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Have you ever travelled to another country? 🌎
When Rio Matsuoka from California, United States, turned 18, he knew he wanted to travel the world more than anything.
So he decided to embark on a fantastic journey around Europe – and break a world record in the process!
Now, he is the world’s youngest person to visit every country in Europe at the age of 18 years and 101 days. 🤯
“It was a real coincidence that I decided to attempt this world record,” Rio explains. “I was telling my family that I would like to travel to Europe after I graduated high school and […] I remembered that someone had beaten the world record for youngest person to visit every country in the world.
"I realized I could do something similar with Europe!”
And that’s exactly what he did. 💪
Rio loves having new experiences, meeting new people and experiencing the unique culture of each country.
He travelled alone during the entire trip, which he planned all by himself - but he did make lots of friends along the way!
“I made so many amazing lifelong friends that I hope to see again someday.” ❤️
In fact, he even made a dog friend when visiting Moldova!
“I think my favourite experience throughout this whole trip has been hiking around the cliff monasteries in northern Moldova with a dog. […] When I was up there, one of the dogs from the village I was staying at decided to tag along with me on my hike.
"We ended up hiking around and exploring the caves for 4 hours together. It was such an amazing time, I almost wish it never ended!”
So, you are probably wondering… what was Rio’s favourite country of all?
The answer will surprise you.
“If I had to choose one it would be Sark. […] Sark is a tiny island between England and France in a group of islands called the Channel Islands. The population […] is about 300 people.
"There are no cars allowed so people get around the island by tractor or bike. The nature is beautiful and the island is famous for its night sky.
"The people are very friendly and it really feels like one big welcoming community. It was such a relaxing and unique experience!”
🔎Have you ever heard of Sark?
It is a tiny independent island that is part of the Channel Islands, and has its own set of laws.
Lastly, we asked Rio what he learned from this experience and what advice he would give to all the young people who share his love for travelling.
“I learned a lot about myself and what I enjoy doing as well as became more aware of the real world. […] Immerse yourself into different cultures and try to understand the experiences and lives of people in different parts of the world!”
Today, Rio is in Ukraine working as a volunteer and, in the near future, he will be saving money to… break more records!
Welcome to the Guinness World Records family, Rio. 🥳