Jane Goodall booked for PARO Centre’s virtual festival celebrating Women Leaders
4 years ago
United States Cassie De Pecol is an American author, activist, and speaker recognized for being the first documented woman to visit every sovereign country.
De Pecol attracted a wide range of sponsors, from big companies like AIG, to support her world travel.
De Pecol learned Krav Maga, an Israeli martial art, to defend herself while traveling alone. Krav Maga Worldwide was among her sponsors.
De Pecol had plans to journey to Antarctica with Quark Expeditions in late February after visiting 196 countries and six continents.
De Pecol was an ambassador for the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism during her world tour, promoting sustainable tourism and presenting the institute's Declaration of Peace.
SKAL International, an association of tourism professionals, considered De Pecol a peace ambassador and helped her arrange meetings with dignitaries in over 50 countries.
Cassandra De Pecol was born on June 23, 1989. She gained international recognition for her global travels, setting two Guinness World Records in 2017. Between July 24, 2015, and February 2, 2017, De Pecol traveled to all 196 sovereign nations, achieving the “Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries” and “Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries—Female” records. This expedition, known as Expedition 196, was undertaken to promote peace through sustainable tourism.
During her journey, De Pecol served as an ambassador for the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism and SKAL International. She engaged with over 16,000 university students across 40 countries, discussing sustainable tourism and ways to offset carbon footprints. She also met with mayors and ministers of tourism, presenting the Institute’s “Declaration of Peace.” To fund her $111,000 trip, De Pecol secured various sponsors and exchanged promotional coverage for board at eco-hotels.
Preceding her record-breaking expedition, De Pecol had prior experience with budget travel, having spent two years traveling and working in hotels in Europe after leaving college. Her dedication to fitness was evident during her travels, as she maintained an intense training regimen wherever she went, preparing for Ironman competitions. She also learned Krav Maga for self-defense while traveling alone as a woman. In 2018, she published her memoir, “Expedition 196: A Personal Journal from the First Woman on Record to Travel Every Country.” She has also made appearances as a public speaker at events such as TEDxMile High and the World Domination Summit and appeared on the show “Naked and Afraid” in 2013.
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