Meet the 83-year-old who 'visited every country'
"Hello, my name is Andre Brugiroux. I am from France, I am 83. I have realized my dream to visit all countries and territories of the world."
Over the course of a lifetime, this man claims he has visited every country on Earth -- 251 countries or territories by his count, which included unrecognized states such as Somaliland or Tristan da Cunha island, the most remote inhabited archipelago of the world.
The adventurer left France at 17 and worked as a waiter in Scotland.
From 1967 to 1973, he traveled over 240,000 miles by hitchhiking on cars, boats and planes, spending no more than one dollar a day.
"After a month, I realized I was spending a dollar a day. And I thought to myself, 'Wait a minute, if you keep on spending a dollar a day, the whole world is yours.' That's when I realised that if I only hitchhiked without going to hotels, I could see the whole world."
His journey only came to a temporary end when he caught dysentery, forcing him to return to France.
But after he was well enough, he was on the road again.
"There are countries where I didn't manage to get an invite to sleep in other's home. So on some occasions, why not in prison? So I would go to the main prison (mimics knocking and door opening), 'Hello Sir, I'm on a world tour and I'm looking for a place to sleep with my sleeping bag, would you have an empty cell?'."
Brugiroux finally settled down outside Paris in 2019.
He has written several books and produced a documentary using footage he recorded on his trips.
"Man everywhere has got a heart and feelings. We all know joy and pain."
"This is true and that's why my conclusion is that the Earth is only one country and we are all citizens of that one country. It is very important to understand that. And by travelling, we can drop our prejudices. This is why travelling is also important."
