About Lee Abbamonte

“Not all those who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” Samuel Johnson

Bungy Jumping 2004, Victoria Falls on bridge between Zimbabwe and Zambia
My traveling odyssey began as a junior in college when I decided to study abroad. I had never traveled as a kid so this was a very big deal for me. I chose to live and study in London and my whole life changed instantly. It literally opened my eyes to a whole new world. I fell in love with traveling and the mystery, adventure and freedom that goes with it.

I’m fortunate to have realized a lot of my dreams and destinations. I have done wild and exciting things on six continents. At last count, I had been to over 253 countries and I am a proud gold member of the exclusive Travelers Century Club, which is reserved for people who have visited over 200 countries. I have also been elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the Circumnavigators Club.

I try to travel as often as I can to both new places and some old favorites. It is my goal to visit every country in the world and have the overall best and most exciting possible experience along the way. Additionally, I am attempting to become the youngest person ever to successfully visit the entire Travelers Century Club list of 319 countries-I am currently 4/5 of the way there.

I don’t travel like a typical tourist. I aim to really explore ancient cultures and civilizations. I want to find the answers to unanswered questions. I truly experience places and people. I test the limits of extreme traveling. I want to see what few have seen. I live what others can’t. I do what others won’t. When people ask me why I travel so much, I ask why they don’t. I have devoted myself to living my life to the fullest.

Some of my extreme traveling highlights include: Hang gliding over Rio de Janeiro; Conquering the worlds highest bungy jump in South Africa; Tracking silverback gorillas in Rwanda; Summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania; Ice climbing various glaciers around the world; Canyoning in Switzerland; Skydiving; Safari in the Serengeti; Base jumping in New Zealand; Hiking the Inca Trail in Peru and white water rafting down the level five rapids of the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe.

Some of the more far-flung amazing places I have been to include: Timbuktu; Easter Island; Madagascar; Sumatra; Qatar; Victoria Falls; Taj Mahal; Syria; Kazakhstan; Southern Sudan; Colombia; Black Sea; Dominica; Togo; Ras Al Khaimah; Congo; Amazon Jungle; Samarkand; Laos; Azores; Papua New Guinea; Tibet; Montserrat; Pyramids; Haiti; Guinea-Bissau; Lakshadweep Islands; Petra; Uruguay; Angkor Wat; Burundi; Outback Australia; Ethiopia; French Guiana; Congo; Sri Lanka; East Timor; Sahara Desert; Goa; Tikal; Cote D’Ivoire; Alaska; Bay of Bengal; Tibet; Trans Dniester; Turkmenistan; Paraguay; Liberia; Russia; Java; Cappadocia; Lampedusa; Western Sahara; Iguassu Falls; Rwanda; St. Kitts & Nevis; Sierra Leone; Borneo; Mongolia; Yemen; Isla Margarita; Chad; Azerbaijan; Philippines; Benin; Nepal; Guyana; Great Wall of China; Zanzibar; Abu Dhabi; Barbados; La Reunion; Gabon; Caspian Sea; Reunion; Thailand; Equatorial Guinea; Tajikistan; Machu Picchu; Maldives; Costa Rica; Mauritania; El Salvador; Oman; Djibouti; Bali; San Andres; Mozambique; Burkina Faso; Martinique; North Korea; Bangladesh; Uganda; Venezuela; Rodrigues; Teotihuacan; Iran; Dogon Country; Bhutan; Seychelles.

I believe in globalization of everything including people. I believe that I am a citizen of Earth. I believe that people around the world are at their core, basically good and the same. I believe that more people should experience the world and the way traveling can open their eyes and minds to different and exciting things. I believe in just being myself. I believe in life.

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” Jawaharlal Nehru

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things; air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky, all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.”> Cesare Pavese