Can You Really See The Whole World In A Lifetime?

Ask people who are enthusiastic about travel the places they’d like to see and you’ll often hear city after city only for the person to realize, “I want to go everywhere!” After having a similar conversation like this recently I began to wonder, is it humanly possible to see the entire world in a single lifetime?

Exploring the Boundless Expanse of the World

Taking a slightly unconventional approach, we shall consider “the entire world” to encompass all cities with a population exceeding 500,000. This selection results in a rough estimate of around 1,000 cities. Additionally, we will include a quarter of that number to account for smaller yet intriguing cities one might stumble upon, along with an additional 250 non-urban locations (such as the Grand Canyon). Consequently, for the purpose of this imaginative experiment, our world is composed of an enticing array of 1,500 captivating destinations.

What is the Duration of Our Stay in Each Location?

The question of how much time is necessary to truly experience a place sparks endless discussions. In my opinion, dedicating a week to immerse yourself in a city, particularly the smaller ones, is a reasonable timeframe to get acquainted and organize day trips to nearby areas. Considering the time spent on traveling, I propose allocating one extra day for transit between each city. This calculation results in a total of 8 days – 7 days for exploring each destination and 1 day solely devoted to moving between them – for every place you intend to visit across the globe.

The Length of Time For The Entire Trip

To witness a grand total of 1,500 breathtaking locations, dedicating a full week to each while accounting for travel time, an astonishing 12,000 days would be required. This equates to precisely 1,714 weeks or a remarkable span of 32.9 years. Assuming one embarks on their globetrotting adventure at the age of 20 and continues until 80, an entire lifetime would allow for the exploration of the entire world, with ample years to spare. Moreover, if we were to encompass every town across the globe with populations exceeding 100,000, amounting to a grand total of 3,200 destinations, the timeframe for such an endeavor would extend to 3,657.14 weeks or an impressive 70.3 years.

An Experiment of the Mind.

In a perfect world with endless resources, impeccable health, and a constant wanderlust, one could explore the world endlessly, witnessing everything there is to see. But let’s face it, these idealistic numbers are likely too rosy and would only be attainable for those who are determined to shatter records. Nonetheless, you now have a clearer understanding of the time and feasibility involved in the pursuit of “seeing it all,” yet I doubt it will deter any of you adventurous souls from embarking on this quest.

Calculating the exact cost of the entire journey is an intricate task that I dare not endeavor.

[Captured through the lenses of: JasonRogersFotographie, sean dreillinger].