Hi everyone, it's Meredith Carey and you're listening to Women Who Travel, a podcast from Connie Nass Traveler.

A few weeks ago, Jessica Nabongo became the first black woman to visit every country in the world when she stepped foot in the Seychelles.

You can read all about the end of her journey and what she's learned along the way in her interview with my co-host, Lai Aricoglu, which is linked in the show notes. We've been following her journey for years,

and to celebrate her enormous accomplishment, we're throwing it back to when we spoke to her in January when she was in Malawi, country 151 of 195. Enjoy. Hi, everyone. Happy New Year and welcome

to Women Who Travel, a podcast from Condonast Traveler.

This week, we're circling back to one of our very first guests and, I have to say, favorite guests.

Jessica Nabongo, who's calling in from Lake Malawi at what time is it with you right now?

It is 6.37 p.m. Okay, very good. It's 1130 a.m. New York time.

Jessica, also known as the Catch Me If You Can, is in the final stretch of her quest to be the first

black woman to visit every UN recognized country in the world. Right now, she is at 151 countries.

Out of 195, right, five right Jessica yes oh my gosh

you're so close honestly like I feel like this last stretch who gonna go by so fast yeah

does it sort of feel like now you're just like all right this is easy I do not feel that way

at all it's funny because I'm like, is this a home stretch yet?

A lot of people are like, yeah, you're almost there.

And I'm like, 44 countries, just under nine months.

It still feels very far away.

But I'm feeling really, really good about it.

So, yeah.

And so I think the first question we wanted to kind of

kick off with is after 151 countries, how much do you actually still love traveling?

I still love learning about new cultures and meeting local people in new places. I despise planes.

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