Human brains are hard-wired to connect. It\u2019s how we learn about the world around us and how we learn about ourselves. And in the series of moments that make up our lives, it\u2019s moments of genuine personal connection that shine the brightest. This is never more true than when we travel.<\/p>\n
For Jessica Nabongo, writer, entrepreneur and the first Black woman to visit every country in the world, making those connections is one of the most important and cherished parts of her journey not only throughout the globe, but through life.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne question I ask people a lot is, what makes you happy?\u201d Nabongo says. \u201cWhether I\u2019m talking to royalty or if I\u2019m talking to someone who has nearly nothing living in a village, the messages remain very, very similar. It\u2019s all about our personal relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The daughter of Ugandan immigrants, Nabongo has been travelling internationally since she was 4 years old. In 2008, she left her corporate job and moved to Japan to teach English. She ended up living abroad for seven years, with stints in London, Benin and Rome, before returning to her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. But in 2017, with 60 countries already under her belt, Nabongo decided that she would set out to visit every single country in the world and share it all on Instagram<\/a> under the handle @jessicanabongo. Two years and 136 countries later, she accomplished her record-breaking feat.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n