We will start today's first day of spring - or is it autumn - newsletter with some much-needed good news. Our member and friend Peder Zetterberg from Sweden has just visited Saudi Arabia, his last UN country, and therefore becomes a fully-fledged UN Master, following his wife Britt-Marie Boudrie, who became the first Swedish woman to complete the feat in 2019. Britt-Marie and Peder join another five travel couples that we know of who have visited every country - but they are the only travel couple to be verified by NomadMania!
Additionally, thanks to some good research by Bart van Eijden, we have discovered two more travellers from The Netherlands who have visited every UN country in the past that we did not know of. All this brings our total number of people listed on our UN Masters List to 307 - this includes more than 35 who are 'very close' to the task and other categories as well, but it does point to the growing community of people who have or will soon achieve this.
If we sort the UN Masters List by year of completion, we see that 7 travellers that we know of achieved the feat in 2021 while Peder becomes the first one we know did so in 2022. Congratulations to all! And do remember, we rely on you for up-to-date information to make our UN Masters List even more complete and anybody who has reached 186 UN countries (out of 193) is eligible to be put on our UN Masters List in the 'close to the goal' category, so please do write to us!
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Apart from our traditional interview and our newer rubrics on a 'Star of a Community' and a presentation of a M@P list (Many Quirky Places) region, in this issue we have the pleasure of introducing a cool new feature available on our app as well as formally inviting all of you to the Extraordinary Travel Festival (ETF) in Yerevan, Armenia in mid-October. Read on!
We are also very happy to confirm that Geri Winkler - who compiled our latest Series on Mountains, now available for you! - and Sylvia Alfery invite you to this year's ViennaMania which will be held ... in Vienna on September 17, 2022. This time, a programme around the event will be arranged for the entire weekend i.e. from the 16-18 September. So, if you want to join our Austrian friends, please write to Sylvia at Sylvia.alfery@gmx.at. See you in Vienna!
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We also have an announcement from Kausar Hussein - a known fixer for trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan - who wrote to us that he is able to secure a visa and plan trips to now Taliban-led Afghanistan. While we caution anybody who may think of going to use common sense, and we are in no way responsible for what happens if you choose to travel there, we told Kausar that we would be happy to announce his service, given that he claims he is the only one able to get people into the country on a tourist visa at the moment. His email address is: k.hussainjournalist@gmail.com and he is also available on Facebook. He did show us a recently issued visa from the Afghan consulate in Dubai!
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Finally, we would like to draw attention to a renewal of both our Terms and Conditions and our GDPR sections. Please read and familiarise yourselves with these; since we do not process sensitive data on a large scale nor are we in charge of controlling the accuracy of our data unless people volunteer to be verified or authenticated, we are in fact not obliged to have a dedicated GDPR officer but our manager will usually take any enquiries relating to this or, if unavailable, another member of our team; we do endeavour to adhere to all EU regulations as an EU-based non-profit organisation and we never share any information with third parties outside of our team, which is anyway only done when needed in order to offer a better (free as always) service to our community. Note that we will not answer nor tolerate any abusive messages at any time and any enquiry relating to us needs to adhere to our Code of Conduct at all times.
We do urge you to review our Partners section so that you are aware of who forms part of our team. We are happy to announce that our Ukrainian scholarship recipient Serhii Rykhtik, who is now in Lviv, Ukraine, has just joined the NomadMania team as an associate; you might receive an email from him and if you do, please show him some appreciation, given that his studies in architecture have been disrupted and that he, like all his fellow country people, are experiencing unimaginably hard times.
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New on NomadMania - Create your own regions! |
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The look of our new feature on iOS |
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We have launched the latest update of our NomadMania app which includes one of the coolest features - you can define your own region as you wish. Essentially, choose the new icon which is located under the 'search' icon and you can take your starting point and select a radius, 'creating' your custom-made region which then will give you all the NomadMania regions and Series items that are inside your chosen radius. You can choose a radius of 5, 20, 50 or 100 kilometres depending on whether you plan a walk or perhaps a day or two in the defined area.
We believe this feature is especially useful relating to how far you want to go and what you want to see, and by 'defining' your own radius you don't need to shift from one NomadMania region to another on the screen in order to see the Series items - the 'new' region you create shows this automatically for you!
We would love to get feedback from you about using this functionality and suggestions on how we could improve it even more so that it serves you perfectly. Please note that for obvious reasons perhaps, this is only available on the app, where we believe it is most useful.
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A list of NomadMania regions and Series custom tailored for you |
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Situation in Ukraine from a local perspective by NomadMania member Orest Zub |
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Did you watch our live chat last Thursday?
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One of our active members and friends Orest Zub is currently in Lviv, Ukraine.
In fact, he intentionally flew back home to Ukraine directly from Baku, knowing that the situation is heating up, only few days before it all started.
As Orest's daily life was abruptly switched from being a traveller to not being allowed to leave his own country (remember, he came back fully aware of this risk), he took upon himself a mission to document everything locally on a daily basis.
We thought that it would be valuable for our community to organise a talk with Orest where he can share some insider information with us.
You can follow him on:
The chat last Thursday will be permanently indexed in our YouTube channel.
We also invite you kindly once again to show him and his team some support in what they are doing right now:
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A star of our Community |
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Our NomadMania awards ceremony held on November 28, 2021 left no doubt that our community is full of many truly interesting people. The first award presented that evening was in the category of Biggest NomadMania Friend - Individual, and this was given to none other than our friend Mehraj Mahmudov from Baku. Mehraj is on the way to 193, with only 4 UN countries left to complete the feat. Given an incredible travel year with expeditions to Chad, DR Congo, West Africa, Queen Maud Land and beyond, who knows - maybe he will be a nominee for some other award category next?! We look forward to welcoming him as a fully-fledged UN Master very soon!
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Extraordinary Travel Festival
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NomadMania announces the Extraordinary Travel Festival which will be a truly international travel event held in Yerevan, Armenia on October 14-16, 2022. We strongly suggest you join an event where a number of 'stars' in the travel community will be speakers and where after such a long period of difficult travel, it will be a pleasure to meet an international group and discuss many angles of travel.
When buying tickets, you can use the code NM which will give you a discount of $50 and you will also donate $25 of this to NomadMania. So, with the code, you will pay $349 and $25 of that money goes to our cause - which is at this moment fully concentrated on helping our existing and funding future travel scholarship recipients from Ukraine.
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As part of the Extraordinary Travel Festival, you can also participate in a pre-festival trip with our founder, Harry Mitsidis.
This trip will last for 6 nights/6 days and will take place before the Festival itself from October 7th to October 13th 2022. You can read more on the link here which also gives you pricing info. The idea is to have a trip out of the ordinary - while some of the more classic sights of Armenia, such as the Tatev monastery, are included, an effort has been made to have more unusual experiences - visiting a cognac factory or meeting teenagers at the Aero Engineering club in Gyumri are things that you wouldn't usually be able to do. And perhaps the highlight - the Orgov Radio Optical Telescope!
There are limited places on this trip as the aim is to have a small cosy group. So write now to info@extraordinarytravelfestival.com for more info and to book. Participation will be subject to having a fully completed NomadMania profile as well as fit with the overall group, and as we already mentioned, capacity limits. Don't miss the rare chance to travel with our founder who is generally known as a 'lone wolf' in terms of his travels.
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M@P regions that you may not know |
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Pustec and Devoll municipalities form the extreme east of Albania - almost like a bulge further east of Lake Ohrid, where Albania meets Greece and North Macedonia. There are no large towns here but rather a pleasantly rural landscape and also some ethnic interest; Pustec municipality in particular is the home of the Slavic - North Macedonian - minority within Albania so you will find street names in two languages, which means seeing Cyrillic in Albania! Certainly not the most central area for travellers, but this is exactly what the M@P (Many Quirky Places) list is all about - going way, way, off the beaten track!
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The Interview - Mark Vella Gera |
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Mark Vella Gera is one of our rare travellers and members from Malta. His love for travel brought him to explore the "Old continent" most of all, but he is curious to see what lies beyond. Travel brings him an escape from, as he says, the sometimes more limited perspectives of a somewhat secluded island nation...
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Mark, tell us a little about your background and how your interest in travel developed.
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My name is Mark. I used to work in travel and tourism until July 2020 when I was made redundant because of Covid. I had to find a new job and managed to find work in a notary firm working as a notary assistant. There's nothing exciting about this job but at least it pays the bills. However, I was always fascinated with travel and have travelled pretty frequently over the years. Besides travel, I also love reading and running and I also have my own travel blog Travelling is my Passion.
I still remember my first holiday abroad at the tender age of 7, when, together with my parents and brother, I flew to Catania in nearby Sicily. I can still recall my awe at looking down some of the main craters of that most majestic of volcanoes, Mt Etna. Unfortunately, I also recollect the many hours we trudged around markets and shops! Ironically, I actually enjoy shopping around and visiting markets today!
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You're from Malta. Are you typically Maltese (and what does that mean)?
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I'm Maltese and was born here so I have a Maltese passport although I feel more European than Maltese to be honest. For me, being Maltese means living in a straitjacket unfortunately as I live on a small island and everyone knows everyone else and most people have an island or narrow-minded mentality, which I hate as I am very liberal and open minded.
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And what are some of your gems of Malta that travellers may not necessarily know about.
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I would recommend a visit to some typical Maltese village and just wander around the old centre of the village so as to get a good feel of typical Maltese life and architecture.
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You've been to almost every country in Europe, but not so far beyond it. Why is that?
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Throughout the years, Iāve been to many countries and to even more cities. Most of them are in Europe although my vision is to go beyond that in the future.
The reason why I've not ventured far beyond Europe is that it is expensive doing so, so I have limited myself to visiting countries that are relatively close to Malta.
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So, of the countries you have visited, which one was the biggest surprise and why?
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Probably this was Morocco, which I have visited twice in 2021. I was surprised because of how friendly the people are and how rich the culture is. The country also offers such a variety of landscapes from green rolling hills like in Ireland to the vast deserts of the Sahara. And of course, Morocco is where I found my current boyfriend!
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Can you recount some travel experiences that really made a difference to you?
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I think that all travel experiences have made a difference in my life, in some way or another. Travel encourages empathy in two significant ways.
First, it brings you into contact with people from a multitude of backgrounds. Secondly, the more you explore new places, it is also more likely you will meet personal challenges you are unfamiliar with.
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You are active on social media and have your own blog - what are your aims with this and do you feel that social media portrayals of travels are authentic?
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Iām not a writer, so why blog? Itās a commitment to myself that holds me accountable. Itās the home for my adventure stories. The ups, the downs and everything in between. Iāll share photos and stories from the places I visit and the cultures I explore. It's where I post tips & tricks to help you travel better and/or cheaper and with luck inspire you to break out your passport and travel more often.
I consider social media portrayals of travel as authentic even though quite often I post photos that seem to make things appear to be better than they really are. After all, the main aim is to increase my reach on social media as they're no point in posting if no one gets to see them!
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Ouzoud Waterfall, Morocco |
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You mention you travel solo... what are the pros and cons of this according to you?
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My own introduction to solo travelling was when I was still 19 years old. I was fascinated by the weather (and still am) and wanted to attend a week-long Understanding Weather course in the UK. This was in 1989, years before the advent of internet and mobile phones so all planning was done through good old-fashioned letters and perhaps the odd phone call or two!
This was a tremendous learning experience that gave me self-confidence and maturity that no lessons at school could ever have taught me! And the sense of achievement I felt when I returned to my home country Malta made me so proud of myself!
Travelling solo is not necessarily a safety risk but you need to have your wits about you. If something does go wrong, thereās no travel buddy to get you out of a jam, and nobody to do the talking for you if you canāt. Travelling alone means you are responsible for everything you do and budget is one of them. Typically, if youāre travelling with someone you share the costs, but as a solo traveller, the budget depends entirely on you.
Another con is that when you travel solo, you donāt get to share the experience. There are plenty of times when youāre out and about in the world and you just want to enthuse lavishly over something. You canāt just grab a stranger and rave when youāve had a life-changing chocolate event. You donāt have somebody to turn to and discuss how incredible it looks and how amazing it feels to be living your travel dream. Instead, you snap a few photos, you sit and look at it in awe and silence, and then you leave.
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Which places are still high on your bucket list and why?
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I still want to visit the last few European countries I have on my bucket list but this is going to take much longer than anticipated due to Covid. However, I am a determined person and I will get there eventually.
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And what are your travel plans for 2022?
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Over the past two years, many of us have planned trips that looked like a sure thing, only to have them disrupted by another surge or a dangerous variant so it's extremely difficult to plan for 2022.
I normally would have my year planned out in advance but this is not possible due to the current global situation so I'll have to take it as it comes unfortunately.
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Jardins de la Petite Afrique, Monaco |
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What do you particularly like about NomadMania?
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I like the fact that countries are split up into regions and also the fact that the most popular places of interest are included. This helps people who have not yet visited those countries plan their trips.
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Finally, our signature question - if you could invite any 4 people to a dinner, from any period in history, who would you invite and why?
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I would invite Alexander the Great because he was the first great conqueror in history. He conquered half of the known world despite his young death and he also had a great influence on Julius Caesar and Napoleon.
I would also invite Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant believed to have journeyed across Asia at the height of the Mongol Empire. He first set out at age 17 with his father and uncle, traveling overland along what later became known as the Silk Road. He is also known for the book The Travels of Marco Polo, which describes his voyage to and experiences in Asia.
The third person I would invite would be Christopher Columbus. He was an Italian explorer and navigator. In 1492, he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain in the Santa Maria, with the Pinta and the NiƱa ships alongside, hoping to find a new route to India but instead discovered America.
Finally, I would invite James Cook, a naval captain, navigator and explorer who, in 1770, charted New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia on his ship HMB Endeavour. He later disproved the existence of Terra Australis, a fabled southern continent. Cook's voyages helped guide generations of explorers and provided the first accurate map of the Pacific. .
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Did you like reading this? |
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We thank Mark for sharing his personal photos with us here at NomadMania.
We only send two emails a month - March 2022 was an exception due to exceptional events! - and every time we share new features and NomadMania plans for future. Be the first to find out what's happening next.
Our next 'shorter' issue will be out on April 5th with another traveller interview from a Low Passport Index country!
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