Record-settin' jettin'
He wants the whole world under his feet.
Manhattan travel addict Sal Lavallo is gearing up for the biggest journey of his life — a tour of 18 countries on five continents this summer that would make him the youngest American to visit all 195 nations on Earth.
“I want to bang out all the countries in one epic trip before my 27th birthday,” Lavallo said of his planned summer sojourn.
If all goes according to plan, Lavallo (right) will unseat Lee Abbamonte, who was named the youngest globetrotter by Travelers Century Club at age 32.
Guinness World Records lists Cassie De Pecol as the youngest allnation traveler, at age 27.
But Travelers Century Club insists it sets the standard for this particular record, having tracked travelers for a much longer time, and using better verification.
Lavallo said he’s armed with nine visas and a fistful of maps.
“It’s going to be a lot, but I have a good feeling I can get it done,” he said.
Lavallo was even able to infiltrate North Korea for six days last year.
In the Hermit Kingdom, “all I wanted was an ice-cream cone since everyone was eating one, but I could never have one,” he said.
Americans are forbidden to use local currency there.
His wanderlust was ignited 12 years ago, at age 14, when his dad took him to Japan and China.
“Since then, I’ve been addicted to turning what I’ve learned about a place into firsthand experiences,” he said.
One of his most memorable encounters was meeting a monster in Gambia.
“I turned around and saw this red creature sharpening huge machetes,” he recalled.
“My friend told me it was ‘The Devil,’ and I had to pay him money to make him go away.”
Turns out it was a local tradition where a masked dancer collects money in celebration of a baby’sy circumcision.
Lavallo, a native of Indiana who previously workedd as a consul-consultant for a management company in Abu Dhabii and now lives in Murray Hill, saves cash by staying with friends and in-incorporating work with travel.
“People always ask me, ‘How can you afford to do it?’ I tell them, ‘The more people you know, the better.’ ”