Man spends $200k visiting every country in world

A man has become the youngest traveller to visit every country. Picture: Thinkstock Source: ThinkStock

WHAT begins in Afghanistan and finishes in Zimbabwe?

The adventures of the youngest person to visit every country in the world.

The massive trip took 24-year-old UK traveller James Asquith five years and cost over $200,000.

But he didn't mind, he wasn't in a rush. After taking his first trip as a student in 2008, James gave himself until the age of 25 to complete the feat, the UK's Telegraph reported.

It was when he reached Egypt that he decided he wanted to visitall 196 countries in the world, including unstable nations.

He raised the funds for his trips by taking part-time jobs in bars and hostels along the way.

His timing wasn't always spot-on though.

"I loved the adrenalin that went with it - but I always seemed to pick the worst timing to visit a lot of the countries," James said.

"I went to Libya three weeks after Gaddafi fell, Afghanistan two weeks after the terrorist bombings in Mazar-i-Sharif, but generally I just found a local and tried to get an insight into each country.

"The longest I spent anywhere was six months in Africa. I travelled overland from Senegal to the Congo and then over back up through the east.

"There were lots of small countries and tricky border crossings, [and I was] putting trust in some people that drove me as much as three countries at a time."

And he hasn't finished yet. Next on the list is Tahiti, Easter Island and Antarctica. By the way, they're not technically countries.

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The web's best pics of spring and autumn

The classic perspective hack. We love it. Source: Instagram

WE LIKE to think life is pretty great Down Under but on the other side of the world, our antipodean counterparts are loving life just as much. Instagram contains all the proof you need.

While we're posting perfectly filtered pics of warm days at the beach and flowers in bloom, #fall is going off with photos of crunchy leaves and toasty soups.

It's enough to make you want to jump on a plane with a suitcase of warm clothes.

So to settle, once and for all, who has it better at this time of year, we've scoured Insta for the best of #fall and #spring.

From pictures of cupcakes to pictures of puppies, all the usual Instagram suspects are here. See if you agree with our judgment.

(PS - we know, we know, it's called autumn down here. But obviously to search for the pics, we used the very American word "fall".)

SUNSETS

#SPRING: A blazing sun sets behind power lines. Classic Instagram. Source: Instagram

#FALL: Sure there’s a filter, but Mother Nature is doing most of the work here. Source: Instagram

WINNER: The yellow sunset is impressive, but #fall is putting on an unbeatably brilliant show of fuchsia here.

TALLY: #fall: 1. #spring: 0.

KIDS

#SPRING: Bloomin’ beautiful. Points deducted for the unsubtle BMW brag stage left. Source: Instagram

#FALL: Looking forward to his first Halloween, we reckon. Source: Instagram

WINNER: No-one was ever going to outdo a cute, chubby baby wearing a pumpkin. Ever.

TALLY: #fall: 2. #spring 0.

CUPCAKES

#SPRING: Ladybirds in grass. Very clever. Source: Instagram

#FALL: We agree with the first commenter. Bring me oneeeeeeee. Source: Instagram

WINNER: The pumpkin cupcake sounds delicious, but the attention-to-detail on the ladybird can't be ignored. Note - a taste test could change our minds. #justsaying.

TALLY: #fall 2. #spring 1.

DUCK FACE

#SPRING: Floral headband + duckface Source: Instagram

#FALL: Ten points for a winning pout, but what does this have to do with autumn? Source: Instagram

WINNER: The flower-adorned girl in #spring is way more on message than our #fall contender. Consider a crunchy leaf headband next time, #fall.

TALLY: Tied at 2 each.

FLOWERS

#SPRING: There was a lot of competition within the hashtag, but roses reign supreme. Source: Instagram

#FALL: While the leaves are withering, the lavender is thriving. Source: Instagram

WINNER: Look, autumn was never going to trump spring in a flower competition, was it?

TALLY: #fall: 2. #spring: 3.

FEET/SHOES

#SPRING: Are the floral pants enough to make up for the sad concrete background? Source: Instagram

#FALL: Lovely shoes and bonus points for featuring dry leaves on the ground. Source: Instagram

WINNER: We're not sure why Instagram is so obsessed with foot shots in the first place, but #fall wins this one for its choice of location. Grass over concrete every time, folks.

TALLY: Three a piece.

DOGS

#SPRING: How could you not want to adopt a dog wearing a daisy chain? Source: Instagram

#FALL: Some autumnal introspection. Source: Instagram

WINNER: Sorry, we're not the type to discern between cute pups. Everyone's a winner.

TALLY: Four each.

TREES

#SPRING: A site familiar to many Aussies — a jacaranda in full, glorious bloom. Source: Instagram

#FALL: Changing into its winter coat. Source: Instagram

WINNER: Tough call, but nothing heralds the oncoming of summer quite like a beautiful jacaranda in bloom.

TALLY: #fall: 4. #spring: 5.

Congrats, southern hemisphere! You are indeed the superior shutterbugs (according to this totally biased, completely uncomprehensive survey of Instagram anyway.)

Agree with us or think otherwise? Continue the conversation on Twitter @danielstrudwick | @newscomauHQ

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Is this the world's most bizarre superyacht?

The bizarre-looking new yacht. Picture: Moka for Zaha Hadid and Blohm + Voss Source: Supplied

IT'S set to become the ultimate toy for billionaires.

But this dazzling new yacht is so strange it will not only turn heads, but leave many scratching them as well.

The yacht is part of a new fleet of vessels designed by London architect Zaha Hadid for German shipbuilder Bloom + Voss.

The largest of the fleet, the 128-metre long 'mothership' yacht has a curvy mesh 'exoskeleton' of support beams that give the vessel the resemblance of Beijing's 'Bird's Nest' Olympic stadium.

There's also a smaller 90m version called the Jazz.

$1 billion Streets of Monaco yacht a floating city

Inside the yacht. Picture: Moka for Zaha Hadid and Blohm + Voss Source: Supplied

Billionaires are snapping up superyachts, the ultimate display of wealth. It’s the ultimate toy for the super-rich. Picture: Moka for Zaha Hadid and Blohm + Voss Source: Supplied

It's estimated up to 700 megayachts, measuring over 24 metres, are currently being built, The Independent reported.

It has a curvy mesh ‘exoskeleton’. Picture: Moka for Zaha Hadid and Blohm + Voss Source: Supplied

And it's one of the strangest-looking designs we've ever seen.

There’s also a smaller 90 metre yacht. Picture: Moka for Zaha Hadid and Blohm + Voss Source: Supplied

It was designed by architect Zaha Hadid. Picture: Moka for Zaha Hadid and Blohm + Voss Source: Supplied

And made for German shipbuilder Bloom + Voss. Picture: Moka for Zaha Hadid and Blohm + Voss Source: Supplied

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