One man can now rip up his bucket list after visiting every single country in the world.

Donald 'Don' Barnes who lives in Southport, when he's in the UK, returned from Equatorial Guinea on November 11 to finally complete an achievement which only around 250 people worldwide have managed, after 52 years of exploring the globe.

The 72-year-old, who once made his trade as a teacher in Kirkby, decided to venture into the unknown in his early 20s in search of a more exciting life, and now has all 193 UN member states stamped on his passport.

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At the age of 20, Don was inspired to travel the world in search of "excitement" and a "change of routine". He told the ECHO: "I wanted to see what the world beyond was like. I’d met travellers while on holiday in Spain who told me how easy it was, and they advised and encouraged me to do it."

Having never left Europe before, he packed his bags and took a year out of work. He said: "I travelled the hippie trail by train from London to Kathmandu, spending the rest of the year exploring India. India has to be one of my favourite places - it's so exotic and different, and each of the regions are like separate countries, having their own food, culture and language."

Don hadn't always planned to go to every country, and previously thought it impossible, but this all changed one day when he was scrolling through the internet. He said: "A turning point was when I saw an advertisement from a company, Lupine Travel, who were selling group visits to North Korea. I travelled with them there and came to the realisation that if I can get into North Korea, then I really can go anywhere in the world."

The teacher-turned-explorer has travelled to some of the world's most isolated and amazing places, including venturing into the war-zone Iraq, hopping across the islands of Indonesia and climbing to the top of an active volcano in Congo. In his search for discomfort, and the new and unknown, Don has been undeterred in the face of danger.

He described how he was shot upon while touring war-torn Cambodia, he said: “Me and some others were riding on top of a train, at a time when the Khmer Rouge were still active. Suddenly we heard shots ringing out and realised they were being aimed at us. We all had to dive flat on our fronts to allow them to pass over."

But this wouldn’t be the only time that Don was targeted by gunmen. He said: “I persuaded my wife, Jennifer, to come to Kashmir in India. I assured her it was quite safe, which I thought it was. One day we were stood in the post office when bullets started spraying into the building. We all hit the deck again. It took a while for her to trust me after that."

During his travels, Don kept his financial outgoings minimal, he says, by staying in non-tourist areas and eating local food, which he says isn't only cheap, but "great for meeting interesting people whom you otherwise wouldn't in a five-star hotel."

He plans to carry on travelling, as he still hasn't done everything he would like to, he said: "I could do with another lifetime really".

Don shared his advice for other aspiring explorers, saying: “Just go for it, don’t be put off by fear of the unknown. Do your research, keep smiling and enjoy life.”

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