Jenna Pava has been to 181 countries   Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. I had the pleasure of meeting Jenna Pava at the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Bangkok, only to discover that we were also  (distant) neighbors in the city. This conversation offered another fantastic opportunity to dive into the story of a truly compelling traveler in our community. Jenna’s early life was marked by a tug-of-war between her birthplace in Russia and her new home in the United States, shaping a deep sense of resilience from a young age. Remarkably, her travel journey took two major turns for the better—both triggered by moments of disappointment when friends let her down. In this episode, we explore the transformative power of those experiences and much more as Jenna makes her way toward visiting all 193 countries.     I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons.  You know them, you love them!  Bisa “fully nomadic” Myles, Ted Nims, Adam “one-away” Hickman, Steph “Phuket” Rowe, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ed Hotchkiss, Barry Hoffner, Katelyn Jarvis, Philippe “BC” Izedian, Gin Liutkeviciute, Sunir Joshi, Carole Southam, Sonia Zimmermann, Justine, Per Flisberg, Jorge Serpa, Phil “Marmaduke” Marcus, Sam Williams,  Scott Day, and Dana Mahoutchian for supporting this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going to .  My patrons will hear extra content with Jenna that you will not hear and you can be part of our members only FB group.     Also, please remember if you are interested in traveling to Papua New Guinea to partake in your own private Sing Sing to meet scores of tribes in an intimate setting, check out our friends Tribes of Papua New Guinea.  Reach out to me to learn more about this experience and how to get a 10% discount or look here .  And, we also have partnered with Ahmed and Aknaf in Iraq who offers monthly fixed date trips from Baghdad to the marshes.     Remember to keep up to date with the Extraordinary Travel Festival by joining our Instagram and Facebook groups and signing up for the on our  ETF will be sometime, somewhere in 2026 around October/November, destination unknown.     Jenna and I were in Krung Thep for this recording. Please listen in and enjoy.    Thank you to my - you rock!! … Bisa Myles, Ted Nims, Adam Hickman, Steph Rowe, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ed Hotchkiss, Barry Hoffner, Katelyn Jarvis, Philippe Izedian, Gin Liutkeviciute, Sunir Joshi, Carole Southam, Sonia Zimmermann, Justine, Per Flisberg, Jorge Serpa, Phil Marcus, Sam Williams, Scott Day, and Dana Mahoutchian.        And now you can listen to ! And Alexa!   And write a review! More About Jenna Pava Counting Countries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voyajen/ About Counting Countries Counting Countries is the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who’ve spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to every country in the world. Less people have traveled to every country in the world than have been to outer space. Theme music for this podcast is Demeter’s Dance, written, performed, and provided by .  About GlobalGaz Ric Gazarian is the host of Counting Countries. He is the author of three books: , , and .  He is the producer of two travel documentaries: and .   Ric is also on his own quest to visit every country in the world. You can see where he has and keep up with his journey at How Many Countries Are There? Well… that depends on who you ask!  The United Nations states that there are . The British Foreign and Commonwealth office states that there are . The Traveler’s Century Club states that there are . The Nomad Mania The Most Traveled Person states that there are 1500 . SISO says there are .     Me? My goal is the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, but I am sure I will visit some other places along the way. Disclaimer: There are affiliates in this post. Jenna Pava Counting Countries