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See the whole world

I love to travel and would like to "see the whole world". The parade of nations during the opening ceremony of the Olympics showcases the large number of countries and their diverse history and culture. I am reminded each time that I have not visited most of these nations. My current tally is 31 out of a total of 195 countries in the world.  An average of one new country every 2 years of my life so far. I am not going to see the whole world at this rate :-)

What is a good goal to achieve in the future? Seeing all of them does not seem feasible or even enjoyable. Should I visit at least 2 new countries each year? Visit at least 3 countries in each continent? Is this even the right metric to assess my travel experience?  Increasing the count of countries visited is not a primary goal for right now, it is a likely side effect of my travels. My decision about the next travel destination is currently based on the experiences it offers -  natural beauty, treks, architectural marvels, history and culture.  If it happens to be a new country, great!

 


 
 
I have lived 20+ years each in two countries - India and USA. I have traveled extensively in both, but there are still many states that I have not visited. The maps below mark the states I have been to so far. I don't think I will ever reach a point where I can say that I have seen it all in India and US.  There are still so many beautiful places to explore and things to do. 
 
Update: As a result of my road trip across all lower 48 states in the US in  Sept/Oct 2022, I have now visited all 50 states and the whole map is now "blue".
 

States visited as of August 2022:



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