open to the public.

The male tourist also interacted with children in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, went to a slum in Brazil, the salt flats in Bolivia, saw the aurora borealis in Norway, a herd of elephants in Sri Lanka and an ancient castle in Slovenia.

According to Malaviya, the most pristine and beautiful nature is often found in the island nations of Oceania. The lack of internet on isolated islands helps him relax and get closer to nature and the local people. However, the American man is also saddened to see many young people in Nauru and Tuvalu who do not have the opportunity to study, work and even do not have enough money to go abroad. In addition, the lack of clean food along with the high preservative content in food also affects the health of children on the island.

When he met Taliban members and some religious leaders in Iran during his trip to Afghanistan, Malaviya said they were friendly and curious about his life in the United States.

The male tourist said that people everywhere are the same in their desire to have a stable job, take care of their family, get an education and have a fulfilling life. The relationship between countries often reflects government policy, while the local people are friendly and open. The purpose of his journey is to listen and understand, to prove that the world is actually much smaller and more connected.

"Locals are often willing to help when they see a young person traveling alone, from inviting them home for a meal to taking them somewhere," said Malaviya, who wants to return to Iceland, Palau, the Philippines, Iran, Venezuela and Bolivia.

His journey is not only filled with pristine beaches and beautiful scenery, but also dangerous situations, such as escaping a surprise Russian airstrike in Odessa, Ukraine in November 2023.

"I went to Odessa for fun because it is only about three hours away from the capital Chisinau, Moldova. However, the air raid siren went off as soon as I arrived in the morning, traffic was paralyzed and everyone had to go to the bomb shelter for hours," Malaviya said, describing his scariest experience so far.

Another time, he was stopped by airport security in Venezuela and prevented from leaving the country because he was suspected of running away from his parents because he was a minor. Malaviya had to request a security camera check at the time of his entry to prove that he was traveling alone.

"I finally convinced them and was allowed to leave Venezuela to fly to Bogota, Colombia," the male tourist said.

Malaviya covered the cost of the trip with his part-time job and childhood savings, and balanced his expenses by renting cheap Airbnbs, eating simple meals, and researching his destination in advance using travel apps. Malaviya said learning to adapt to every situation on the road helped him gain more experience and grow as a person.

"For example, I kept a relaxed and calm attitude when meeting Taliban members, so they didn't suspect me of having bad intentions or hiding anything," he said.

According to Malaviya, young people who want to try traveling alone should boldly go out and experience it. He said there are too many prejudices, it is difficult to distinguish right from wrong, so the best way is to go by yourself and feel the reality.

Malaviya is currently studying computer engineering at UC Santa Barbara in the US, and plans to continue his solo journey until he has visited all 195 countries in the world.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/hanh-trinh-doc-hanh-qua-118-quoc-gia-cua-chang-trai-19-tuoi-post294423.html