79-year-old woman fulfills lifelong dream of visiting all 193 countries

How she did it: Yu, 79, reportedly left her job as a nurse in Miami to pursue her lifelong dream of visiting all 193 U.N.-member countries. She funded her mission with earnings from property investments.

Born in the Philippines, Yu immigrated to St. Louis as an exchange student and began traveling around the U.S. at the age of 23. She then moved to Miami, and after visiting over 40 states, she decided to travel the world, reported NBC6.

Her last stop: Yu said friends she met along the way encouraged her to make Serbia her final stop. She recalled supporters clapping and cheering as soon as she emerged from the airport in Serbia.

Croatian full-time traveler and influencer Vanna Bojovic was among the people who celebrated Yu’s achievement in Serbia.

“At the age of 79, today on November 9 she arrived in her last country, SERBIA,” Bojovic wrote in an Instagram post dedicated to Yu, whom she affectionately calls Mama. “You are the biggest inspiration, we are so proud of you.”

What she’s saying: Yu has encouraged others to travel as well. “Don’t be afraid, just go. Don’t wait for anybody, because if you wait, it will never happen,” she said, as per NBC6.

About Yu: Yu won two travelers awards in 2022, notably the Philippine Global Explorers’ Most Adventurous Explorer Award and Nomad Mania’s Most Positive Traveler 2022.

She is also one of the only two Filipinos to have visited every country in the world, with the other being Los Angeles resident Odette Aquitania Ricasa, who completed the journey on Aug. 25, 2022.