{"podcast":{"title":"Counting Countries","slug":"counting-countries-515125","podcast_index_feed_id":515125,"rss_url":"https://countingcountries.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"https://globalgaz.com/counting-countries/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/5/4/1/b/541badb3b384277dd959afa2a1bf1c87/countingcountries_1400x1400.jpg","author":"Ric Gazarian","episode_count":173,"summary":"Chasing 193, one of the most exclusive clubs on Earth. In fact, more people have been to outer space than have earned their way into this, the ultimate travel club. According to the United Nations there are 193 sovereign nations in the world. Welcome to the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who've spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to them all. Welcome, to Counting Countries. With your host, Ric Gazarian.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-31T22:20:16.852224+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/counting-countries-515125"},"episode":{"title":"Barry Hoffner … Belonging To The World","slug":"barry-hoffner-belonging-to-the-world","published_at":"2026-03-16T13:37:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/counting-countries-515125/barry-hoffner-belonging-to-the-world","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/counting-countries-515125","url":"https://globalgaz.com/barry-hoffner-belonging-to-the-world/","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/countingcountries/Barry_Book_Edited.mp3?dest-id=389581","summary":"Barry has published his memoir Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. This is a special episode with Barry Hoffner. Barry is a former guest on Counting Countries and I encourage you to listen to this episode to hear his entire story. I followed Barry on IG and then connected with him over a call. Barry is an accomplished traveler but what I noted was his impressive philanthropic work in West Africa. In fact, I was so impressed I invited Barry to be a keynote speaker at the ETF in Bangkok in 2024. His story of giving back needed to be shared. Belonging To The World (affiliate) is his memoir which was published on March 3. This link will bring you to the Kindle version on Amazon. I have read this book, and I highly recommend it. The book traces Barry's life from work to travel to family. And he shared a horrific tragedy as he loses his wife in a shocking accident in Botswana. Barry turns to travel to deal with his immense grief. This is a fantastic book whether you are into extreme travel or to witness one man's resilience in the face of grief. Please remember the next Extraordinary Travel Festival will be on October 22-25 in 2026. You can join the event and use code BANGKOK. I am excited to share a new keynote speaker, Eunhee Park. She is an extraordinary traveler but not in the traditional sense of what we are familiar with in our community. Eunhee was born in North Korea, and she embarked on a dangerous journey as she escaped DPRK at the risk of losing everything as she made her way to freedom. She will share her journey with us at the ETF. Consider joining our Instagram and Facebook groups and signing up for the ETF newsletter. Any questions, please let me know. I was in Bangkok while Barry was in Hawaii for this recording. Please listen in and enjoy. Thank you to my…","meta_description":"Barry has published his memoir Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. This is a special episode with Barry Hoffner. Barry is a former guest on Counting Co…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2778,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/counting-countries-515125/episodes/barry-hoffner-belonging-to-the-world/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/counting-countries-515125/barry-hoffner-belonging-to-the-world.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}