Konstantin Liorek has been to every country in the world   Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. In this episode, I have the pleasure to speak with traveler Kostia Liorek.  I met Kostia at the ETF in Bangkok in 2024, and I’ve known Kostia for years virtually on FB.  But on this podcast I really had the pleasure of learning his fascinating story from growing up in Ukraine, taking advantage of opportunities to travel abroad after the fall of the Soviet Union, and his journey to Chasing 193 and beyond.    I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons.  You know them, you love them!  Bisa “fully nomadic” Myles, Ted Nims, Adam “one-away” Hickman, Steph “Phuket” Rowe, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ed Hotchkiss, Barry Hoffner, Katelyn Jarvis, Philippe “BC” Izedian, Gin Liutkeviciute, Sunir Joshi, Carole Southam, Sonia Zimmermann, Justine, Per Flisberg, Jorge Serpa, Sam Williams, Scott Day, Dana Mahoutchian, Mihai Dascalu and Ryan Knott for supporting this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going to .  My patrons will hear the entire conversation with Brian.    Please remember the next Extraordinary Travel Festival will be on October 22-25 in 2026.  You can join the event and use code BANGKOK. I am excited to announce 3 new things … a new speaker, day trip, and multi-day trip.  Former guest, PC Connor has Chased 193 and well beyond, but also has another passion project Chasing Eclipses.  He has witnessed 17 of the last 22 total eclipses since 1995, even one with the president of Gabon.  We announced a cooking class which will be held in an 80 year old traditional Thai house near the event, and in conjunction with NomadMania, we are hosting an awesome trip to Bangladesh immediately after ETF, including a special 5% discount.  Check out Extraordinary Adventures on the website. Consider joining our Instagram and Facebook groups and signing up for the .  Any questions, please let me know.   I was in Boston while Kostia was in Indonesia for this recording.  Please listen in and enjoy.    Thank you to my - you rock!! … Bisa Myles, Ted Nims, Adam Hickman, Steph Rowe, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ed Hotchkiss, Barry Hoffner, Katelyn Jarvis, Philippe Izedian, Gin Liutkeviciute, Sunir Joshi, Carole Southam, Sonia Zimmermann, Justine, Per Flisberg, Jorge Serpa, Sam Williams, Scott Day, Dana Mahoutchian, Mihai Dascalu, and Ryan Knott.        And now you can listen to ! And Alexa!   And write a review! More about Konstantin Liorek Counting Countries: And check out Thor Pedersen: The Impossible Journey (Amazon US Kindle (affiliate)): Other book options:   About Counting Countries Counting Countries is the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who’ve spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to every country in the world. Less people have traveled to every country in the world than have been to outer space. Theme music for this podcast is Demeter’s Dance, written, performed, and provided by .  About GlobalGaz Ric Gazarian is the host of Counting Countries. He is the author of three books: , , and .  He is the producer of two travel documentaries: and .   Ric is also on his own quest to visit every country in the world. You can see where he has and keep up with his journey at How Many Countries Are There? Well… that depends on who you ask!  The United Nations states that there are . The British Foreign and Commonwealth office states that there are . The Traveler’s Century Club states that there are . The Nomad Mania The Most Traveled Person states that there are 1500 . SISO says there are .     Me? My goal is the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, but I am sure I will visit some other places along the way. Disclaimer: There are affiliates in this post. Konstantin Liorek Counting Countries