At the age of 77, author Odette Aquitania Ricasa takes pride in finally achieving her dream to be the first Filipino to travel to all the countries in the world.
Odette Ricasa is an author, artist, and pianist who travels for learning. Her arrival in Kurdistan, Iraq on August 25, 2022, marked the achievement of her lifelong dream of reaching all countries in the world.
Iraq was the last country on her list of the United Nations-recognized 193 nations.
https://twitter.com/martinajoyce_/status/1564447990747901952
Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Ricasa had only 5 countries left on her list: Sudan, Chad, Central African Republic, Libya, and Iraq. As travel restrictions eased, Odette was able to visit all five nations this year.
According to the Philippine Global Explorers, Odette Ricasa, a longtime member and an inspiration to the PGE community, had already reached every continent by the year 2015 even before her complete countries feat.
Ricasa is also a member of the Travelers’ Century Club, a Los Angeles-based organization that only accepts well-traveled globetrotters who have visited at least a hundred territories on their list. Odette had checked over 299 off this list.
Miss Odette Aquitania Ricasa visits a cattle herding tribe living remotely along the White Nile river, North of South Sudan's capital Juba, the Mundari tribe. @GoodNewsPinas_ https://t.co/huS9OPeyxz
— Martina Torres (@martinajoyce_) August 30, 2022
Her love of traveling can be traced to her humble beginnings in Quiapo, Manila. Ricasa comes from a middle-class family. As a schoolgirl in Assumption College her favorite subject was geography.
When she immigrated to the United States in 1971 with only 50 US dollars in her pocket, she worked as a systems analyst and a real estate broker until she had saved enough to start traveling at the age of 40.
Ricasa is proud to be a budget-friendly traveler as she likes to get to places in the cheapest possible way of the very Pinoy sustainable travel lifestyle.
Despite being a world traveler, Odette does not forget her roots and often engages in charity work, especially during calamities in the Philippines. Back in 2010 when Typhoon Ondoy ravaged the Philippines, Odette and her friends sent relief boxes to the victims.
She also gives back to local communities she visits like when she donated sacks of flour, rice, and sugar in Bujumbura, Burundi, a country in East Africa.
With all the wisdom she has gained from all her travels, Odette shares them in her books, art, and motivational talks. She has 6 books about her days on the road and has over 120 paintings on display at her own gallery in San Clemente, Southern California.
Odette Ricasa is an inspiration to all those with wanderlust and a dream. Another Filipina, Kach Mu of Laguna, has been traveling all over the world on a budget and with a sustainable lifestyle while blogging and is encouraging others to do the same.
If you want to start your journey of seeing the world like Miss Odette Ricasa, these 31 countries now accept Filipino travelers.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below to 77-year-old female author Odette Ricasa, the First Filipino to travel to all the countries in the world!
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