Axel Wacht

Axel Wacht - Germany

He visited all the 193 independent countries of the UN and all 7 continents, 299/330 countries and territories on the Travelers' Century Club list, 1256/1500 countries and territories on the MTP list, 1205/1301 regions on the NomadMania list and 863/1223 UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After WWII my father was deported to Russia and so I got my first long railway trip. Coming back 7 years old, I enjoyed even more the one week on the train, sometimes waiting on freight yards with endless freight trains, pulled by pounding steam engines. Additionally from my mother I inherited the love of travelling. During school and as a student I saw many European countries by hitch hiking. In those days it was very easy and sometimes even recommended by teachers. During my professional life I found a job as a consultant, being sent to countries like Argentina and South Africa. It was even possible to combine family life with travelling. Weekends and holidays could be used to see different countries on a very detailed basis. With 60 I retired and now I the opportunity to travel more than ever before. Until a couple of years ago, I never thought of beating a record with my destinations and aiming to tick off as many countries as possible. Nonetheless I always try to prepare myself for a new destination and learn as much as possible from the trip than just to mark off another item.