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I have finished the bulk of the book for the most part, now in the editing portion of the book. I have also been at a standstill in terms of completing the 197 tour, due the the visa situation, although I received the Niger visa today through a fixer on WhatsApp, a process which took several months. I am scheduled to go to Russia in August for a cross-continental trip, which leaves only 6 countries remaining after that.
So let’s break down the possibility of completing the final six countries – Algeria, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Yemen.
ALGERIA – Requires me to either physically mail my passport to the embassy or book a tour in the south of the country to obtain a visa on arrival. Truth be told, I have no interest in going on a pricey tour in the desert, and I can’t exactly mail my passport away while I have future travel plans soon. But it will be done after the next 2 countries hopefully, that way it won’t be as problematic if my passport is lost/delayed in the mail.
LIBYA – Requires a mandatory police escort at all times while in the country. I tried inquiring with a tour guide about the possibility of being granted permission to paint somewhere if I book a tour. Independent travel has not been allowed to this travel for many years now.
NORTH KOREA – Currently closed to tourists besides Russians travelling under specific circumstances.
SUDAN – I transited through here but was not allowed to leave the airport. The country used to be possible to travel to independently, but due to recent conflicts, it appears that tourists are only allowed to visit the port city with a group tour. From several accounts, it appears that this port city tour is very uninteresting, and people only go there to ‘tick off’ the country, so I would rather wait to see if the situation stabilizes on the ground and I can visit Khartoum later.
TURKMENISTAN – Requires being accompanied by a guide at all times, but there are many accounts from others of being allowed unofficially to wander around on their own for a day if they booked an authorized tour.
YEMEN – Tourists require a mandatory police escort at all times while in the country. There are possibilities to go without illegally, or with a student visa, although it seems quite difficult from all accounts and I have so far not found any contacts online available to help.
In all honesty, it seems extremely unlikely I will complete every country before the book is finished, and I’m okay with that. I’m not exactly interested in visiting countries where I need to have a policeman/tour guide following me at all times.
I’m monitoring a few travel groups to see if things in the aforementioned countries change, but for now I’m not planning to visit the mandatory tour countries just yet.
And what’s next after the book is released and I complete the world tour? I have a few ideas, only time will tell…