Thomas grew up behind the Iron Curtain, joined the military to travel, and now lives in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.   Thomas was raised in in East Germany in modest circumstances, with virtually no travel in his life.  He joined the military for 12 years which allowed him the opportunity to travel.  During that time he traveled to hotspots like Afghanistan and Kosovo.  After the military, he settled in Saudi Arabia with a career that allowed him to continue traveling.  Thomas keeps an aggressive travel schedule, adding in 20 new countries a year.  He also likes to incorporate athletics into his travel, participating in multiple triathlons. Check out why he is fond of Nepal, but not so much on Brazil.  And listen in where he will be celebrating his 40th birthday this summer.  .   Check out our partner and sponsor: Explore the unique stories from 20 more world-class travelers from various backgrounds and nations and from all walks of life who have tirelessly pursued visiting every country in the world and have filled their lives with a virtually endless amount of adventure. And take a look at .  They organize international rallies around the world including: Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines and the Amazon.     More about Thomas Brackmann: Born in: Potsdam, Germany Passports from: German Favorite travel film: Favorite travel site: Favorite food: Carbohydrate gel and Doener Kebab   Favorite drink: Water and Red Bull & vodka Favorite Airline: Favorite Hotel: Radisson Blu, Bahrain Facebook: Instagram: His Bar In Bucharest:         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 Century Club states that there are . The Most Traveled Person states that there are . The Best Traveled states that 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. Check out our partner and sponsor: Explore the unique stories from 20 more world-class travelers from various backgrounds and nations and from all walks of life who have tirelessly pursued visiting every country in the world and have filled their lives with a virtually endless amount of adventure. Disclaimer: I will earn a fee if you order from Amazon/Agoda.