I remember back when MySpace was all the rage. I came across this widget on the website, Travbuddy. It shows you the percentage of the world that you’ve already seen.

I distinctly remember the pride coursing through me, like some proud general marching off with his army to conquer the enemy, as I checked off all the countries I had been to. The Philippines, Iran, India. Check. This was a point of pride for me. Japan, Malaysia. Check. I’ve always said that I was born with an insatiable wanderlust. USA, Mexico. Check and check!

When it spit out the resulting percentage I was aghast to find out that I had only seen 4% of the world. Four freakin’ percent! I couldn’t believe it!

I had been traveling around the world since I was three months old. I remember being one of the few kids in my classroom who had been on an airplane. I could speak three different languages at the time. But in reality, I had seen so very little of this wonderful blue orb.

It was then, that I resolved to travel even more! I went back and updated my Bucket List and swore not to die or settle down until I’ve seen at least 80% of the countries of the world!

UPDATE: Having gotten back from a road trip across Europe, check out my new percentage of the world seen!