Man becomes fastest to travel to every country, asks locals about their happiest memory
Almost every morning, for over a year, Michael Zervos (USA) would wake up in a new country, surrounded by unfamiliar sights and faces.
As part of his trip around the world, the 35-year-old was attempting to achieve the fastest time to visit all sovereign countries (overall) – a journey that required the American with dual Greek citizenship to travel to nearly 200 countries in under 543 days.
But Michael wasn’t going on just a sightseeing trip – he was completing a project he dreamt of during the pandemic, which would connect humans across cultures in a celebration of joy.
While on his journey, he asked locals from every country to talk to him about their happiest memory – whether that be cuddling with their cat, getting the keys to their new house, or seeing their mother after a long time – in a touching and inspiring series of videos that featured people of all ages, walks of life, and cultures, smiling and tearing up when recalling these treasured moments.
“It was my experiences with depression during the pandemic, and my recognition of the same feelings others were experiencing across the world, that inspired me to explore the subject of happiness from a global perspective,” said Michael.
“What if I devised a question that I would ask to everyone I met across the world: ‘What is the happiest moment of your life?’” he said. “What if I collected these stories and shared them with others around the world as I travelled?”
The result was Project Kosmos – a record-breaking adventure spanning the one year and 134 days Michael spent on the road, but also continuing into the future as he writes a book about his incredible experiences.
And by the time he landed back home in Detroit, Michigan, USA, the exhausted yet fulfilled world traveller took home two Guinness World Records titles for the fastest time to visit all sovereign countries (overall) and the fastest time to visit all sovereign countries (male) for his 498 days-long expedition.
Indonesia
It took Michael about a year and a half to plan his worldwide trek, some of which he kept secret from friends and family because he was nervous his idea wouldn’t actualize. But when he started to reach out to sponsors and past record holders, he was met with enthusiasm and encouragement, and soon enough his flights were booked and his mind was made up.
“It seemed daunting but with the right preparation – something I had ample experience as a film director in the movie industry – I thought the record could be broken by a significant margin,” he said. “Each piece gave me more confidence that it was possible.”
San Marino
He started his trip on 17 January 2024, flying into Paris as a connection on his way to Russia.
Everyday, he would make an entry in his logbook describing what he did, and on the plane ride at the start of his journey he wrote that he: “reminded myself that everything I had planned for an entire year was now in motion. Now it is just execution.”
Mauritania
After spending some time in Russia and Türkiye (where after a search for halloumi cheese, he wrote: “Istanbul never asks for your love. It just assumes it has it. And it’s usually right”), Michael began to prepare for his trip through Africa.
Zambia
He started in Chad on 23 January before trekking north to Libya and Egypt, making friends with locals and tourists alike, who introduced him to new foods, took him to ancient ruins, and melted his mind with lively and passionate conversations.
Along his journey throughout the continent, he kept remarking how incredible all the food was, saying that the markets were a “marathon of flavour” and that he was “grateful to have tasted the country through its people and its plates.” Countless times, he also said he was “greeted like an old friend” by strangers, who helped him with his transportation and accommodation as he made his way through the continent.
“Every interaction felt like a lesson in the rhythms of a culture I was only just beginning to understand,” he said on 12 May, while in South Sudan. But by the end of May, when he was leaving Africa for the Middle East, he knew the countries he’d visited would stay forever in his mind, writing: “The atmosphere was electric – equal parts joy and resilience.”
Senegal
Michael’s journey through the Middle East began on 24 May in Lebanon, where “ancient architecture clashed with modern life in a way only Beirut can manage.”
Afghanistan
He then started snaking his way through the region, where his new friends showed him their favourite spots with “pride and warmth.” On the way, he visited Jordan and Iraq, before making his way to Cyprus and Greece, the latter of which he spent some time in while visiting family and making a sort of pilgrimage back to where his grandfather was born.
Michael in Yemen
By early June, he’d reached Saudi Arabia, after which he travelled to Oman, Iran, and Syria, and the U.A.E. During his adventures, Michael came across some of the most “stunning religious sites” he’d ever seen, as well as cities that glowed in “shades of rust and gold.”
On 19 June, Michael made his way to China, where his trip “became truly incredible, from the hospitality to the openness to my lines of questions about nearly anything.”
He visited sights like the Great Wall, and had a great time trying a variety of home cooked dishes with some of his new friends.
The Great Wall of China
From there, he made his way to Mongolia and across “wild terrain that felt untouched and endlessly vast.”
His travels then took him eastwards, towards South Korea and Japan, where he fell into food coma after food coma because of the “unassuming roadside spot[s] where the flavours exploded.”
“It was a perfect mix of travel, history, and community,” Michael wrote on 5 July in Vietnam.
Late July was filled with stops in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar, which “lived up to its reputation for chaos and colour.”
Malaysia also was thrilling for Michael, who said the country “now ranks very high on culinary capitals throughout the world after this.”
Malaysia
The rest of Michael’s summer was dedicated to island-hopping (we’re jealous!) – as he stopped in countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands.
He was particularly taken by the kindness of people from the Marshall Islands, even remarking that he struck up a friendship with a woman who reminded him of his late grandmother. When she was suddenly checked into the hospital, he was devastated he wouldn’t get to say goodbye – but he was surprised when he felt a tap on his shoulder at the airport, and turned around to find her there, determined to give him her well-wishes before his departure!
Rainbow in Samoa
Notably, Michael was also very determined throughout his trip to engage with local activists from the countries he was visiting. Whether that entailed going to small villages in South Sudan to give out food, or connecting with women’s groups in Fiji, he always tried to give back to the communities that he was getting to know – and return some of the generosity that they had shown him.
August found Michael enjoying the hospitality of those from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and other countries across Oceania. He stopped by local dance shows, explored the rugged coastline, and tried local delicacies – even remarking in the Solomon Islands that “They were all quite amused that a foreigner would try such a thing but I wasn’t exactly a typical tourist.”
Sunset in Comoros, Africa
He also particularly enjoyed Hobbiton in New Zealand, the set built for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies.
“I was reminded of the first time I saw Lord of the Rings many years ago,” he wrote. “Having to pinch myself that I was at the place where it came to be.”
Hobbiton in New Zealand
He made his return to Asia after spending time in Australia, meeting up with friends in Singapore, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka, before getting a truly royal welcome in India when he attended the first night at a wedding!
In Mumbai, he got caught up in the celebrations of a Muslim holiday, and “the partygoers accepted me into their fold with great enthusiasm,” as they danced and sang around the streets of the city.
Bhutan
In early fall, Michael spent his time in Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh, which felt like a “completely different cultural energy.”
His travels also took him through Central Asia, which he described on 8 October in Tajikistan as “full of movement and contrasts – beauty, decay, kindness, and bureaucracy all intertwined,” and “one of the most surreal and thought-provoking legs of the trip.”
Mongolia
Eventually, he curled back down to the Middle East, in countries like Yemen and Kuwait, soaking in the heat and speaking with people in “mosques and malls”, which he said was “a vivid reminder of the region’s complexities and passions.”
And in November, he hit Eastern Europe, travelling through Serbia, Bulgaria, and Hungary, where people “generously offered their time and insights.”
The region is “full of stark contrasts: history, decadence, and music,” he wrote of Hungary on 29 November. “Budapest seems to know how to keep you thinking and feeling at once.”
By December, he was in Northern Europe, arriving in Sweden and Norway over the Christmas season and hitting all the holiday markets amidst the freezing weather.
“Snow gently dusted the statues, giving everything an ethereal, hushed feel,” he wrote. “It was one of the most memorable holidays I’ve had in my life, a reminder of how welcoming people can be even far from home. My host family was so gracious and kind yet it was they who thought that I made their Christmas special.”
Germany
By the end of February, Michael had crossed through Europe, and was on his way to North Korea – which “felt surreal, like slipping behind a curtain into another era.”
He visited schoolchildren, took a hike up a mountain, and saw where the Russian, North Korean, and Chinese borders met, surprised and delighted by the welcoming nature of the locals and the stark order in the city.
With friends in North Korea
From North Korea, Michael flew back to France for a few days before beginning his adventure on 9 March in South America. His first stop was Brazil, a place he described as full of “warmth, the hospitality, the pure joy.”
And with friends in South Korea
After Brazil, he travelled south, hitting Paraguay and Uruguay before arriving in Argentina, a country he’d always loved. He went to history museums and visited a tango show, saying Buenos Aires was “everything I’d hoped for – intense, rhythmic, and deeply Argentine.”
He had to battle some altitude sickness in Bolivia, but was captivated by all the colourful cities, distinct culture, Cholita wrestling shows, and rugged nature in the region.
Myanmar
By early April, Michael was in Colombia, where he was met with giant portion sizes that required him to “overdose on street coffee” just to stay alive and active.
In Venezuela, he was met by a friend who offered him “cigars, a shot of espresso, a hot dog local style, and a tasting of some Venezuelan rum” before joining some locals at a nightclub.
“If this is a sign of things to come,” said Michael, “I like it already.”
Michael in a village in Kenya
Soon enough, he’d crossed South America and began his trip through the Caribbean, the last leg of his adventure. He started in Trinidad before going through Suriname and Guyana, which was “chaotic but colourful.” In Grenada he witnessed “lush plantations, a cascading waterfall, and a small chocolate farm,” then began island-hopping again up towards Barbados where he befriended a local musician named Buggy who introduced him to the Fish Fest and overwhelmed him with nearly a dozen fried saltfish patties.
The further north he travelled, the more he recognized the culture because of his time in the American South, saying on 28 April that the Dominican Republic was full of “that familiar hum of the Caribbean pulsing around me – music spilling from cafés, voices rising in an easy welcoming song.”
Yet despite all the easy entertainment, it was clear Michael was reaching the end of his journey, saying that he was “finally feeling the past few weeks catch up with me.”
Nevertheless, he was “physically tired and emotionally uplifted,” still grateful for all the locals that opened their hearts, wallets, and arms to him throughout his travels.
With locals in South Sudan
On 24 May, Michael landed in Mexico – one of the last stops he would be making on his journey. He spent a few days there before taking a plane to Jamaica, before finally returning to North America by flying into Toronto, Canada.
“Tomorrow I’ll be finished,” he wrote in his logbook on 29 May, with an impossible swirl of thoughts in his head, ranging from exhaustion to gratitude.
The following morning, he spent a few hours reflecting on his adventures before packing up his bags and completing the trip of his experience – a quick flight from Toronto to Detroit, Michigan, USA.
“As I came through baggage claim, I was welcomed by my friends and family – a perfect ending to a long and remarkable journey,” he wrote on 30 May. “So ends this chapter, this story, this journey.”
Congratulations on your incredible trip, Michael – you’re Officially Amazing!