Cassandra De Pecol

Cassandra De Pecol (born June 23, 1989) is an American author, traveler, activist, and speaker.^[1][2] In 2017, she had set Guinness World Records in two categories: "Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries" and "Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries - Female".^[3] Both records have since been broken.^[4] She also appears on the reality television series Naked and Afraid.

Cassandra De Pecol
Born	(1989-06-23) June 23, 1989 (age 33) Connecticut, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation(s)	Author, activist, traveler, speaker, social media influencer
Years active	2014 - Present
Website	cassiedepecol.com

World travels

From July 24, 2015 to February 2, 2017, De Pecol traveled to every sovereign nation in the world.^[5][6] In 2017, De Pecol had two Guinness World Records: "Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries" and "Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries - Female".^[7][8][9] Both records have since been beat by Taylor Demonbreun.^[4][10][11]

While traveling, she spoke to over 16,000 university students in 40 countries, and acted as a 'peace ambassador' for the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism.^[12] Though she planted trees to help offset her carbon footprint, she was criticized for taking a large number of flights, as well as for spending only a little time in each country.^[5][12] The trip around the world cost about US$111,000 and was funded by sponsors that De Pecol obtained throughout the Expedition.^[13][14] De Pecol filmed her travels in order to create a documentary.^[15]

Lawsuit

DePecol has been sued by Travelers United, which states that she has made “unfair and deceptive” claims related to advertising.^[16][17] Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz wrote that Travelers United "hopes that the lawsuit will be a watershed moment in the industry, bringing more accountability to claims made by travel content creators. "We hope that other nonprofits will be emboldened to bring similar lawsuits," said Lauren Wolfe, counsel for Travelers United."^[18] Travelers United said that De Pecol had incorrectly said she was the "first woman to travel to every country" and that she had said she would be the "first sponsored astronaut" by Virgin Galactic. Virgin Galactic would not confirm they had any relationship with De Pecol.^{[19] [20]}

Other appearances

On December 8, 2013, DePecol appeared on the show Naked and Afraid in a special called "Double Jeopardy".^[21][22] She received the lowest score of any contestant in the first season who completed the 21 day challenge.^[22]

See also

Dorothy Pine, an American woman who was likely the first woman in the world to travel to every country

References

1. "Peace through sustainable tourism is possible: World Traveler Cassandra De Pecol, tells the Oslo Times". The Oslo Times. November 12, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
2. "This woman visited every country on Earth". CNN Travel. 2017-02-10. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
3. "Monday Motivation: Around the world in 558 days". Guinness World Records. 2017-03-31. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
4. "From Iran to Iceland: One woman's adventure to visit every country in the world in 18 months". Guinness World Records. 2019-06-10. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
5. Rizzo, Cailey (February 13, 2017). "27-year-old Becomes First Woman to Visit Every Country in the World". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
6. Lippe-McGraw, Jordi (February 20, 2017). "How this woman funded her record-breaking trip to every country in the world". Today. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
7. Stephenson, Kristen (March 31, 2017). "Monday Motivation: Around the world in 558 days". Guinness World Records. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
8. "Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries (overall)". Guinness World Records.
9. "Fastest time to visit all sovereign countries (female)". Guinness World Records.
10. Gore, Leada (2019-06-14). "24-year-old Alabama woman now holds 4 Guinness World Records". al. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
11. Writer, Drew TaylorStaff. "Tuscaloosa native sets Guinness records for world travels". Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
12. Del Valle, Lauren; Moghe, Sonia (February 10, 2017). "This woman visited every country on Earth in record time". CNN. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
13. Schwarz, Kirrily (November 5, 2016). "Cassie De Pecol traveled to every country in the world, but we have some questions". News.com.au. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
14. Quezada, Veronica (April 13, 2017). "This 27-Year-Old Is the Fastest Woman to Visit Every Country in the World. Here's How She Paid for It". Money.com. from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
15. Rachel Hosie (February 13, 2017). "Woman breaks world record for visiting every country in the world in fastest time". The Independent. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
16. "Travel influencer sued over claim she is 'first woman to visit every country'". The Independent. April 14, 2022.
17. "De Pecol Case Documents". Travelers United. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
18. Lorenz, Taylor (April 13, 2022). "Does traveling to every country count if you don't post on the Internet?". The Washington Post. p. 1. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
19. "Travel Influencer Sued for Telling "Increasingly Bold Lies" to Build Her Brand | Frommer's". www.frommers.com. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
20. GlobalGaz (2022-04-20). "Cassie De Pecol Lawsuit". GlobalGaz. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
21. "Cassie DePecol". Discovery. 2013-12-01. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
22. Vorel, Jim. "Naked, afraid and hostile: The Discovery Channel's human drama". Herald-Review.com. Retrieved 2017-02-28.