C.Spring rest in Florida or Mexico. This American teenager had a taller ambition – to see the world alone before the age of 20.
And at the age of 19, he is currently holding 118 countries and is the youngest solo traveler to visit 100 countries.
Arjun Malaviya, an reckless adventurer, went on to visit his home in West Lake, California, two years ago, on the 17th anniversary of his birthday in West Lake, California. His budget was $ 22,500, which saved work as an administrative assistant and a tennis lesson to younger kids.
It was a journey that takes him from the Pacific Atels to Fus Rio de Janeiro. From boarding the European rail lines to the former Baghdad palace Saddam Hussein.
The teenager made a 13-month trip with the blessings of his parents and a self-confidence program that takes him from areas with good tourist infrastructure-Southeast Asia and Europe-and then to the challenging areas of South America and the Greater Middle East. But no housing has already been arranged.
In a picture chat with Independent“I was booking a residence the day before going to a new city or country,” Arjon recalled.
“Because of the risk of patients in dormitories full of many people from different places, I stayed in Airbnbs. But I call the host directly and tell them,” Hi, I’m a young solitary traveler. Can I pay you directly and you will delete Airbnb fees? “A lot of time, they give me 50 % discount.
Arjon revealed that he was sleeping on the floor of a hut in a new Papua Guinea fishing village that had booked on Facebook. He also woke up “with two crabs on the bed” in Tunga and called it “lovely experience, without any problems.”
When he could not reserve a place of residence, he improvised.
“I was sleeping at Australian airports for a few nights because the hotels were much higher than my budget,” he explained.
Arjon also remembered good times on the South Pacific Island, “because I could ride the scooter on the runway, which was crazy.”
In Papua New Guinea, he played with rural kids and in Palau in the west of the Pacific Ocean, there was an opportunity to liberate in stunning sea lives.
In Slovenia, he had fun near Lake Balad and also loved Cambodia. “I have great memories that I walk in the Angor Watt temple for hours,” Arjon explained.
“In addition, Bolivia was attractive because nature was not the second to anyone, and the salt apartments felt I was on another planet.”
The passenger also mentioned his “excellent food”, al -Salvador, Albania, Italy, Greece, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iraq and Syria.
Arjon described Iraq and Afghanistan, countries that are probably less on the tourist path, “positive positive experiences”. When he was pressured to name the “low -welcome” countries, he is not drawn. In response to diplomatic, he replied, “If it seemed to be no place to welcome it, it was because people didn’t know me.”
“There was no single country to feel that they were just staring at me, where I felt like a foreign person,” he said.
Arjon had a scary moment. He was arrested for two hours by airport security officials in Venezuela, who thought he “escapes from parental control”. He was forced to seek refuge in a Russian missile attack during a daily trip to Odsa, Ukraine.
In addition, there were despair and a few places that he found a boring.
“I was disappointed with some of the very touristy places because I didn’t see them interesting,” he explained.
“Singapore, Colombia, Thailand … When I went to the grocery store it was every American brand. I felt like I was in the United States.”
And Nauru’s remote island, which is eight square miles in the world after the Vatican and Monaco, was not very fun because “unfortunately, with respect to those living there, there was not much work to do.” Paraguay was also a favorite for the passenger.
Father of Arjon, Arpit, said Independent That he “knew how much travel could make a profit”. And Arjon reflected that Odyssey had changed his view of life.
“After visiting 118 countries, I realized that people were like different,” he said.
“They want food, water, education, work, a better life for their children. They want to discover their country or their country. They want to meet new people, have conversations, grow as a person. So it really changed my vision.”
The traveler also believes that his world roaming helped him “feel comfortable”, and improved his negotiation skills and situation awareness.
“Travel helps you live a healthier and more purposeful life,” he said. ”
