Meet the man on a mission to visit every country on the planet - and he's already been to some of the most "dangerous". "

Daniel Björnram, 25, has ticked off 61 counties so far - including Iraq and Syria.

He caught the travel bug after visiting Portugal in October 2020 and hasn't stopped since.

After travelling South America in 2022, Daniel was keen to continue seeing more of the world and moved to Australia for a year with girlfriend Töwe Lindstrom, 25, on a working visa.



They were able to save £20,000 from four months' work to fund a gap year travelling around Australia, New Zealand, Peru and Central and South America.



His most recent trip in September 2025 has seen him visit Middle East with friend Jordan Rios, 30.



He plans to travel Southeast Asia in 2026 and go to Everest base camp.



Daniel, who works in IT and security, from Orebro, Sweden, said: "I'm just in a place right now where I want to experience so much of the world and make the best travel stories and life stories as possible."



"When I get old I'll have a huge story to tell my kids and grandkids."



"I would definitely love to visit all the countries in the world - if that's when I'm 50 or 80 it doesn't matter to me, there's not a set timeline to hit."



"Just to be rich in memories and stories is what matters most to me"."



Daniel says he hasn't had lots of scary moments - but does remember one.

He said: "It was right before the border from Morocco to Mauritania where I photographed a police car and a policeman saw me and thought I photographed him from the bus."



"He then stormed into the bus took my passport and left."



"He then came back in and brought me out."



"He asked me then why I took the photo and made me delete the picture."



"My stomach just sank when he saw me taking pictures and stormed into the bus"."



Most recently, Daniel spent five weeks travelling to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria.



He said: "I was going in there to really understand those people, what they had been through with war and all that but what I came out with was something different."

"What I really understand was why they missed their countries so much and didn't want to leave - most people love those countries, and I can see why."



"There's lots of community and the hospitality is something I've never experienced."



"Some shops didn't allow us to pay they were giving us things for free."



"We got invited to lot of people's houses for dinner."



"We were one of the few tourists that came there not travelling with a tour, we were doing it independently and it made it possible to do it with locals involved."



"They would go out of way to show us the best shawarma place or make us feel at home when we were in a foreign county most people advised us not to go to."



"It was eye opening for me as the media portrays these countries to be so dangerous and advise us not to go to."



"People I talk to, colleagues and friends advise us not to go there might not even know countries."



"After being to over 60 countries these countries had a hospitality that was unmatched"."



It was after his first big trip to South America that Daniel decided to travel more despite reservations from family.



"For example Bolivia my dad was really scared – he'd not heard about that country and I showed him pictures of where the hotel was on Google Earth."



"He said, ‘Oh don't know if you should on this trip'."



"Coming back from that trip I realised I can travel wherever even though people say it's dangerous - it's only my opinion and view of a country that can change that otherwise I'll live in a bubble and never go anywhere"."



In October 2024 Daniel completed a 22-hour journey across the Sahara Desert on the now banned Mauritania Iron Ore train.



"When it came at 5am we jumped on the carriage to sit on top of iron ore going through the desert."



"We had five litres of water and snacks with us just hoping the train was not going to derail or stop in the middle of the desert."



"It was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had but also one of the most horrible experiences."



"Sitting on top of iron ore for 22 hours during night it was so cold and during day it was so warm, like 45 degrees and the sun is just burning, you can't escape."



"You have to have ski goggles on as the iron ore is quite poisonous to get in your eyes"."



Daniel advises fellow travellers to pack light and be organised, do "just a little" planning. "

He says: "Some of my best memories came from trips where I only planned the basics. "

"The most interesting side trips, random encounters, and real experiences usually happen when you leave space for spontaneity."

"Stay open minded and trust the good in people."



"I've learned that most people genuinely want to help you."



"When you travel, especially in less touristy places, you'll find kindness everywhere."



"Of course, there's always a small percentage with bad intentions, but I prefer to focus on the 95 per cent who make the world feel smaller and friendlier "

"Figure out what you actually value before you go, maybe it's food, adventure, comfort, or just being somewhere new."



"Once you know that, it's easier to spend wisely and not blow your budget on things that don't really add to your experience". "

Next, Daniel and Towe plan to go back to Australia to save up more money and head off travelling again – doing his IT job in the meantime.



Countries visited so far:



Finland



Turkey



Poland



Norway



France



Spain



Italy



Vatican City



England



USA



Netherlands



Portugal



Greece



Croatia



Bosnia & Herzegovina



Denmark



Bolivia,



Chile



Argentina



Uruguay



Brazil



Paraguay



Germany



Hungary



Serbia



Montenegro



Albania



North Macedonia



Kosovo



Australia



New Zealand



Peru



Mexico



Belize



Guatemala



Honduras



Nicaragua



Costa Rica



Panama



Morocco



Mauritania



Senegal



Gambia



Latvia



Lithuania



Belarus



Estonia



Ireland



India



Nepal



Austria



Slovakia



Monaco



Kyrgyzstan



Kazakhstan



Kuwait



Iraq



Lebanon



Syria