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Scots globetrotter has visited 127 countries – and she’s not stopping there

Jackie in Namibia
Jackie in Namibia

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.

Botswana
Botswana

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.”

 

jackiemap

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.

Sabah, Borneo
Sabah, Borneo

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.

Kathmandu, Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal

“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.

Easter Island Festival
Easter Island Festival

“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.”

Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

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.

Annecy, France
Annecy, France

“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.

Bhutan
Bhutan

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