This May, CCCU’s Biomedical Engineering student Gevish Kheddo was named in the Guinness book of World Records for being the ‘youngest person to visit every country in Europe’.
Having started travelling at just 16, CommunityAd caught up with Gevish Kheddo, now 20, who reminisced on his incredible record…
You have the world record for being the youngest person to visit every country in Europe. How many countries is this and how long did it take?
I had to visit 50 countries and it was roughly over a 2-year period.
When did you realise you could turn your travelling into an official world record?
I realized that this record could be something special as what I was doing was quite unheard of and I started noticing this when I was the youngest person in every group no matter where, for every country I visited. I was always the “kid” and everyone else was older.
After visiting 10 countries, I figured this wasn’t just a coincidence. It was something rather unusual what I was doing because most people that travel solo are in their early 20s, not 16-17.
From the many countries you visited, which was your favourite and why?
My favourite country was definitely Belarus. Not because it’s hot and lovely but because it was just so different and interesting from any other countries in Europe.
It was like walking back in time to the Soviet Era. It truly kept me interested in every detail, especially around Minsk, the capital city. From beautiful mosaics to their weirdly shaped national library.
What countries would you say surprised you and were brilliant to visit despite maybe not being a high tourist area?
Well, I’d say it’s Moldova and a fun fact; Moldova is actually one of the least, if not the least, visited country in Europe. I just had such a good time with the people there and when I went the goal was not to get drunk for the whole trip but I ended up getting drunk the very first day at the barber shop as the tradition there was every new customer has to take a shot of whiskey! Which in Moldova is ¾ of a glass!
The Moldovans are remarkably brilliant hosts!
In terms of your travelling, are there any other records you would like to set or further places you would like to visit?
With COVID, my travel ambitions have truly changed but despite everything I’m still traveling. As of July 2021, I am on a backpacking trip across Africa from Cairo to hopefully Cape Town and further if everything goes well.
The end goal is to travel to every country but I’m not sure how possible this is with COVID.
Away from travelling, what are your future goals through university and the career path you want to take?
My short-term goal is to finish my biomedical engineering degree and my long term is to one day set up my own foundation helping improve the health infrastructure around East Africa, and, if successful all over the continent and beyond. I believe every person should have access to basic healthcare despite their wealth.
What do you enjoy most about living in Canterbury?
Canterbury is such lovely place. Compared to many English towns that I have visited, Canterbury certainly stands out; I’m happy that I got a university in such a nice area.
The peacefulness and easy-going environment are what sells it for me. It’s perfect because a lot of time when traveling abroad or spending time in London is just too chaotic. Hence, it’s nice to have somewhere chill, safe and quiet to come back to.