New Zealander on verge of conquering world

A New Zealander is trying to become the first person to visit all 247 of the world's countries and territories. He has 15 to go.

Thirteen years after John Bougen, 57, began exploring the globe, he expects to be named the world's best-travelled man by the end of the year. It has cost him R6-million and his marriage, after wife Anna filed for divorce.

He has been to 232 countries and holds three Guinness world records, including for the most countries visited in six months.

His Odyssey began in 2002, when he had only visited 34 countries, on business trips.

He sat in the cockpit as his plane skirted Mt Everest and was held at gunpoint in Kazakhstan and Democratic Republic of Congo - his least favourite country.

He travels with just a small backpack, containing five safari shirts, five pairs of underpants and socks, a pair of brogues and a world almanac. He has become very good at negotiating hotel room rates, and he always wins at Trivial Pursuit.

His favourite place is Bhutan. The longest time he has spent in any one country is six nights. He spent 25 minutes in Tajikistan, having a cup of tea with the border guards, and just 17 minutes on Tuvalu island in the Pacific Ocean, getting off the plane and having a cigarette while his passport was stamped.

One last hurdle to his world domination is the Kerguelen islands. A tiny group of French territories near the Antarctic, they can be reached three times a year by a supply boat. But the boat company won't let him travel unless he speaks fluent French. He's taking lessons.