james asquith travel

Youngest person to travel to all sovereign countries (male)

The youngest person to travel to all sovereign countries (male) is James Asquith (UK) who was 24 years and 192 days old when he arrived in the final country, Federated States of Micronesia, on 8 July 2013.

James visited his first country outside of the UK, Lithuania, between 26 and 31 May 2001. He then visited every other sovereign country between 4 July 2008 and 8 July 2013.

Dave's Travel Corner

Seeing the World One Step at a Time

Our interviews focus on the travel, entertainment and lifestyle industry, with people who are making valuable contributions in their particular fields.

James asquith, youngest to visit all 196.

September 17, 2018 by Dave 2 Comments

And James was again in the news recently for giving away on his Instagram page, all the frequent flyer miles he earned from his travels around the globe. Read on for some of his insights and stories from his global travels.

Q. What is your earliest memory of traveling and what hooked you on traveling?

My earliest memory was a really rocky boat from the UK to Denmark when I was 9 years old. I really didn’t pick up the travel bug until I was 18 and went to Vietnam with my best friends to volunteer building houses. After this trip and seeing such different culture around South-East Asia I was hooked! I came back after 3 months and booked a solo trip to Egypt straight away!

Q. Please share a story with our readers of a time on your travels were you were helped out by the generosity of others.

Oh there have been so many times where the kindness of people around the world has helped me out. My faith in humankind has never been higher. I’ve been offered places to sleep when I had nowhere else, been fed and watered by strangers, and even had doctors in Istanbul pay my medical bill when I had no money after jumping out of a moving car in East Africa (I thought I was being kidnapped – I was wrong it seemed!)

Q. What was the most unusual experience during your journey through the 196 countries around the world?

Being in Tuvalu. A small atoll in the South Pacific where the landing strip of the runway takes up most of the land. With very few flights, the local population use the runway for anything from motorbike races, to sports matches and even to sleep under the stars at night, because it’s too hot inside their homes. It’s really fascinating to see.

Q. Which country of the 196 that you visited did you spend the least time in but want to return to?

There were some countries such as Vatican City for example, that, as almost everyone does, I only spent a day inside. I’ve actually spent quite a lot of time in Brazil, but it’s such a huge country that I would to explore more of.

Q. “Perspective” is one of the most important words in travel – what sort of perspective or insights have you gained from all of your travels, especially from your visits to countries or regions of the world that do not see many tourists?

As I travelled more I respected and appreciate how we are so different yet similar, from cultures to religion. I was fairly naive when I started my journey around the world, but I not only learnt a lot about myself, but about the world around me that we live in. I feel like I’m learning and growing every day and my greatest life lesson was definitely from travelling.

Q. What was the most difficult country to date for you to gain access to and why?

Getting a visa for Sudan as a tourist was actually one of the most difficult me. It took lots of back and forth with the letter of invitation and embassy visits. Sometimes, a no one day can be a yes the next with little rhyme or reason. Persistence certainly pays off!

Q. What sort of advice can you share for those planning a round the world trip or for those going on an extended trip involving multiple destinations?

Enjoy it and say yes as much as you can. Too many things we never get to do and discover are because we ran out of time, and that’s something we don’t have much of. Take the risk, buy the ticket and say yes. It might be scary at first but there’s so much to explore, not just about the world, but about yourself.

Q. When you decided to visit certain countries with “unsafe” reputations and you told people of your plans, I imagine their responses were fairly similar. How did/do you address their concerns?

After I had been to a few ‘unsafe’ countries, people were actually very supportive. I did a lot of volunteering as well, and if you wanted to take a negative look on the world you could be unsafe anywhere. I was recently in Bali during the earthquake, so there could be dangers wherever you are. A lot of the time away from natural disasters, a bit of common sense will serve you well anywhere in the world, and what’s more, I tend to find people are inherently and generally good people.

Q. You live in London – what are several under the radar experiences you can recommend for visitors to the city especially for those who have already been to some of the primary attractions.

I actually don’t live anywhere technically now. I’m a nomad I guess the saying goes. I actually have to check the tube map myself when I go back to London. I love moving around for work. It’s a strange life sometimes having to always and constantly familiarize yourself with new places, but I feel alive for sure.

Q. Tell us about Holiday Swap, a new app that you created.

I kept getting asked by many people how they could travel more. Hotel prices and home stays are continuing to go up in cost so we wanted to make a way for people to use the bed they sleep in to travel more, and take away most of the expensive cost of accommodation. At Holiday Swap we wanted to build a sharing platform that saves us all money for things like flights and tours. We have grown to offer accommodation in 184 countries now and it’s really inspiring to us, hearing how we are making travel more affordable and accessible for people all around the world, who are able to swap their accommodation for anything from a room to a villa for just $1 a night.

Everything we try to do at Holiday Swap inspires travel, and that’s where the Air Miles Giveaway we recently announced on my Instagram page came from too. We do a bunch of giveaways here, and live to see our communities feedback to the exciting opportunities to travel more of the world.

James is also the author of Breaking Borders: Travels in Pursuit of an Impossible Record.

And in 2018 James decided to give away all his frequent flyer miles earned while traveling the world to one lucky person whose mileage guess closely matched his total.

Related posts:

September 17, 2018 at 2:23 pm

James Asquith is a seasoned wanderluster and an entrepreneur at heart, I hope his brainchild of Holiday Swap will take off and gain traction among travelers especially for those who look to knock some bucks off accommodation.

September 18, 2018 at 11:01 pm

Holiday Swap looks cool! And affordably priced to 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Above the Clouds
• Highlight of the Month
• Press Releases
• Book Reviews
• Quiz: Geography
• Quiz: Travel
• Tour Booking
• Travel Insurance
• Travel Products
• Contributors
• Media Coverage

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Fitness & Wellbeing
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance Deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Climate 100
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Wine Offers
• Betting Sites

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

The youngest person to travel to every country on Earth has launched a 'travel Tinder' that lets people swap homes for $1 a night

'a lot of people who’ve used it said ‘i feel like i’m on tinder', article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts

Get simon calder’s travel email, thanks for signing up to the simon calder’s travel email.

The youngest man to travel to every country in the world wants to make conquering the globe easier for everyone else – and he swears it has nothing to do with making money .

Twenty-nine-year-old James Asquith, a London banker who had visited all 196 countries by the age of 24, recently launched Holiday Swap, an app which aims to get people to swap homes with other people when they travel.

“You have a picture of a property and you swipe,” Mr Asquith told Business Insider. “A lot of people who’ve used it said ‘I feel like I’m on Tinder’.”

However, unlike Tinder , Holiday Swap works on a global rather than local scale, meaning you can see properties on the more than 40 countries across the six continents the app currently covers.

Mr Asquith added that you can filter your settings “for things like ‘I want a place with a good atmosphere or a young crowd’, by country or whatever”.

When someone “matches” with you, you get a notification and a “pin” added to your map, as well as the ability to chat to the user and see their availability calendar.

“Then you basically have that connection,” Mr Asquith said. “Say you’re going away for a week – you might look at your map have 30 cool places [you can go], but the people as well.”

It’s only $1 (£0.70p) per bed a night to swap through the app and the users can also request a fully refundable deposit if it makes them more comfortable, money which the app protects.

“If you’re swapping a place but you want to protect against them cancelling on you or you want to protect against damage or whatever, everything is covered on home insurance, but it’s beyond that as well,” he said. “We keep the deposit fee in a third party account then it’s all returned when it’s done.”

The new app is now available on both iOS and Android and Mr Asquith says some users have already started swapping.

When Business Insider checked out the app, it was clear that a proportion of the profiles are fake.

Mr Asquith said these are leftovers from an earlier testing process and are being phased out.

He added that profiles are manually vetted, rather than automatically with ID checking like with Airbnb. If a profile doesn’t meet the site standards, the moderation team will suspend the account.

There are also some pretty nice looking properties already on the app, too, like this one:

A social media travel tool

While you have to have a space to list in order to register on the app, it’s about more than just home swapping.

“We are aiming to become a fully integrated travel tool that reduces the cost of travel,” he said.

“Another way of looking at Holiday Swap is a social media travel tool, which gives real savings and new experiences to all of us, by taking out one of the largest costs of travel.”

One of the ways he’s aiming to do this is through MyMap, an interactive tool where users can place and browse pins of places to visit and things to do “building further on our community feel”.

The company is also building a “guest blog” for travel experiences online.

The goal is to allow users to find other uses not just through the places they have listed for swapping, but also through their blog posts and travel tips.

“People may never swap,” he said. “If I’ve matched with someone that looked cool in Toronto, now I know someone there. You’d link out and make that connection.

“People then might start chatting and not officially swap through the app.”

He added that ultimately “we just want people to be able to use it and to have a tool to actually travel”.

“We don’t want people to use it and then shelve it, we [want them to be] actually going and finding cool things and being able to have it in your map. Everyone loves the aesthetics of a map with pins you’ve travelled to and places you could go to.”

Making Holiday Swap a billion-dollar company

The company has already had partnership interest from “large US tech firms,” according to Mr Asquith, as well as tour companies, airlines and potential brand ambassadors.

However, successful the idea may be, he insists he’s not doing it for the money.

“I will never ever sell this company,” he said. “What probably will make it a really successful app for lots of people to use is that I’m not doing it to flip it and make a lot of money.”

He added: “Airbnb is like a $40-50bn company, Booking.com is owned by Priceline and is a $120bn company. At the end of the day, Holiday Swap will be a billion dollar company, I’ll make sure of it, but that’ll just be on paper – it’ll be irrelevant to me.”

In terms of how he plans to make that happen – and afford to employ staff – Mr Asquith said: “Because of the lean nature of our business, we keep our costs down to a minimum and as we are trying to give more power back to travellers in terms of what they see and how they stay, we don’t have any great overhead costs.

“There will be enough money that keeps it there. Take Uber for example. Uber has never made a profit.”

He added that the $1 per night fee “is enough on a global scale for us as a company to continue to invest and pioneer in travel and tech”.

“We already have a decent staff force that is passionate about the brand and the mission,” he said.

“Our mission is to really open up travel to more people and to more places, so all money is put right back into the company to allow us to continue to grow and offer more products to users in the future, of which we have some very exciting ideas.”

• Barnier: Britain has to follow EU regulations forever if it wants a Brexit trade deal • Trump is weighing a massive strike on Syria – and it could bring all-out war with Russia • Mark Zuckerberg gave his grueling testimony to Congress from a 4-inch booster seat

Read the original article on Business Insider UK . © 2018. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter .

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

• INSIDER REVIEWS
• TECH BUYING GUIDES
• Destinations

This 28-year-old London banker is the youngest person to travel to all 196 countries - here's how he did it

Alison millington   .

James Asquith

James Asquith was 24 when he broke the record.

However, for James Asquith, now 28 and working at Deutsche Bank in London, that was never the plan.

"It was never the purpose to race around and hop into every country to tick it off," he told Business Insider. Instead, he got the idea after he began travelling with his father, a pilot for BMI.

"I thought, 'I want to see more,' and eventually decided I wanted to go everywhere," he said.

From an early age, Asquith, who was born in Sussex but has spent most of his life in London, has been saving his money, starting with " hoarding cash and doing little jobs where I could" such as washing neighbourhood cars at age 12 to asking for money instead of presents at birthdays and Christmas.

With "a decent amount of cash saved up" at the age of 18, he took a gap year before starting university to travel to Southeast Asia with friends.

What started as a three month trip sparked an around-the-world tour that lasted five years, leading Asquith to visit Afghanistan during a war and travel by jeep into Somalia.

From getting lucky on the stock market to working in bars and hostels in South America, scroll down to see how Asquith became the youngest person in the world to visit every country.

READ MORE ARTICLES ON

Popular right now.

Advertisement

Founder of the ‘Tinder of travel apps’ inspired to make travel cheaper

Advertisement.

SINGAPORE — Mr James Asquith quit his comfortable job as an investment manager at a bank because he wanted to travel to places he has never been before. Now, he has built a travel application that encourages others to explore the world just as he loves to do.

James Asquith, a Briton, decided to try to make travel cheaper for everyone by founding a travel app, inspired by his own love of travel.

Rebecca Metteo

The 30-year-old founder and chief executive officer of the travel app Holiday Swap — dubbed a travel version of Tinder — has another feather in his cap, of which he is justly proud.

Mr Asquith said that when he was aged 24, he was the Guinness World Record holder for being the world’s youngest person to have travelled to all sovereign nations worldwide — that is 196 countries.

Mr Asquith was in town when he spoke to TODAY on Friday (June 14) to talk about his travel app, outlining his plans to expand to Asia. He is looking to hire staff members in Singapore.

Holiday Swap, like Tinder, connects two people when both swipe “like”. They then get to discuss suitable dates for swapping holiday accommodation — though the system is very flexible. The app charges US$1 (S$1.37) a night.

Back when Mr Asquith launched Holiday Swap, in December 2017, it had just two users, but that has sky-rocketed to about 240,000 users worldwide, with about 3,000 users signing up every day, he said.

During his investment banking days, he was still travelling to various countries, noting that the job “paid for many of the more expensive countries” he visited then.

“I knew when I finished travelling, I wanted to write a book, put two years into writing a book that kind of documented the travels. But through this, I still did my job to inspire young people and everyone who wants to travel more,” he said.

Some may believe a young man such as Mr Asquith should have tipped all that cash spent travelling into buying a house or a fancy car, but he thinks otherwise — believing that unique travel experiences are valuable and not replaceable by material things.

“At 18, I set up an events business and saved lots of money. My intention was, I would go out to buy a house and I will be happy. Then it got to the point where I spent all my time and money on travelling. I could have bought a couple of nice cars instead and spend on expensive things. I don’t have materialistic things, I never spend money on nice clothes or watches, but I spent it all on travelling,” Mr Asquith said.

Not surprisingly, he is deeply passionate about his travel app, and his efforts to build it to a much wider audience.

“It does not matter how good a platform is, if there are only two people there, no one will go on it. And so, there was a lot of work to get to that point where the app was relevant and was a large enough platform for people to go on it and utilise it,” he said.

Expanding into Asia is key to his plans to offer users more accommodation options, and to balance supply and demand.

Right now, the app’s largest market is the United States, which accounts for about a quarter of users, followed by Mexico, the United Kingdom, Italy and the Philippines.

“We are in a huge growth stage. We have grown to 185 countries but we want to bring accessibility to everyone’s door in every city,” Mr Asquith said.

He is keen to localise the platform in various countries, by recruiting residents in those places — and he hopes to recruit staff members based in Singapore and around Asia, with skills such as marketing.

Mr Asquith said: “I prefer people who are super hardworking and take the initiative to do things, come up with ideas and think for 5 per cent but work for 95 per cent.”

He noted that “everyone kept saying I love to travel but I do not have the money and time” to travel, given that flights and accommodation can account for almost half of travel expenses.

So the simple objective of the travel app? “Make travel cheaper, more accessible for more and more people. That is why, it is at US$1 a night.”

HOW DOES THE APP WORK?

In essence, with Holiday Swap, users get to select their preferred location from a map of a particular country, review the accommodation on offer and decide if they would “like” to stay at the place.

A mutual “like” — with the host “liking” back the user’s accommodation — would be a match and both users can then proceed to a chat space to figure out more details of the swap. Like the dating app Tinder, if the "like" is not mutual, the users will not be able to proceed to the chat space.

The system is flexible in terms of when and how users will swap — the dates do not have to coincide. The host may or may not be there during your stay. Users can discuss with the host if they would like to be shown around and so forth.

Mr Asquith said that it is like “building up a community with many people that they have matched around the world”.

In trying to illustrate how it works, he said: “I might be there, I might have a spare room, you might be staying in that room or I might be on a business trip, staying at a hotel there. Or I might have matched with someone you know in, for example, Los Angeles, so you can come and stay at mine and I can stay at theirs, it just allows you not to directly swap on the same dates as well. So it is really up to the users.”

Other features of the app include travelling tips whereby users share their travelling experiences around the world, including recreational activities and eateries they would recommend.

THE LEGAL GREY AREA

Of course, any app involving the sharing economy raises the persistent legal grey area over local laws and regulations governing such arrangements. Home-sharing platform Airbnb has encountered plenty of legal roadblocks.

In May this year, the Singapore Government announced that short-term rentals of homes will remain illegal and has imposed a regulatory framework to safeguard the interests of Singaporeans.

This decision was made based on a survey by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) that the majority of the private homeowners felt that short-term rentals would have a negative impact on the residents, with 68 per cent raising security concerns and 67 per cent fearing a loss of privacy. And 56 per cent of respondents were concerned over the damage to common facilities.

Asked about potential legal problems, Mr Asquith, an economics graduate, said that he had not faced “any issues so far”.

“Unlike other traditional platforms, there is no one actually profiting from it. Now the issue is when you sublet on a platform and say things like, ‘Stay at my place for 100 dollars per night’. That is when you come into a lot of issues with the governments. Because it puts upward pressure on property prices and rent prices, that is why a lot of people and governments are against it,” Mr Asquith said.

SAFETY AND PRIVACY CONCERNS

Well-aware of potential safety and privacy concerns that users may have while swapping accommodation, Mr Asquith has implemented several measures aimed at protecting them.

The non-subscription-based travel app will require users to sign up for an account using a government identification number, so the Holiday Swap team can track down users, should anything go wrong.

Feeling confident of the system, he said: “People lay the foundations before they actually swap or host someone. You already know who you are swapping with, have a conversation before and be there once you match with someone. There is also an inbuilt language translation function.”

Like many apps of this type, there is a mutual rating system for users to rate one another and leave comments on the accommodations or other users. Mr Asquith has also put in place a team of four, who manually go through different profiles, contact unclear profiles and eventually remove people who are not compatible with the app’s guidelines.

“(Safety and privacy) is always going to be something that we are pushing for more and more. Every property that goes on there is moderated manually by our customer service team. We are putting in more measures as well to protect people,” he added.

Users can also request swaps to submit a US$500 deposit in case of any cancellation or damage to house furniture, but most do not do so. In case of emergency, users may contact the customer service crew at Holiday Swap and are entitled up to a maximum of US$500 to choose alternative accommodation elsewhere.

A user’s privacy is protected in that addresses and the biography of users are not shown in full unless a match has been made. Up to that point, the app shows only the general location of accommodation on offer.

Related topics

Read more of the latest in

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the top features, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.

Recent Searches

This browser is no longer supported.

We know it's a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with TODAY to be fast, secure and the best it can possibly be.

To continue, upgrade to a supported browser or, for the finest experience, download the mobile app.

Upgraded but still having issues? Contact us

Get your daily dose of fun

Try our word games, puzzles & quizzes

Play games, quizzes & more

Accessibility Links

The 34-year-old airline novice who thinks he’s Richard Branson

Global airlines founder james asquith has bought four airbus a380s and has hugely ambitious plans to launch an upmarket transatlantic service, free from the misery of low-cost carriers.

W hen James Asquith was eight years old, he and his family flew from Gatwick to Orlando on a great big Virgin Atlantic 747. He was excited. He was, in fact, unable to remain in his seat. At some point early in the flight, he unclipped his belt, got up and asked if he could help the cabin crew on their rounds. This was not a common request, but the stewards and stewardesses decided to accommodate this oddly enthusiastic young boy, and so gave him various jobs to do. “I went up and down the plane helping them give out meals and stuff,” he remembers today. By the time they touched down in Florida, the crew were so impressed with his commitment that they all chipped in a few dollars by way of payment, then posed for a group photo with Asquith in the middle. What they perhaps hadn’t noticed was that he had also been helping himself to the cutlery. “I remember taking the little plastic forks and stuff off the plane and hoarding them,” he says, “and thinking, ‘I’ll keep these for when I have an airline one day.’ ”

This was not a sudden whim. Asquith was a child who had become fixated with the idea of running his own airline. “It was the ultimate ambition,” he says, without self-consciousness. He knew exactly what it would be called — “Global Airlines” — and he would absently jot these two words on his school books or turn them over and over in his mind, mouthing them like a mantra as he imagined all the different Global Airlines routes that would crisscross the planet, the Global Airlines livery, the Global Airlines uniforms and the Global Airlines planes themselves, sleek and huge and regal. It was a fantasy. But Asquith was a child, and that’s what childhood is for. At some point reality would hit, as it always eventually does, and he would put away childish things and move on.

Only this never quite happened. Instead, this summer — 26 years after the flight that saw him covertly hoarding cutlery — Asquith completed the purchase of four Airbus A380s, the largest passenger jets ever built. He did this because he has founded an airline, which he has called… well, you can probably guess what it is called. His A380s are, as we speak, being painted in red and gold Global Airlines livery, and from the middle of next year, he anticipates, we will be able to fly with Global on two initial routes: Gatwick to JFK in New York and Gatwick to Los Angeles. This simply represents the opening stage of Asquith’s ambitions. In time there will be more planes, more routes, more passengers. Global Airlines will establish itself in the consumer consciousness as the best way to fly — that indeed is its tagline — and herald a return to the glamour and comfort of a lost “golden age” of air travel. The check-in queues will be short, the glasses of champagne will be tall and the service will be as bright and enthusiastic as it was when he was eight and handing out the meals himself.

• New airlines take off on a wing and a prayer

This, at any rate, is the plan. But not everybody is as optimistic as Asquith. Dissenting voices from inside the world of travel and aviation are prone to pointing out that, for reasons we will shortly explore, cracking the airline industry is incredibly hard. And that Asquith, a 34-year-old from Stevenage with no prior experience of running a carrier, is perhaps not the person to disrupt long haul. Asquith doesn’t care. Or at least he says he doesn’t. “A lot of people have turned around and said, ‘This is bullshit. This is not going to happen,’ ” he says. “There are some very loud mouths out there.”

Advertisement

How exactly do you launch an airline? And given the risks and uncertainty inherent in the undertaking, why would you launch one anyway? I’m with Asquith at a photographer’s studio in east London, hoping he can answer these questions and, along the way, explain how he intends to transform a childhood dream into a commercial reality. He is tall and slim, has a neatly trimmed black beard and is amiable, good-humoured company. What strikes you particularly, though, is a sincerity — an occasionally geeky sincerity — that goes beyond the soundbite. At one point, he gives an impassioned lecture on the two types of engines that you can fit on an Airbus A380. “And Rolls-Royce is by far the better,” he concludes emphatically, like someone in the pub arguing over football players. A little later he talks about the reams of paperwork it takes to get a plane airborne. “There are very few airline CEOs out there who will understand there’s any difference between a Part 21J and a Part 21G, all that regulatory stuff. A Part 145. Many of them, if you put them on the spot, wouldn’t understand,” he says, speaking faster and faster. “I really only have respect for a handful of CEOs in aviation.”

It may not come as a complete shock to learn that Asquith’s father was a professional pilot. His mother, a PA, was also a keen flyer — his parents met when his dad gave her flying lessons — and his fiancée, Robyn, is a former flight attendant. As a child, his father’s job loomed large in his imagination. He has a vivid memory of being with him in the staff room before a flight up to Edinburgh. “And it was strange, seeing this guy who was just my dad at home. But he was wearing his captain’s uniform, with his epaulettes, and I was like, wow, that’s my dad,” he says, frowning. “It was such a beaming sense of pride. He’s going to fly this machine. And all these people are in his hands.” When, at the age of 12, Asquith discovered that colourblindness would prevent him from being a pilot himself, he was bereft. “I was devastated. Absolutely devastated. I definitely cried.”

His parents sent Asquith and his sister to Haileybury, a private school in Hertfordshire. Though they were not poor, he says, this was still a financial struggle for them. “They did everything they could to keep us in school, taking out loans and stuff like that,” he says. “Other people’s parents would drive amazing cars, BMWs and Mercedes, and we were arriving in a banged-up Skoda.” At one point it seemed as though Asquith and his sister would have to leave the school. So Asquith went up and down offering to wash his neighbours’ cars for a fiver. “I came back with a glass jar with £120 and gave it to my mum. She was crying and said, ‘That’s not really going to do too much.’ ”

He managed to remain at Haileybury. At 15, he began to learn about the financial sector, about investment banking and careers in the City. “And I became kind of obsessed with wanting to do that for a job.” At school, though, his prospects looked bleak. “My mum was getting dragged into meetings with teachers who just saw that I barely did my homework and never contributed in class,” he says, explaining how he was predicted Ds and Fs for his GCSEs. “The outlook was like, ‘This guy is going to be a failure.’ ”

In the event, Asquith spent the run-up to his exams revising on his own and managed to achieve almost all A* results. The headmaster contacted his parents to congratulate them, “And my mum basically told him to go f*** himself,” he says. After A-levels he studied at the London School of Economics before moving into the City to work as an investment banker, first for HSBC, then Deutsche Bank.

As a university student he had caught the “travel bug” and spent months backpacking when he should have been in lectures. He was able to fund this travelling because, while still a student, he did well in stocks and shares. “I made quite a bit of money in the financial crisis of 2008/ 2009. When everyone thought the world was ending I thought, well, I’ll put my savings into buying bank stocks when they were at the lowest and weakest point. So I did all right from that,” he says cheerfully.

During his fledgling career in finance he continued to travel whenever possible. At one point, when he had visited more than 100 countries, a friend observed that he wasn’t that far off from having visited every country in the world. “And so I thought, well, I may as well do the rest of them,” he says. His motivation had genuinely nothing to do with achieving fame or recognition, he claims. Rather, it was simply the challenge of it. “I was just setting myself a big goal that seemed unrealistic, but which I thought I could get to.” So in 2013, at the age of 24, Asquith broke the Guinness world record as the youngest person to travel to all 196 sovereign nations when he arrived in Micronesia. “I remember people saying ‘Wow, that’s amazing. Congratulations.’ But I felt nothing. I thought, well, that’s done. What’s the next thing?”

The next thing was the creation of an app called Holiday Swap, which allows users to swap homes while they travel and which Asquith launched in 2017. The Holiday Swap Group is valued at £330 million and is based in Dubai, where Asquith now lives. Between his travels for pleasure and, more recently, business with Holiday Swap, he says he has flown on 284 different airlines. His Instagram account is basically lots of photos of him discussing the experience of each flight from an industry angle. He has more than one million followers, a fact he seems a little sheepish about. Most of his followers, he says, are probably just people who read about his Guinness world record and “can’t even remember why” they follow him now. He’d advise any ambitious young businessperson to avoid social media altogether. “Some of the garbage comments you see, like, ‘Why don’t you turn your life into an NFT and then you’ll be a trillionaire.’ I think it’s unhealthy,” he says. “I’ve only done one paid post in my life. I’m definitely not an influencer. But hopefully I’m influential in my lane, which is travel and aviation.”

But what Asquith has come to believe, over the course of the countless long-haul flights he has experienced, is that air travel has become an ever more joyless experience. “For the past 20 years everybody has done the same thing, which is have this race to the bottom on price,” he says. “And that’s largely why the quality has continued to reduce. Perks get taken away. You see the US carriers now and their loyalty programmes just get stripped. Year after year it gets worse and worse. Because everyone is drinking the same Kool-Aid. Whereas no one has turned around and said, for every cabin, in every class, we are making the product better while also remaining price competitive.”

This, basically, is Asquith’s whole pitch: Global Airlines will be better than everybody else because they won’t skimp on the things that make flying fun — their A380s will have “communal areas”, first-class passengers will be chauffeured direct to the airport from their homes, they already have a partnership with Laurent-Perrier champagne — but their tickets won’t cost much more than those of their competitors. When Asquith talks about this he is genuinely, if quietly, impassioned. It’s almost as if he is, in his own mind, tackling a moral issue. Which is to say, the general crappiness of long-haul travel and the cynicism of the airline industry as a whole. On more than one occasion he insists he is “not money-driven” and you believe him, not least because airlines are notoriously difficult to make money out of.

But why? Well, for a start, airlines can be fragile, finely tuned things. They are incredibly sensitive to economic flux. They are vulnerable to lots of unpredictable events, from volcanic eruptions to pandemics to terrorism. Getting started is a nightmare of paperwork and, should you start doing well as a new player, established airlines are more than happy to smother you in the cradle by flooding your routes with heavily discounted seats. Plus, you need planes, which are expensive. Asquith recites the old Richard Branson quote: “If you want to be a millionaire, start with a billion dollars and launch a new airline.”

Although actually, he admits, getting the planes isn’t quite as expensive as that. “I used to think you’d need billions. But no. It’s significantly less.”

OK, so, how much exactly then?

“In terms of a number, I’ll just say it’s less than people will think. I’m not going to get into commercial specifics,” he says, but explains that rather than leasing its fleet of four A380s, Global Airlines has bought them outright, and without having to borrow money to do so. It seemed that, thanks to Covid and the resulting huge fall in global passenger numbers, many carriers turned their backs on the double-decker A380s and instead shifted to smaller, more fuel-efficient airliners for their long-haul needs. The result was that many A380s ended up mothballed and out of demand. Which, without wanting to oversimplify things, means that if you want to buy some on the cheap, now is a good time, especially given that global air passenger numbers for this year are expected to hit 4.35 billion, close to the pre-Covid 2019 figure of 4.54 billion flyers. The fact that A380s are massive means that, if you don’t get greedy and cram them with as many seats as they’ll take, they are comfortable. “It’s a phenomenal way to fly,” says Asquith, emphasising each word by tapping his finger on the coffee table between us. “There’s not a passenger out there who says an A380’s not great, if it’s [configured] in the right way.”

There is also, he suggests, an environmental benefit to buying a fleet of superjumbo airliners, in the sense that they’re second-hand and he’s potentially getting another “10 or 15 years out of them. Someone might take the view that, ‘Oh, it’s a gas guzzler with four engines.’ Well, it’s not if you put it on the right route. Not if you fill it to capacity. It’s one of the most efficient planes for the environment.” He says he doesn’t know how many flights he’s taken in his life. “People will say, ‘You’ve flown a lot. What about the environmental footprint?’ I could turn around and answer that, on the flipside, I’ve never once in my life owned a car. But I try not to do that.”

Though Asquith says he’s not money-driven, presumably his investors are. So if the food and service and perks and space on Global Airlines flights are going to be better than all the competition but the price is comparable, then how exactly does he hope to make money? The plan is that by launching an airline that passengers genuinely love, Global Airlines will set itself apart as a brand. “And the main thing in aviation that no airline really has is a brand,” he says. By which he means, with so many airlines competing on price rather than quality, carriers have become an indistinguishable blob in the minds of most travellers. This, however, opens a gap. And if he can establish Global Airlines as something that stands distinctly above the competition in the hearts and minds of jaded travellers, then long-term this will be more valuable than short-term margin-squeezing. Because if you have a brand that passengers value, then the next time things get difficult for the industry as a whole — the next volcanic eruption, the next global contagion — you’ll be far better positioned to cope. “From our point of view, if you have a brand and are doing stuff the right way, that’s one of the things that can support you when the going gets tough.”

In a sense, the Global Airlines brand already has value. Last year, Asquith says, somebody offered to buy the company from him for a sum he first tells me, then changes his mind about putting on the record, but which we can safely describe as many, many millions of pounds. “I could have taken the money and be sitting on an island now,” he says. Instead, he’s “working 7 days a week, doing 18, 20-hour days” to make Global Airlines real.

The worry, prior to meeting him, or when hearing him talk about his childhood obsession with this airline, was that it would turn out that Global was just a plaything: a very expensive train set for a young man who never quite got over his early love of airliners. After an hour or so with Asquith it’s clear thatis not the case. I ask him if he felt a trill of excitement when he woke up and remembered that he had just bought four Airbus A380s. He shakes his head.

“Honestly, no. It’s the boring side of me that’s head down, working. I remember when I saw our first aircraft with ‘Global Airlines’ on the side and thinking, ‘Looks a bit small,’ ” he says, scrunching his face in mild disappointment. “I didn’t even take a moment to think, ‘Wow!’ I just thought, ‘What do I need to do now? What do I need to do to get this in the sky?’ And it’s probably a problem of mine. I should enjoy the moment a bit more. But if I went out for drinks and dinner with friends, I’d just be replying to emails and thinking about what I need to do right now. And it’s not necessarily the healthiest thing to do, but we’ve got something that we’re working towards. And if we stopped, we’d end up on the scrapheap of airlines that haven’t worked.”

I ask if he’ll at least allow himself to relax with a glass of champagne as he looks out the window of the first Global Airlines flight. Again, no. “Absolutely not. And there’ll be no glass of champagne. I’ll be working on that flight,” he says, possibly as cabin crew, just like he did when he was eight and going to Orlando. “Why would I take a seat that a passenger could have?” he asks. His dad, he says, is very excited about everything and keeps coming up with suggestions. “Every time I see him, he has a list of ideas. And obviously we’ve got them all on the agenda already. But I really appreciate it. It’s really sweet of him.”

In fact, his mum and dad still loom large in his thoughts. He has faced a lot of criticism and derision online and even in the aviation media. “But I couldn’t care less about impressing strangers on the internet.” What does bother him is when his parents politely inquire when everything might be ready to go. “And it hurts when even my mum and dad are saying, ‘When are you flying?’ And we have a good idea. But I don’t want to say it yet,” he says, meaning he won’t confirm a specific date and time beyond mid-2024. “And that’s what I want. More than anything, I want to make my parents proud. And then maybe I can smile and celebrate.”

Related articles

The incredible story of a 34 year old travel influencer who went from Instagramming to owning his own airline with a fleet of four Airbus A380 Superjumbo jets – Nicknamed the next Richard Branson he once washed cars on the roads to save money for college.

He afforded his travel dreams using the money he made on shares, traveling cheaply, and doing odd jobs along the way.

You may also like

Meet Kaitlyn ‘Amouranth’ Siragus, a successful influencer who bought a $17 million Florida orchard. With this 2,213-acre purchase, the cosplay model someday aims to become the largest farmland owner in the US by surpassing centibillionaire Bill Gates who owns 242,000 acres.

Supercar Blondie reveals what is it like to drive the $8 million Bugatti Divo in her latest YouTube video

Taking things too far or just cute? With a designer wardrobe packed with Gucci, Givenchy and more, here is the world’s youngest fashion Instagrammer (a 17 month old baby)

Multimillionaire influencer absolutely loves Dubai over the UK as the emirate allows her to flash her wealth without any worry and thinks Brits can learn a lesson or two from it.

From Kylie Jenner and Stormi’s heartwarming photos to Kobe Bryant and Chadwick Boseman’s heart wrenching ones; these are the 10 most-liked Instagram posts from 2020

From literally crashing a gate to going offroad and doing donuts – Pompous YouTuber destroys a brand-new $400,000 Ferrari by pulling off crazy stunts with it just to piss off the iconic Italian supercar maker

The influencer mania continues – A Young Taiwanese woman streamed herself sleeping, over 10,000 people tuned in and paid her $3,000 as well

All for a good cause – A popular influencer and Internet celebrity put up his entire search history for sale on eBay. Thousands were interested and the top bid was for a staggering $130,000.

Meet the young and rich socialite from Dubai who took her McLaren sportscar for a walk on a dog leash.

Join RecordSetter

By clicking “Create Account“, you agree that you've read and understand the Terms of Use. Your email address will always be kept private.

RecordSetter Update

Hey there! We’re making some changes at RecordSetter to get your videos seen by more fans! Here’s what it could mean for you:

• First-look consideration to appear in books, TV shows & ad campaigns, and to share revenue as we distribute your videos online
• The chance to go Pro with our RecordSetter Pro YouTube community

To participate in revenue sharing and special projects, we need your agreement on our updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS OF USE CAREFULLY AND FREQUENTLY, AS THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS.

These Terms of Use, and any rights and licenses granted within these Terms of Use, may not be transferred or assigned by you, but may be transferred or assigned by RecordSetter without restriction.

1. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE

RecordSetter is an Internet-based service that permits users to view world records and submit their own world records. RecordSetter may contain advertisements, which are necessary to continue providing RecordSetter's services. RecordSetter is not responsible for third party advertisements or third party applications that are posted on the RecordSetter sites, nor is it responsible for the products provided by its advertisers.

2. MODIFICATIONS TO SERVICE

RecordSetter reserves the right to modify or terminate the RecordSetter sites for any reason at any time, temporarily or permanently, without prior notice. This includes, but is not limited to, the sale of RecordSetter to another entity. You agree that RecordSetter will not be liable to you for any modification or termination of the RecordSetter sites.

3. TERMINATION

RecordSetter reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to refuse service to anyone, temporarily or permanently, at any time. You agree that any termination of your ability to use RecordSetter, including, but not limited to, the termination of your permission to use the RecordSetter sites, may occur without prior notice. You also agree that any world records you hold on the RecordSetter sites (your "Records") may be repealed without prior notice. Furthermore, RecordSetter reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to reject a User's Record submission, at any time and for any reason without prior notice.

YOUR PERMISSION TO USE THE RECORDSETTER SITES AUTOMATICALLY TERMINATES IF YOU VIOLATE ANY OF THESE TERMS OF USE. ANY RECORDS YOU HOLD MAY BE REPEALED AT ANY TIME IF RECORDSETTER SUSPECTS THAT YOU ARE NOT COMPLYING WITH THESE REQUIREMENTS.

4. ELIGIBILITY

Access and use of RecordSetter is void where prohibited. By accessing and using RecordSetter, you agree that:

* You are responsible for knowing and complying with all applicable rules regarding Internet use, including, but not limited to, local laws and regulations relating to acceptable on-line conduct and content;

* You will not use RecordSetter or any aspect of RecordSetter for any unlawful purpose or in any manner that violates these Terms of Use;

* You are at least 18 years of age, or if you are younger than 18 years of age, you have parental permission to use the RecordSetter sites. If you are younger than 13 years of age, your parent may need to provide verifiable parental consent in order for you to use certain features of the site, such as submitting Records, which RecordSetter will obtain at the time you attempt to use those features;

* All information, including, but not limited to, personal information and information relating to Records, that you submit to RecordSetter is truthful, accurate, and complete; and

* You will maintain the truthfulness, accuracy, and completeness of all information, including, but not limited to, personal information and information relating to Records, submitted to RecordSetter. This includes, but is not limited to, promptly notifying RecordSetter if any information, including, but not limited to, personal information and information relating to Records, changes.

5. PROPRIETARY RIGHTS IN SITE CONTENT

You understand and agree that the content on the RecordSetter sites, except any data, text, information, screen names, graphics, photos, accounts, audio and video clips, links, or any other material (collectively "Content") uploaded, posted, or otherwise transmitted by a User, is owned or licensed to RecordSetter and is protected by applicable intellectual property and other laws. Except as expressly authorized by RecordSetter, you agree not to modify, distribute, create derivative works based on, rent, lease, loan, sell, resell, or offer for any commercial purposes the RecordSetter sites, in whole or in part. You further understand and agree that the content of sponsor advertisements that appear on the RecordSetter sites is protected by applicable intellectual property law and other laws. Except as expressly authorized by the applicable advertiser, you agree not to modify, distribute, create derivative works based on, rent, lease, loan, sell, resell, or offer for any commercial purposes the sponsor advertisement, in whole or in part. The RecordSetter service makes it possible to post images and text hosted on RecordSetter to outside websites. This use is permitted as long as pages on other websites which display data hosted on the RecordSetter sites provide an easily identifiable link back to RecordSetter.

6. WORLD RECORDS

RecordSetter is not and cannot be responsible for its User's or other's conduct or safety during any attempt to create a world record to submit to RecordSetter. BY USING AND ACCESSING THE RECORDSETTER SITES, YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOU ATTEMPT TO CREATE A WORLD RECORD AT YOUR OWN RISK. If you do become involved in an attempt to create a world record, including, but not limited to, your own attempt to create a world record or supporting another User's attempt to create a world record, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, you release RecordSetter and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any and all claims, administrative proceedings, demands, damages, obligations, losses, costs, debts, liabilities, and expenses, including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys' fees, known and unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, arising out of or in any way connected with the attempt to create a world record.

7. USER CONDUCT

You are solely responsible for your conduct on the RecordSetter sites and any Content that you post to the site. RecordSetter reserves the right to investigate and take appropriate actions a Inappropriate User conduct and Content includes, but is not limited to:

* impersonating another person or entity or falsely stating or otherwise misrepresenting your affiliation with another person or entity;

*  uploading, posting, or otherwise transmitting any Content that RecordSetter determines is harmful, abusive, harassing, threatening, hateful, vulgar, obscene, fraudulent, unlawful, tortious, defamatory, libelous, invasive to another person's or entity's privacy, exploitive, or racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable;

* engaging in behavior that harms minors in any way, as seen by RecordSetter or applicable law, or that is otherwise destructive behavior, including, but not limited to, abusing, harassing, stalking, threatening, or intimidating another person or entity;

* using or attempting to use any information obtained from the RecordSetter sites in order to harm, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten, or intimidate another person or entity;

*  using the RecordSetter sites to create or submit any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, email, or other form of communication;

* soliciting personal information from anyone under 18;

* promoting commercial activities without prior written consent from RecordSetter, including, but not limited to, contests, sweepstakes, barter, advertising, or pyramid schemes;

* collecting or storing User information for commercial or unlawful purposes;

* modifying, adapting, hacking or otherwise manipulating any part of the RecordSetter sites;

* modifying, adapting, hacking or otherwise manipulating any part of another website so as to falsely imply that it is associated with RecordSetter or to otherwise disguise the origin of the information delivered;

* interfering with, disrupting, or otherwise creating an undue burden on the RecordSetter servers or connected networks, or disobeying any requirements, procedures, policies, or regulations of connected networks;

* circumventing, modifying, or otherwise interfering with any security technology or software that is part of the RecordSetter sites;

* uploading, posting, or otherwise transmitting software worms, bots, viruses, or any other code of a destructive nature;

* using the RecordSetter sites in any manner, intentionally or unintentionally, that violates these Terms of Use or any applicable laws or regulations;

* using the RecordSetter sites in any manner that furthers or promotes any criminal activity or enterprise or provides instructional information about illegal activities; and

* allowing another person to use the RecordSetter sites in any manner that violates these Terms of Use.

While RecordSetter prohibits inappropriate conduct and Content on the site, you understand and agree that RecordSetter cannot be responsible for other User's conduct or the Content posted on the RecordSetter sites and you may be exposed to such inappropriate conduct or Content when you visit the RecordSetter sites.

8. RIGHTS IN USER CONTENT

“User Content” is Content that is posted by a User to the RecordSetter sites. By adding or uploading User Content to the RecordSetter sites, you are transferring ownership of such User Content to RecordSetter, including, but not limited to, any intellectual property rights you may have in such User Content. Such transfer irrevocably grants to RecordSetter the sole and exclusive worldwide ownership of all right, title and interest, (fully-paid, royalty-free, licensable and transferable (in whole or part) in and to the User Content and all elements thereof and the fully-paid, royalty-free, licensable and transferable (in whole or part) worldwide license to all embedded third-party copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, privacy and publicity rights and other intellectual and industrial property rights that you own or control, to use, reproduce, transmit, display, exhibit, distribute, index, comment on, modify, edit, adapt, translate, create derivative works based upon, perform and otherwise exploit such User Content, in whole or in part, in RecordSetter’s sole discretion, in all media formats and channels now known or hereafter devised (including, but not limited to, on websites, cable and broadcast television networks and stations, on broadband and wireless platforms, products and services, on physical media, and in theatrical release) for any and all purposes including, without limitation, entertainment, news, advertising, promotional, marketing, publicity, trade or commercial purposes, all without further notice to you or the foregoing third-party(ies), with or without attribution, and without the requirement of any permission from or payment to You or to any other person or entity.

In addition, by uploading User Content to the RecordSetter sites, you understand and agree that RecordSetter may, in its sole discretion, deploy, disseminate, publish, upload, and transfer such User Content to the YouTube and Facebook websites for the purposes of monetizing such User Content and maximizing advertising revenue generated by such User Content. Such revenue shall be shared with you under the terms and conditions of the agreement located at so long as you consent to the terms and conditions of such agreement and provide us with the information we need to forward such revenue to you.

By uploading, posting, or otherwise transmitting any User Content, you represent and warrant that (1) you have all necessary written consents, releases, or permissions to grant the foregoing licenses to RecordSetter; (2) you have all necessary written consents, releases, or permissions of each and every identifiable individual person in the User Content to use the name or likeness of that person in the manner contemplated by RecordSetter and these Terms of Use; and (3) the uploading, posting, or otherwise transmitting your User Content on or through RecordSetter does not violate the legal rights of any person or entity, including, but not limited to, privacy rights, publicity rights, copyrights, trademark rights, or contract rights. WITHOUT LIMITATION TO THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 15, BELOW, YOU AGREE TO INDEMNIFY, DEFEND, AND HOLD HARMLESS RECORDSETTER AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS, FROM AND AGAINST ANY CLAIM, ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDING, DEMAND, DAMAGE, OBLIGATION, LOSS, COST, DEBT, LIABILITY, OR EXPENSE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, REASONABLE ATTORNEY'S FEES, MADE BY ANY THIRD PARTY DUE TO OR ARISING FROM YOUR BREACH OF THE FOREGOING REPRESENTATION AND WARRANTY, OR RECORDSETTER'S USE, COPYING, PUBLISHING, DISTRIBUTION, TRANSMISSION, TRANSFERENCE, CREATION OF DERIVATIVE WORKS OF, PUBLIC PERFORMANCE, OR PUBLIC DISPLAY (IN WHATEVER MEDIA, AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION) OF ANY USER CONTENT SUBMITTED BY YOU.

9. COPYRIGHT

RecordSetter undertakes to obey all relevant copyright laws. If you believe your copyrighted material appears on the RecordSetter site without your permission, please send us in writing:

After receiving a claim of infringement, RecordSetter will process and investigate the claims. Upon receipt of notices that comply or substantially comply with the DMCA's requirements, RecordSetter will act expeditiously to remove or disable access to any Content alleged to be infringing. RecordSetter will take reasonable steps to promptly notify the User that it has removed or disabled access to the User's Content.

Upon receipt of a proper counter notification under the DMCA, RecordSetter will promptly provide the person who provided the initial notification of claimed infringement with a copy of the counter notification. Additionally, RecordSetter will inform that person that it will replace the removed material and cease disabling access to it in 10-14 business days following receipt of the counter notice, unless RecordSetter's Copyright Agent first receives notice from the person who submitted the initial notification that such person has filed an action seeking a court order to restrain the subscriber from engaging in infringing activity relating to the material on RecordSetter.

10. USER DISPUTES

You are solely responsible for your interactions with other Users. RecordSetter has no obligation to become involved in any dispute between you and other Users (a "User Dispute"). However, RecordSetter reserves the right to become involved in any User Dispute at RecordSetter's sole discretion.

If you do become involved in a User Dispute, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, you release RecordSetter and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any and all claims, administrative proceedings, demands, damages, obligations, losses, costs, debts, liabilities, and expenses, including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys' fees, known and unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, arising out of or in any way connected with the User Dispute.

11. PRIVACY

Your use of RecordSetter is governed by our Privacy Policy , which is incorporated into these Terms of Use by this reference. By using or accessing RecordSetter, you agree that you have read, understand, and agree to be bound by our Privacy Policy. 

The RecordSetter sites may contain links to third-party websites that are not owned or controlled by RecordSetter. RecordSetter cannot control and assumes no liability or responsibility for the availability, content, or practices of third-party websites. RecordSetter's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy are applicable only when you are on the RecordSetter sites. As such, we encourage you to read the policies of any third-party websites that you visit when you leave the RecordSetter sites.

13. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES

YOUR USE OF RECORDSETTER IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. RECORDSETTER IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, RECORDSETTER, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY OF USER CONTENT AND THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. RECORDSETTER MAKES NO WARRANTY THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, DELAY-FREE, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE. RECORDSETTER IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE DUE TO TECHNICAL PROBLEMS OR MALFUNCTION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY INJURY OR DAMAGE TO ANY PERSON'S COMPUTER RELATED TO OR RESULTING FROM USE OF THE RECORDSETTER SITES OR DOWNLOADING MATERIALS IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF THE RECORDSETTER SITES.

 UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL RECORDSETTER BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE, INCLUDING PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH, RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE RECORDSETTER SITES OR CONDUCT OCCURRING IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF THE RECORDSETTER SITES. THIS INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE IN CONNECTION WITH AN ATTEMPT TO CREATE A WORLD RECORD.

NOTHING HEREIN SHALL BE DEEMED TO CREATE AN AGENCY, PARTNERSHIP, JOINT VENTURE, EMPLOYEE-EMPLOYER, OR FRANCHISOR-FRANCHISEE RELATIONSHIP OF ANY TYPE BETWEEN RECORDSETTER AND ANY OTHER PARTY. THESE TERMS OF USE ARE BETWEEN RECORDSETTER AND YOU AND THEY DO NOT, NOR SHALL THEY BE DEEMED TO, EXTEND RIGHTS TO ANY THIRD PARTY.

14. LIABILITY LIMITATIONS

YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, RECORDSETTER, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS, SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, EXEMPLARY, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, EVEN IF RECORDSETTER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, RESULTING FROMDAMAGES, RESULTING FROM

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF RECORDSETTER, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTIES IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE IS LIMITED TO $100.

15. INDEMNITY

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless RECORDSETTER and its officers, directors, employees, and agents, from and against any and all claims, administrative proceedings, demands, damages, obligations, losses, costs, debts, liabilities, and expenses, including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party due to or arising from:

16. JURISDICTION AND DISPUTES

You understand and agree that the RecordSetter sites shall be deemed solely based in the State of New York ("New York"). The RecordSetter sites shall be deemed passive websites that do not give rise to personal jurisdiction over RecordSetter either specific or general, in jurisdictions other than New York, nor shall use of or access to the RecordSetter sites be construed as the purposeful availment of the benefits or privilege of doing business in any state other than New York by RecordSetter. You understand and agree that, except to the extent applicable law, if any, provides otherwise, any claim or cause of action arising out of the use of or access to the RecordSetter sites or these Terms of Use shall be governed by the substantive laws of New York, without respect to its conflict of laws principles. You further understand and agree not to bring claims or causes of action on a representative, class member basis, or as a private attorney general.

You and RecordSetter understand and agree that regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to use of or access to the RecordSetter sites or these Terms of Use must be filed within one (1) year after the claim or cause of action arose. Otherwise, such claim or cause of action is permanently barred. To the extent a claim or cause of action does arise from the use or access to the RecordSetter sites or these Terms of Use, the claim or cause of action shall be settled by binding arbitration. RecordSetter may elect to resolve the dispute by binding arbitration conduct by telephone, on-line, or based solely upon written submissions where no in-person appearance is required. If in-person appearance is required, it shall be held in New York County, New York, or another location mutually agreed upon by the parties. In all such cases, the arbitration shall be held in the English language and administered by the American Arbitration Association or Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. in accordance with their applicable rules then in effect, or any other established ADR provider mutually agreed upon by the parties. Any judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each party shall have the right to institute an action in a court of proper jurisdiction for preliminary injunctive relief pending a final decision by the arbitrator, and the proper venue for any disputes arising out of or relating to any of the same will be the state and federal courts located in New York County, New York. You hereby consent to, and waive all defenses of lack of personal jursidiction and forum non conveniens with respect to, venue and jurisdiction in the state and federal courts of New York Count, New York.

17. WAIVER AND SEVERABILITY OF TERMS

The failure of RecordSetter to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms of Use shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision of these Terms of Use to be invalid, the court should give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and all other provisions of these Terms of Use remain in full force and effect.

18. VIOLATIONS OF TERMS OF USE

Please report any suspected violations of these Terms of Use to [email protected]

19. QUESTIONS

Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions regarding these Terms of Use.

In order to proceed you need to agree to the terms below. Feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss.

Youngest person to visit every country in the world, james asquith.

London, England  / July 12, 2013

James Asquith visited all 196 countries in the world at the young age of 24. He was born on December 30, 1988. He started traveling five years ago when he was still a student at a university.

Asquith likes meeting new people and going to unusual places off the traditional tourist trails. Amongst his favorite places to visit are Iran and the United States.

Tags: youngest ,  person ,  country ,  airplane ,  travel ,  place ,  world ,  traveling ,  plane ,  visit

Tilly Racker

Gold was the color of the leaves house cleaning jacksonville fl

Well be confident in knowing that a quite definitely needed vacation is more easier than you think. You may even save enough money to have the ability to stay an additional day Best deals of hotel . Discount hotel coupons are pretty easy to find, you can find them pretty much anywhere.

Paul Walker

I liked you videos and posts. The Lifestyle

You can assemble a home travel business and carry on with the Internet way of life you constantly longed for by working an online home Restaurantguru.com . This article will put to rest any apprehensions you may have had about beginning an online travel business.

K Padmanabha

I would like to know how one can visit 196 countries in 5 years. I am curious. I wonder whether James Asquith will share the travel plans for the benefit of travellers all over the globe. K.Padmanabha Reddy (INDIA) E Mail ID: goldmine19 gmail .com

Yogiraj Sarvesh

Very Wonderful Record.

David Ventura

REGISTER IN OFFICIAL WORLD RECORD???

WWW.OFFICIALWORLDRECORD.COM

Semper Strenuus

Most memorable record there is!

Kamal Aslam

AWESOME !!!!!!!!!

Maria Ivanova

Matthew Allen

I love this unbearably! Blessed you are, James!! Immensely blessed. This is easily my favorite record. I have only 2 years to attempt, and if I am able to fund it, I'ma visit them all just as you had. How tremendously awesome and inspiring you are! Blessed travels, James Asquith of London!

Clint Poore

Awesome video....Loved it!

JamesAsquith on 7/12/2013

Related Records

Most capital cities visited on a motorcycle trip, fastest time to read the names of 56 countries aloud, most miles ridden on a motorcycle, most people playing lagerphones at once, most instant message chats open while on a flight, fastest time to drive to every capital city in the uk and ireland, longest inflight announcement made with a single breath, most paper airplanes thrown off a building in 30 seconds, fastest crossing of honduras by motor vehicle, most paper airplanes constructed and flown in one minute, heaviest human "clean and jerk", longest back lever pose while balancing person on back, most countries visited by public transport in 24 hours, world's smallest honky tonk.

The youngest person to travel to every country on earth has launched a 'travel Tinder' that lets people swap homes for $1 a night

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us and terms apply to offers listed (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate products and services to help you make smart decisions with your money.

• James Asquith became the youngest person to visit all 196 countries, aged 24.
• Now, he wants to make travel easier for people around the world with his new app, Holiday Swap.
• The app acts like Tinder to allow users to swipe through homes they're interested in swapping with.
• It costs $1 a night to swap homes through the app.
• It's still in its early stages.

The youngest man to travel to every country in the world wants to make conquering the globe easier for everyone else — and he swears it has nothing to do with making money.

29-year-old James Asquith, a London banker who had visited all 196 countries by the age of 24 , recently launched Holiday Swap , an app which aims to get people to swap homes with other people when they travel.

"You have a picture of a property and you swipe," Asquith told Business Insider. "A lot of people who’ve used it said 'I feel like I’m on Tinder.'

However, unlike Tinder, Holiday Swap works on a global rather than local scale, meaning you can see properties on the more than 40 countries across six continents the app currently covers.

Asquith added that you can filter your settings "for things like 'I want a place with a good atmosphere or a young crowd,' by country, or whatever."

When someone "matches" with you, you get a notification and a "pin" added to your map, as well as the ability to chat to the user and see their availability calendar.

"Then you basically have that connection," Asquith said. "Say you're going away for a week — you might look at your map have have 30 cool places [you can go], but the people as well."

It's only $1 per bed a night to swap through the app, and the users can also request a fully refundable deposit if it makes them more comfortable, money which the app protects.

"If you’re swapping a place but you want to protect against them cancelling on you or you want to protect against damage or whatever, everything is covered on home insurance, but it’s beyond that as well," he said. "We keep the deposit fee in a third party account then it’s all returned when it’s done."

The new app is now  available on both iOS and Android , and Asquith says some users have already started swapping.

When Business Insider checked out the app earlier this week, it was clear that a proportion of the profiles weren't for properties, exactly:

Asquith said these are leftovers from an earlier testing process, and that they have now been phased out.

He added that profiles are manually vetted, rather than automatically with ID checking like with Airbnb. If a profile doesn't meet the site standards, the moderation team will suspend the account.

There are also some pretty nice looking properties already on the app, too, like this one:

While the company has yet to do a marketing push, Asquith said the app is "starting to market and expand our user base largely and internationally."

A social media travel tool

While you have to have a space to list in order to register on the app, it's about more than just home swapping.

"We are aiming to become a fully integrated travel tool that reduces the cost of travel," he said. "Another way of looking at Holiday Swap is a social media travel tool, that gives real savings and new experiences to all of us, by taking out one of the largest costs of travel."

One of the ways he's aiming to do this is through MyMap, an interactive tool where users can place and browse pins of places to visit and things to do "building further on our community feel."

The company is also building a "guest blog" for travel experiences online.

The goal is to allow users to find other uses not just through the places they have listed for swapping, but also through their blog posts and travel tips.

"People may never swap," he said. "If I’ve matched with someone that looked cool in Toronto, now I know someone there. You’d link out and make that connection.

"People then might start chatting and not officially swap through the app."

He added that ultimately "we just want people to be able to use it and to have a tool to actually travel."

"We don’t want people to use it and then shelve it, we [want them to be] actually going and finding cool things and being able to have it in your map. Everyone loves the aesthetics of a map with pins you’ve travelled to and places you could go to."

Making Holiday Swap a billion-dollar company

The company has already had partnership interest from "large US tech firms," according to Asquith, as well as tour companies, airlines, and potential brand ambassadors.

However, however successful the idea may be, he insists he's not doing it for the money.

"I will never ever sell this company," he said. "What probably will make it a really successful app for lots of people to use is that I’m not doing it to flip it and make a lot of money."

He added: "Airbnb is like a $40-50 billion dollar company, Booking.com is owned by Priceline and is a $120 billion dollar company. At the end of the day, Holiday Swap will be a billion dollar company, I'll make sure of it, but that'll just be on paper — it'll be irrelevant to me."

In terms of how he plans to make that happen — and afford to employ staff — Asquith said: "Because of the lean nature of our business, we keep our costs down to a minimum, and as we are trying to give more power back to travellers in terms of what they see and how they stay, we don’t have any great overhead costs.

"There will be enough money that keeps it there. Take Uber for example. Uber has never made a profit."

He added that the $1 per night fee "is enough on a global scale for us as a company to continue to invest and pioneer in travel and tech."

"We already have a decent staff force that is passionate about the brand and the mission," he said.

"Our mission is to really open up travel to more people and to more places, so all money is put right back into the company to allow us to continue to grow and offer more products to users in the future, of which we have some very exciting ideas."

Watch: An early investor in Airbnb and Uber explains why he started buying bitcoin in 2009

• Main content