Alma Asinobi: Attempting a Guinness World Record is Pushing Me Out of My Comfort Zone

Vanessa Obioha

Travel creator Alma Asinobi, who recently announced her ambitious attempt to break the Guinness World Record by visiting seven continents in 70 hours, has admitted that the journey is pushing her out of her comfort zone.

The 26-year-old globetrotter, who got her first passport in 2019 and has since travelled to 30 countries, described the attempt as a gamble. “There are so many factors that are out of my control,” she explained.

One key challenge is that Guinness World Records prohibits her from using private or chartered transportation.

“Whether by air or land, I can’t take a private jet – not that I have one, but I can’t take a private jet if I wanted to,” she quipped. “I have to rely on the schedules of flights. So,  if there are delays, weather constraints, suspensions, I’m literally at the mercy of the schedules and weather conditions, and a bunch of other things.”

Despite these hurdles, Asinobi sees this as one of the reasons the record attempt is so significant for her.

 “Personally, it’s pushing me out of my comfort zone, and not in the most obvious way right now. It’s in the sort of way that I’m learning to accept things that I can’t control, and that’s part of life. I’m doing this very loudly in front of everybody, knowing very well that lots of things are outside of my control. Things might not go as planned, but I’ve ensured that I have made all the plans possible.”

Asinobi, who is set to embark on the adventure on March 15, emphasized that her motivation goes beyond personal achievement. She wants to raise awareness about passport privilege.

“I do not think it’s something that’s talked about enough for something that affects up to half of the world’s population. At least 50% of the world’s population is close to the low mobility passport umbrella because the very few countries you can visit are either visa-free or with a visa on arrival. And even if you want to get an e-visa, they’re asking for a lot of documents that you may not even have access to.”

Having faced visa rejections herself, Asinobi has witnessed firsthand the challenges that many travellers endure. She believes that visa applications should be handled with more dignity and hopes that improved diplomatic relations will ease these difficulties in the future.

To meet the record requirements, Asinobi must go into the city upon arrival in each continent and take a photo with a notable landmark. While this adds another layer of complexity—since many landmarks are far from airports—she remains optimistic that she will achieve her goal.

Asinobi also revealed another GWR she is attempting. This time on getting the most signatures on a single piece of travel memorabilia. She is hoping to get more than the required 500 signatures on the Nigerian flag, making it the first to visit the seven continents.