Cassie toured every country in the world—in record time. (And that was when she was just barely getting started.)
Epic Traveler Cassie De Pecol
When it comes to dream-chasing, Cassie De Pecol—adventurer, triathlete, entrepreneur, fitness expert, future astronaut, and someone who smashed the Guinness World Record for fastest global travel—isn’t big on rainchecks. Her philosophy? Do it now.
A Connecticut native who sprints through airport corridors after long international flights, both to get the blood flowing and so she doesn’t have to stand in line at border control, De Pecol captured her dynamic approach in a June 2019 website post.
“I personally don’t believe in waiting to fulfill a life goal or mission,” she wrote while reflecting on two huge accomplishments she made happen before age 30, as planned.
Her first big goal, achieved when she entered Yemen in February 2017, was to travel to the world’s 193 sovereign countries in a shorter timeframe than anyone in history. Spending two to five days in each country, De Pecol trotted the globe in under 560 days, vaporizing the Guinness record by a full year and nine months.
She began training for her next goal—an Ironman Triathlon—the instant she wrapped Expedition 196 (Taiwan, Kosovo, and Palestine added three more lands). And in November 2018, after swimming 2.4 miles, biking 116 miles, and running a marathon, she’d bagged goal No. 2.
She’s given a TED Talk. She knows Krav Maga, the Israeli self-defense art. She’s working toward her private pilot’s license. In 2014, she spent 21 days in the Panamanian jungle alongside three others on an episode of the Discovery Channel’s hit survival show Naked and Afraid, which sends people into the bush nude, equipped with just one tool.
In 2017, Virgin Galactic picked her to be their first female astronaut.
Before corporate sponsorships and brand ambassador deals arrived later in Expedition 196, De Pecol had funded her journeys with money earned from lifeguarding, babysitting, and hotel cleaning jobs. Earlier, when she’d left college, she was up to her neck in loan debt. But once she harnessed her incredible drive and laser focus, she couldn’t be stopped.
Along with loving travel, De Pecol is animated by passions for sustainability (during Expedition 196, she gave talks on eco-travel to more than 16,000 students in 40 countries) and promoting women-owned businesses. These passions fuse in her nonprofit organization Her International, which funds female-driven businesses that encourage sustainable development.
De Pecol even has her own fitness app, World Fitness by Cassie. Available in the App Store, it offers customized plans and 120-plus workouts to keep you fit while traveling.
We spoke to this intrepid traveler, Ms. Cassie De Pecol, about her adventures, fitness secrets, Discovery show, and beloved cat Kishmere, a white Persian who often joins her on the road.
A few years before Expedition 196, you journeyed solo through 25 countries and worked in nine. What are your favorite memories?
Aguas Calientes, Peru, would be one. To get there I took a long drive in a little van through the Andes mountains, along rugged cliff-side roads. Then I followed train tracks on foot. The town, nestled in huge mountains, is near Machu Picchu. I stayed there two months and interned/worked for room and board at hostels. I also started my first business and would walk into Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel and advise staff and management on sustainability initiatives.
It was invigorating to be so close to one of the world’s great wonders, alone, with so much incredible nature to explore.
My favorite hike, a death-defying one, was Putucusi. It was scary climbing up a mountain cliff on hanging, broken ladders, but awe-inspiring at the top.
Another favorite memory? Turkey, in general. It was my introduction to a culture between East and West. I worked for free room and board there, too, and explored as much of the country as I could, alone, with little cash. I made great friends along the way and living/working in Olympos, on the Mediterranean, was an eye-opening experience.
Which region blows the mind of Cassie De Pecol more than any other?
Antarctica. If you’re not a nature person, you’re perhaps not going to see the value of such a place. However, once there, it’s impossible not to be inspired by the vast, serene landscapes and seascapes. The wildlife in Antarctica, from various species of penguins, to the seals and birds, and the sounds they all make that echo far and wide, is so beautiful.
Floating on a Zodiac boat and hearing ice crush beneath me while approaching massive icebergs was a favorite moment. Another was entering Drake Passage during a huge storm, with 30-foot waves and 60-mph winds. Hands down, Antarctica blew me away—at some points almost literally—with its nature and visuals.
If you had an unlimited budget to go back to five of the 196 lands you visited, which ones are you picking?
Japan: I didn’t get to spend enough time there, for budget reasons. Sweden: It’s a goal of mine to own property in Sweden. My ancestors are from there, and I’ve always been fascinated with rural Nordic landscapes. I hope to get back soon—especially to the rural northern part. Afghanistan: It’s come a long way with regards to women and athletics, especially running. Running’s something I do wherever I travel. It’s a bucket-list goal of mine to run the Afghanistan Marathon. Yemen: Socotra is a beautiful little island off mainland Yemen and another bucket-list place. Namibia: During my Expedition, I didn’t have much time or budget to explore the depths of the Namibian dunes, under the stars. I’d like to spend a week in the country’s desert.
Were you using translators?
Language barriers didn’t turn out to be a big obstacle. I would pull up Google Translate whenever I needed to know what a word meant, or to communicate with a taxi driver, waitress, minister of tourism, etc. It was incredible—I could just type what I wanted to say and show them, and they would type in their language and show me. It was easy. Unless, that is, the language was Arabic or Thai and so on, where keyboards are very different. In those instances, I would usually find the most luxurious hotel in the area and walk in and ask for help. Typically in these hotels, the staff know English since they’re dealing with an international clientele.
Where did you feel furthest from America?
Probably Juba in South Sudan. The airport infrastructure was the worst I’d seen. It was chaotic and all I wanted to do was help, but I couldn’t. Everything was so different from American culture. Not necessarily in a bad way, aside from the airport, but I definitely felt a long way from home in South Sudan. The cuisine was very different. The landscapes, the infrastructure, and the overall way of life. The people of Sudan were really kind and helpful, though.
We love this bit from your blog: “The Best Travel Accessory Is An Open Mind. When You Leave All Preconceptions At The Door.” Where did this wisdom most apply?
Everywhere. In order to get through the Expedition, I had to walk into each country with a completely open mind, leaving all preconceptions, good and bad, behind. People in westernized countries would tell me certain countries were dangerous and to “refrain from going alone.” Or, on the flip side, that a country was “incredible.” But I didn’t want to be influenced by people’s opinions of a place, whether Ukraine, France, Syria, and everywhere in between.
When I visited a country like Iraq, which at the time was dealing with ISIS, I would remind myself that the people living there had to survive and thrive and find happiness amid the chaos the same way people do in more stable countries. I wasn’t going to travel in fear based on what other people said—including people who’d never set foot in these countries.
By leaving preconceptions at the door, I found myself judging places and people less, and looking at every human equally and as humans. I realized that, in the end, all people are the same, with basic human needs. No matter where they’re from, everyone is working to have a roof over their heads, a hot meal in front of them, clean water, and someone who loves them.
How did you keep your incredible fitness during the Expedition?
I made a huge effort to eat as clean as possible and to go for a fasted walk every single morning, no matter where I was. I’d listen to a podcast, which would ground me, and then I’d be able to soak in the scenery and scents of the traditional mornings in every place I visited.
I also made an effort to work out in my hotel room. I later channeled those workouts into my fitness app. It’s got a lot of equipment-free exercises I would do in my room. Needing to feel strong and confident as a solo female traveler, I also practiced my Krav Maga combatives. Vitamins helped, too. I was only sick once. I think vitamin C and electrolytes really helped me stay healthy and able to train.
[We got no information on one of these following photographs, so we needed to combine all of our personal international expertise so that we could come up with an accurate description for you. As you will learn, it pays to associate with such a knowledgeable crew as ours. Also, the vitamins seem to have been working just fine. -Ed.]
[Should you wish to read the sign in the ground on this first photo, we made an enlargement for you. … Gee. Some families just go to Disneyland.]
Any moments that Ms. Cassie De Pecol thought absolutely sucked or were scary?
A man walked into my hotel room using a swipe-key at 2 A.M. in Burkina Faso, West Africa. I didn’t know who he was and he only spoke French. He must have worked there and seen me check in. I was also detained at the Grenada airport. They thought my ziplock bag full of vitamins was cocaine. At the Goma airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I was about to leave the country when airport security told me I needed to “go in the back and get a polio shot.” I didn’t have proof of the vaccination on my Yellow Fever card. At the time, a polio vaccination wasn’t necessary for entering or exiting the Congo. Secondly, why would they give me that vaccination if I were leaving the country? As I was not about to get some random needle stuck into my arm in an airport back room, I offered to give them $100. A woman came back with a counteroffer of $20 instead and that was the end of that.
At age 24, you were on Discovery’s Naked and Afraid. Can you nutshell that experience?
It was both the best and worst experience of my life up to that point. Worst, because I was poorly represented when they edited all the footage to make the two-hour episode. I actually got hate mail and death threats, and still do. It was the best because all that hate ended up fueling me to travel every country in the world and become the first woman on record to do so.
I came up with the dream as I was curled up there in Panama, in the fetal position, naked, on a pile of dirt under banana leaves on a 54-degree night, with rain pouring through the leaves onto my bare back. That’s when I asked myself, “What am I doing with my life?” And I got the idea to travel to every country and, while doing it, somehow enhance the world we live in.
Perhaps your biggest message is: Don’t wait, pursue your dreams now. Can you elaborate?
We don’t know when we’re going to die. I’ve always wondered why people go about their lives assuming they’ll be alive at 90. We can’t know that. So unless a person is totally happy doing what they’re doing, I think it’s important to go after the things we desire. The things that will fuel your fire, that inspire you to make this life the very best one you can make.
We allow other people to have so much influence on ourselves and our decisions. And we look to other people as role models for inspiration. But if we just looked to ourselves for inspiration, we’d be surprised at how much we could achieve when it comes to things we’re passionate about. I think it’s important to let go of society’s standards. Make sacrifices and take risks. Go after your greatest dreams, so on your death bed, you won’t regret not having tried.
Lightning round: Is this space-travel thing going to happen? Is it true SNL’s “Weekend Update” mentioned you in 2017? And how about an update on the feline front?
In terms of space travel, it’s up to Virgin Galactic! Can they successfully launch their first commercial flight? If I could speed up the process, I would. But it’s a waiting game. Right now, it’s up to science.
As for SNL, yes, it’s true. Colin Jost mentioned my world travel and then made a joke about getting zika from a mosquito.
Kishmere is incredible! This year we’ve already been to Arizona and Colorado, with trips to Canada, New York, Bermuda, Mexico, and Hawaii coming up. He loves traveling. Honestly, I could not travel without him. He’s a super cool cat. He doesn’t scratch, bite, and is just pure love. All good on his end! You can follow his adventures on Instagram @mrkishmere.
What’s your next big dream or challenge?
I have so many. You’ll just have to keep up with me!
Find Cassie on Instagram and Twitter or check out her website. You can download her app, “World Fitness by Cassie,” and learn more about her adventures in the book Expedition 196. Honestly, though, back at original publication they did not have a podcast to mention, so they did not. We do now, however, and it might be the most wonderful item among this long list. (That happens to be an iHeart link, but you can find “Against the Odds” wherever you get your podcasts.) Impressive people have many impressive ways to find them.
