A 25-year-old American man has become the youngest person to visit all 195 countries, claiming the feat helped cure his debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Cameron Mofid, from San Diego, California, crossed the finish line in Pyongyang, North Korea, on 6 April 2025, only weeks after his birthday.
Mofid was first diagnosed with OCD at age 12. During the first Covid lockdown in Miami in May 2020, his condition spiralled out of control. 'It can become paralysing being stuck in a mental loop,' he said. While scrolling travel sites, he discovered that more people had been to space than had visited every country. Inspired, he set out to beat the record held by the youngest person at that time – then 27 – according to the travel platform Nomad Mania.
His five-year journey took him to every nation, including severe illness in Algeria, imprisonment in Djibouti, detainment in Afghanistan, and witnessing poverty in Nigeria. He ended in North Korea as one of the first foreigners to enter in six years, running a marathon in front of 50,000 people. 'My OCD has been much better for it,' he said, adding that travel gave him an escape from his condition.
Mofid grew up in La Jolla, San Diego, with Egyptian and Persian American parents who encouraged his curiosity about the world. After a promising tennis career was cut short by injury, he spent a gap year covering tournaments for a magazine, which first made him feel travel could help his OCD. He now wants to do something purposeful with his life.
According to Nomad Mania, fewer than 300 people have visited every country. Mofid’s record requires spending at least a few days in each nation, unlike some Guinness World Records that allow airport transits. He hopes his story encourages others facing mental health challenges.
