FROM the heights of Kilimanjaro to the depths of the ocean floor, Jackie Gilchrist has seen it all.
The 49-year-old, who has visited an astonishing 127 countries recognised by the United Nations, reckons she could be Scotland’s most travelled woman.
She spends eight weeks every year on the road, packing her suitcase and jetting off to some of the world’s most exotic locations.
Last year alone she visited the US, New Zealand, the Cook Islands, France, Portugal, Iran, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal – and even Fiji in the aftermath of its devastating cyclone.
“You just get the bug,” she told The Sunday Post. “The more you travel, the more you experience, the more people you meet and the more you want to see.
“It’s about getting out of your normal routine and seeing the world.”
Jackie, from Falkirk, is listed as the sixth most travelled woman in Britain on the online “Best Travelled” website community.
She first caught the travel bug after graduating from university and embarking on a two-year round-the-world trip, which stretched to four years.
After working as a diving instructor in the Virgin Islands with a pal, she ended up in Australia, before moving on to South East Asia, South America and back to the Caribbean – followed by the French Alps.
It was an experience which left her with a taste for globe-trotting, and with no children at home she has made it her life’s calling.
“When I travelled initially, in the ’80s and early ’90s, there was no internet or mobile phones,” she said.
“I’m fascinated by travel. I like the history of it – and standing among that history. I’ve stood in the spot where the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, starting World War One.
“I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Up there, you can see the curve of the Earth.
“I travel for those moments. Sometimes bad things happen, but while they might not seem funny at the time, they do afterwards.
“There’s a myth that there’s a travel gene that you are born with.
“But I’m not the kind of person who will never go to a country I’ve been to before. I do enjoy going back to places, so it’s not my ambition to go to every country in the world.”
It’s a hobby Jackie has used to her advantage while working for an Edinburgh-based tour operator – making it easy to put herself in tourist’s shoes. “It gives you an understanding of good customer service,” she said.
“You experience the highs and lows.”
But her appetite for more unusual locations has raised eyebrows among family and friends, with North Korea already on the cards for next year.
“When I tell my father where I’m going, increasingly he just puts his head in his hands,” she joked.
“My ambition is to go to Antartica. I’m looking to visit all seven continents of the world within a 365-day period. That’s going to take some planning.
“A trip to Antartica alone is about £10,000, so I need to save up!”
As well as North Korea, trips already booked in for next year include a tour of west Africa – taking in Gambia, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia – as well as Spain and Moldova, followed by China and Tibet.
Top tips
Join Frequent Flyer programmes and use a travel app – www.tripit.com – to keep track of points earned. They do add up.
Scheduled airlines release flights 331 days in advance so book early, fly off-peak and be flexible about dates. Set up flight alerts on your phone and follow airlines’ social networking for deals.
For cheap accommodation use hostels. Fly at night to save a night’s accommodation.
Restaurants are expensive, so buy from a local bakery or supermarket. Street stalls offer affordable, authentic local food.
Once there, buses tend to be cheaper than trains – though overnight trains can save on the cost of a night’s accommodation.
Watch the dollar and euro exchange rate and stock up in advance. For longer stays, buy a mobile phone sim card for that country with wifi data included.
Jackie’s Checklist…
Albania
Andorra
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belgium
Belize
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Canada
Cape Verde
Chile
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Rep.
Denmark
Dominica
Dominican Rep.
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Estonia
Fiji
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Korea, South
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Malta
Mauritius
Mexico
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Myanmar (Burma)
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Norway
Oman
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar (Doha)
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Lucia
San Marino
Serbia
Seychelles
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Tanzania
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
U.K.
U.S.
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Zambia
Zimbabwe
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