Nomad Mania is the only website or “authority” that has attempted to verify what travellers say they have done. First, they authenticate you as a “real person”. Then one very hard-working member from Switzerland spends hours, days or whatever time is necessary to verify the traveller in two separate categories, each independently verified: United Nations countries and Nomad Mania 1301 Regions. These “qualifications” are listed next to your name in Nomad Mania by various badges.
Other measures of the amount of travel are World Heritage Sites + Tentative WHS, the NM Series General Ranking (listing 57,000 places) and NM’s TBT (The Biggest Traveler). TBT may be the most reliable measure of travel as it takes into account all ranking systems and includes 21 categories of items. Stewart is #19 and I am #11. TBT offers a badge and has another verification for the top 10.
What follows is a listing of all Canadians who have supposedly attained 193 and/or their Nomad Mania qualification.
CANADIANS WITH 193 (October 1, 2024)
Nomad Mania Member verified for UN countries and regions
1. Ron Perrier. (941 regions #1 Canada). Born 1952. UN 193 (Tuvalu). Verified for UN, NM regions, Supreme Verification, World Heritage Sites and The Biggest Traveler.
Nomad Mania Member verified for UN countries
2. Eric Abtan. (417 regions). Born in 1973, done at age 43 in 2016 (Nauru)
3. Daniel Walker. (969 regions). Born in 1941 in Victoria, done at age 66 in 2007
(Mongolia). He is a citizen of and listed in Costa Rica (#1) where he has lived since 1991. He has 969 NM regions and would be #1 in Canada if he listed himself as a Canadian. He did a lot of his travel in his Rolls Royce.
“I started trying to travel as soon as I could walk, which my mother cured by putting me into a harness and attaching me to the clothesline. For my first major trip, a friend and I stuck out our thumbs from Victoria in 1964 with the intention of going around the world. We had $30 between us. When we ran out of money we worked at whatever we could get. That lasted about a year until I ran into a girl and got married, which put a damper on travel for too many years. I have a 1957 Rolls Royce that I drove around the world in 2007, then from Victoria Canada to Alaska & the Canadian Yukon in 2009, then through Central and South America and back in 2011. I’ve driven it through 49 countries and all the Canadian provinces and continental US states. Hopefully, I’ll travel until I drop!”
4. Ernestine Chan. (570 regions) Born in Hong Kong in 1971, from Vancouver, she finished at age 52 in 2023. Listed under Hong Kong (#1).
Nomad Mania Member non-verified
5. Horace Tong. (307 regions). Born in 1986, from Vancouver, done at age 35 in 2021 (Guinea-Bissau)
Travellers with Personal Website or Book
6. Ian Boudreault. Born in 1982, done at age 32 (Libya). He wrote the pretentious book
“Globetrotter: From Pioneer Digital Nomad to World’s Most Traveled Man” (2021) and
described himself as “the Christopher Columbus of the 2000s”. His second book is “The
World’s Most Traveled Man’s Top 60 Travel Tips: For the Seasonal Traveler to the Full-
time Digital Nomad” (2021). He travelled for 20 years, 17 as a digital nomad living in
many countries.
7. Mike Spencer Bown. Born in 1966, from Calgary, and done at age 47 in 2013
(Ireland), he wrote a pretentious book called “The World’s Greatest Traveler”. When
asked how many counties there are in the world, he says “It’s open to debate”, possibly
implying that he hasn’t been to all 193. He joined Nomad Mania in 2020 where he was
#129 on the Master List and then promptly removed himself from the site
8. Stephen Fenech. Born in 1968, and now living in Toronto, he completed with Nauru at age 55 in 2023. He works in the television industry but spends much time travelling as a photojournalist and award-winning filmmaker. His documentary Chad Exodus won various prizes in several festivals. His travel book, “Earth: Been There Done That Got the T-shirt, Book One: The Big Kahuna” was published in 2016. It highlights a three-year trip around the planet. Its follow-up “Earth: Been There Done That Got the T-shirt, Book Two: Missing Pieces to the Global Puzzle” was published in 2017.
Travellers With a Media Reference
9. Bruno Rodi. Born in 1954 in Italy, his family immigrated to Quebec in 1960. He
started travel in 2000 and finished 193 in 2018 (Saudi Arabia) at age 64. In an article in La
Presse, he claims to have seen every territory, dependency and World Heritage
Site in the World – 1,071 at the time. That is hard to believe. He has also climbed the
seven highest peaks on each continent (including Mount Everest), been to the seven lowest points on the planet, the wonders of the ancient and contemporary world and has
been to both poles on skis. He also cycled the Tour de France and rode the Dakar Rally. He humbly admits to only being “the greatest traveller living in Quebec”.
He wrote the book “Globe-trotter des extrêmes” with the author Sonia Sarfati, His son
Jason has produced two films about adventure including Bruno (Everest & Bouvet Island). He owns the Montreal bike-sharing company Bixi.
I find it interesting that these last four Canadians, all supposedly with 193 (none are members of Nomad Mania or verified) have all written books stating or implying they are the most travelled people in the world. Curiously, the only books I have seen with the “most travelled man in the world” moniker are all by Canadians.
I do not doubt that all are great travellers but there are likely many travellers on Nomad Mania who have travelled more than Mr. Boudreault, Bown, and Fenech. Mike Spencer Bown joined NM in 2020 but then removed himself, he was #129. Admittedly Mr Fenech doesn’t say he is the world’s biggest traveller, but he needed two books titled Earth: Been There Done That Got the T-shirt to list all his destinations and experiences.
Mr. Rodi humbly only claims to be the most travelled Quebecois but when you read what he has done – 193, every UN territory and dependency (wow!), all 1071 World Heritage Sites (wow, easily #1 in the world, especially as about 40 are either impossible or very difficult), every Wonder of the World, skied to both poles (wow!), the Seven Summits (wow! three attempts to finally climb Everest, two attempts to climb Denali), Tour de France, Dakar rally, on and on – he may be the most experienced traveller in the world.
I wish these guys would prove what they have done. I have no doubt all are great travellers. I am not sure why they have not entered their Nomad Mania regions but think the issue of not even joining NM is that the ranking is by region. If their travel was not orientated to seeing regions, their region count is probably low and thus is relatively low on the master list of Nomad Mania – not something the “World’s Greatest Traveler” wants to see. I don’t think Mr Bown has visited 193. Mr. Rodi is very private and couldn’t care less about ranking or publicity.
It would also be nice to see WHS and series items. Then they should undergo verification and prove what they have done, not just make assertions in books.
Very Close (regions as of Oct 2024)
10. Brad Xuan. UN 192 (N Korea) – 580 regions. Born 1975. Listed under China (#6)
11. Tom Wong, UN 192 (N Korea) – 567 regions. Born 1957. UN verified.
12. Dillon De Coteau. UN 192 – 250 regions. Born 1969. Listed under Trinidad and Tobago (#1). UN Verified.
13. Michael Graziano. UN 190 – 414 regions. Born 1989.. He suddenly appeared a few years ago when he posted 193 countries and 859 regions (one more than Stewart Sheppard, #1 in Canada at the time). In the Master Ranking, he is listed as having transited some countries.
14. An Xian Ni. UN 189 – 744 regions. Born 1966. Listed under China (#2)
15. Ian Tremblay. Born?, UN 189
16. Masha Glanville. UN 188 – 596 regions. Born 1962. Their website is dancingpandas.com.
17. Robert Glanville. UN 186 – 541 regions. Born 1964. Listed under Canada but also with a US passport.
18. Ammon Watkins UN 175 – 712 regions. Born 1979. Presently #3 in Canada in NM. If anyone ever passes me in Canada, I predict (and hope) it would be Ammon. Verified for UN and NM regions.
