Lessons from Lexie Alford: the youngest woman to travel the world

Lexie Alford is currently on the way to receiving the Guinness world record for being the youngest person to travel every country at the age of 21, having stepped foot in North Korea in May. It’s an undeniably impressive feat, but the story has been met with quite some backlash.

Maybe it’s just because I’m jealous of the fact that Alford has been travelling the far corners of the earth, but I can’t help but take some issue with her ‘achievement’.

The reason for which most people have criticised Alford is that she can’t possibly have explored all countries to their full depth. In an interview with Forbes, she admits that there were some countries in which she spent only two or three days. The real farce is that she actually hasn’t visited North-Korea at all – the US travel ban makes it impossible. However, a loophole means that visiting the North Korean side of the conference rooms in the legendary “blue house” in the Joint Security Area on the DMZ qualifies.

Alford has let the promise of a Guinness world record become more important than the travel itself

My issue with this story isn’t that she hasn’t fully completed the list or somehow doesn’t deserve the record, but that it seems as though Alford has let the promise of a Guinness world record become more important than the travel itself. Travel should not be about ticking off boxes for the sake of it, nor be made into a competition. It’s about the opportunity to explore new and different cultures, and admire the incredible sights that the world has to offer. Alford herself says: “I still feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of how much there is to see.”

But the bigger issue is in Alford’s claiming to be an inspiration. Speaking to Forbes, she says: “I always knew I wanted to take time off to travel so I’ve been working every job I could find and saving since I was 12-years-old.” It sounds admirable, and to be fair, she deserves credit for prioritising her passions and doing what’s necessary to make them a reality.

She goes on to say: “My advice for young people who want to do this: Believe that you can do anything you set your mind to. If you prioritise travel over all aspects of your life, it’s only a matter of time until you can make it a reality.”

No doubt achieving this record wouldn’t have been possible if she didn’t have parents that could afford to take her on incredible holidays all around the world

It all sounds very inspiring, but her statement glosses over how much of a factor her born privilege has been. Growing up in a family that owned a travel agency, “[her] parents would take [her] out of school and place [her] on independent study for weeks and months at a time every year.” No doubt achieving this record wouldn’t have been possible if she didn’t have parents that could afford to take her on incredible holidays all around the world.

Clearly, a major part of the reason why Alford has been able to travel so much is because she has always had the money to do so. I don’t take any issue with that in itself. Like Alford, I’ve also been lucky enough to be born into a family that prioritises travel as a great form of education, and I’ve been on some incredible trips (thanks mum and dad).

The inherent problem I find in this is that Alford now stands to make more money by preaching this ‘inspirational’ message. She says: “I’m currently writing a book about my experiences in every country and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. I’m also going to start public speaking — my first TEDx talk is on June 15th.”

I can’t help but think that I would feel a bit of a hole if I were in her shoes; after all you’ll never get the excitement again of knowing you’re going to explore somewhere totally new, because there’s nothing left

Maybe I’m just being cynical, and the lessons she teaches are actually going to be optimistic messages about the world. But it’s easy to give advice on how to achieve your dreams that says ‘you just have to go out and do it’, when you have the money and privilege to do so. I don’t see how that’s inspirational or helpful to the people that aren’t lucky enough to have the same level of financial means.

Despite all this, the biggest question I actually have about Alford’s journeys is, what now? She says she plans to go back to some of those countries to explore them properly, but personally, I can’t help but think that I would feel a bit of a hole if I were in her shoes; after all you’ll never get the excitement again of knowing you’re going to explore somewhere totally new, because there’s nothing left.

In today’s social-media centred world, it feels like I spend all my time looking at influencer’s travel pictures and wishing I were in their positions. But I think Alford’s story has made me appreciate the value of taking the time to space out your travel. Everyone likes to travel differently, but I’m immensely excited knowing that I have the rest of my life ahead of me to take time to go out and explore new countries and cultures.