Cassie Sets Guinness World Record

Cassie De Pecol’s dream growing up in rural Connecticut was to visit every country in the world. This past month – traveling as an IIPT Ambassador for Peace - Cassie accomplished that dream and in the process set a new Guinness world record visiting 196 sovereign nations in 18 months and 26 days – half the time of the previous world record – and becoming the first woman, and youngest person to visit all 196 sovereign nations.

Cassie’s journey was launched at the IIPT World Symposium in South Africa honoring the legacies of Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Cassie spoke at the Opening Day luncheon and later during the Symposium had the opportunity to meet – and be inspired by Naomi King, Martin Luther King Jr's sister-in-law; and Nandi Mandela, Nelson Mandela's granddaughter.

“It was meeting both Naomi King and Nandi Mandela that convinced me I wanted to commit my life towards furthering peace, non-judgement, and unity throughout our world, starting with Expedition196."               

Skal International and its President, Nigel Pilkington played a key role in arranging meetings with Mayors and other dignitaries during her travels, and assisting to arrange speaking engagements with civic organizations such as Rotary and to give motivational talks to students of tourism and hospitality at more than 40 universities.

Over the course of her trip, Cassie met with mayors and ministers of tourism, presenting them with the IIPT’s "Declaration of Peace."

The ten countries that stood out for Cassie were: Mongolia, Bhutan, Maldives, Vanuatu, Pakistan, Oman, Tunisia, Costa Rica, and the USA

“The one thing that became strikingly apparent to me after having visited all countries is that despite our differences; religion, cultural background, traditions, ethnicities, gender, income and aspirations, we all have the same basic needs and find happiness in the simplest of things. I've realized that the core of humanity is sameness, and if we could push past all differences, jealousies and preconceptions, we would be able to live in a much more unified and ultimately, peaceful world.”

Cassie’s future plans include a book, documentary, and The Expedition 196 Entrepreneur Seminar, designed to motivate and provide insights to individuals on how to pursue their own passion project or Expedition involving travel and working towards a cause.

Cassie can be followed on Facebook,Instagram and at https://expedition196.com/

World Expeditions to be Sponsor of Global Summit

Sustainable Tourism for Development and Peace

World Expeditions, one of the world’s leading adventure travel companies and first Charter Member of the IIPT Travel for Peace Campaign has agreed to be a sponsor of the UNWTO/IIPT Global Summit: Sustainable Travel for Development and Peace –being held in Montreal, Canada 17 to 21 September 2017.

World Expeditions is one of the world’s first adventure travel companies operating since 1975 offering small group trekking and adventure travel holiday and ground breaking itineraries on every continent. Its offices around the globe offer some 500 stand-alone itineraries for trekking, cycling, canoeing, wildlife safaris, rafting, mountaineering, walking and cycling tours, rock climbing, cultural journeys and more.

It has helped shape adventure travel industry standards since its inception some more than four decades ago.

World Expeditions is also widely recognized for its ground breaking Responsible Tourism Initiatives, in particular the award winning Community Project Travel Program that helps to improve the living conditions of some of the world’s most remote communities. Its Responsible Travel Guidebook Is a reference tool for travel industry partners, employees and travellers, outlining World Expeditions’ company-wide initiatives, and providing guidance to travelers about how to be ‘responsible travelers’. 

Ms. Sue Badyari,CEO of World Expeditions will be a speaker at the UNWTO/IIPT Global Summit.

IIPT Founder and President said “We are proud to have World Expeditions as a sponsor of the Montreal Global Summit as they represent the highest standards of sustainable and responsible tourism in the Adventure Travel sector of the industry that include initiatives to protect the environment, enhance living conditions in remote communities and to promote ethical travel among their clients and suppliers.”

About IIPT
The International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) is a not for profit organization dedicated to fostering travel and tourism initiatives that contribute to international understanding, cooperation among nations, an improved quality of environment, cultural enhancement and the preservation of heritage, poverty reduction, reconciliation and healing wounds of conflicts; and through these initiatives, helping to bring about a peaceful and sustainable world.  It is founded on a vision of the world’s largest industry, travel and tourism – becoming the world’s first global peace industry; and the belief that every traveler is potentially an “Ambassador for Peace.”

For more information:
IIPT Website: www.iipt.org
Tel: (802) 253-8671
Email: ljd@iipt.org

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