#RealTravel: He's the Youngest American to Visit Every Country in the World*

*Every country that’s in the U.N., that is. But he’s about to get the rest of them too.

lee-abbamonte-greenland
lee-abbamonte-greenland

(Photo: Lee Abbamonte)

We know that real-life travel isn’t what you read about in glossy magazines or see on the Travel Channel.

We want to hear what traveling is like for you — our readers.

How does travel change your life? In this Yahoo Travel series, we get the low-down on the transformative power of travel, along with all your tips and strategies. If you have a story that you think Yahoo Travel should spotlight, tweet us using the hashtag #RealTravel or email traveleditors@yahoo.com

lee-abbamonte-falkland-islands
lee-abbamonte-falkland-islands

When taking selfies on the Falkland Islands, getting photobombed by penguins is a risk you’re going to have to take. (Photo: Lee Abbamonte)

Who: Lee Abbamonte (36)

You’re described on your website as “the youngest American to visit every country in the world.” Who determines that?

There are sites that keep track: Mostraveledpeople.com and travelerscenturyclub.org. I’ve been to all 193 member states of the United Nations.

You mention U.N. member states, but there are many more countries. And you’re going for the grand total. How close are you?

The Travelers’ Century Club lists 324 countries, including territories and unique destinations. I’ll be at 321 by the end of the year.

Describe your pre-travel career?

I worked on Wall Street for 8 years or so. I worked in corporate finance and wealth management.

WATCH Lee on “Mansome” explaining how to save money on vacation

Was being a world traveler a goal or did it just happen?

As the story goes, it was never a goal until it became a goal! I never intended to visit every country. I never traveled as a kid; my family didn’t have that kind of money. But I was fortunate to make money at a young age and I decided I wanted to travel. I’d take trips. Then I’d take longer trips, going to regions for fun. Then in 2006, someone emailed me about trying to go to all the countries in the world. At the time, I’d already been to 125 countries, so I said screw it; I’m gonna go for it!

Why did you decide to leave Wall Street and start being a professional world traveler?

There were several reasons. I really liked to travel and like to be on my own schedule and terms, I hate other people telling me what to do, I didn’t love what I was doing and I hated the last company I worked for. So I quit. I thought I could do something with my website and travel.

lee-abbamonte-maldives
lee-abbamonte-maldives

Lee makes a living being a world traveler — a job that’s taken him to places like this resort in the Maldives. (Photo: Lee Abbamonte)

How do your travels enable you to earn a living?

It was all by accident, but a well thought-out accident. I got a lot of press. People asked me to do TV. Then companies started asking me to work with them. I get approached by clothing companies, soft drinks, airlines, hotels, destinations, credit companies.

Related: #AdventureTravel: A Man and His Motorcycle Ride Around the World

What do you like most about being a professional world traveler?

I love experiencing things first-hand — meeting people, interacting, seeing things for myself and forming my own opinion. Not just places like France or Italy or the beautiful places. But going to places no one wants to go — which Somalia, Iraq and Iran.

lee-abbamonte-afghanistan
lee-abbamonte-afghanistan

If you’re going to travel to every country in the world, some are going to be safer than others. Here’s Lee in Kabul. (Photo: Lee Abbamonte)

Yeah, you had to go to some dangerous places as part of your goal.

Not many honeymoons going on in Somalia. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t super-excited to go to Iran, Libya, Iraq or Afghanistan. I took precautions. It ended up being eye-opening You learn first-hand people are like you. Even if their country is run by a dictator, they basically like the same things you do: friends, family, sports, beer, gossip, etc. Cultures and appearances may be different but their core, most people are the same.

Related: Hitchhike Around the World on This Photographer’s Tumblr

What else have your travels taught you?

That I am extremely lucky to be born in the United States. We have it so good that we don’t even realize it. I’ve seen the worst of the worst. I’ve seen the worst poverty in Bangladesh, India and Africa. People living in utter squalor. We don’t realize how lucky we are. So when I hear people whining about different things, I’m like, “Dude, go on trip to Soweto or see a hospital in Kenya. Or go to Darfur. That really puts things into perspective.”

lee-abbamonte-new-zealand
lee-abbamonte-new-zealand

Lee poses with kids in the New Zealand territory of Tokelau (Photo: Lee Abbamonte)

What’s helped you in your travels?

Patience. I have a ton on the road as you must in order to keep your sanity. If you know me, I’m such a Wall Street Type: “Now, now, now.” But when you travel you have no option but to be patient, especially in developing countries. Anything that can go wrong does: the cars fall apart, cell phone doesn’t work country, being shaken down by cops at border stations. You have to rely on others and have an immense amount of patience.

What do you miss about your old life?

I miss bonus day!

lee-abbamonte-rome
lee-abbamonte-rome

It almost goes without saying that one can learn a lot by traveling the world. (Photo: Lee Abbamonte)

What do you like most about your new life?

I like that I am in a position to share my travels with friends and family and I love that I influence others in a positive way. It makes me so happy to get those emails from people telling me how I inspire them. That never happened on Wall Street!

Any advice to anyone contemplating leaving the rat race and traveling full-time like you did?

Be smart about it, but don’t be afraid to take a chance. Make sure you really try to make it work; don’t just quit your job and then get lazy, as I’ve seen a lot of people do. Prioritize what you want to do with your life, what you want to accomplish, see and do. You only live once so live your life how you want. Even if it doesn’t work out, you tried and you can always feel good about that.

You can follow Lee at @LeeAbbamonte

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