How it all began

How it all started – back in autumn 2009, when I was ill for three weeks, there were no smartphones yet, at least not for us. So I pored over a book called "Countries and Continents". Before long, I knew the capitals of all 197 countries in the world by heart. With the arithmetic skills of a third-grader, I worked out that if a person wanted to travel to every country, they'd need to visit about three new countries a year. I was always chuffed to bits whenever I got to add a "new" country myself, but travel to every single country? Even back then, I dismissed that as "impossible!" (Note: there are actually a few people who've managed it, but as we all know, quantity and quality are two very different things.)

But what if you were always on holiday and never needed money to travel? What if you could simply tag along with anyone?

– That's exactly what Weltreisebär does! Admittedly, he's not a person, but he is something tangible, a little character in his own right, if you like. In the summer of 2016, with Slovenia, the Netherlands and school exchanges to France and Russia all on the horizon, I decided it was the perfect time to launch the "Weltreisebär" project. Within just six months, he'd already notched up 8 countries. But here's the best part! – not just with me. The goal is to travel to every country in the world – together with as many different people as possible.

So far, Weltreisebär has travelled in the luggage of 18 travellers. And you're very welcome to be the next one. Or, of course, to join in again!