Metro Detroit native breaks world traveling record after visiting every country
On Friday afternoon, Michael Zervos received an incredibly warm welcome at the Detroit Metro Airport. Several of his closest friends and family members flooded the terminal, celebrating the completion of a record-setting journey that had been years in the making.
Zervos visited 195 United Nations-recognized countries in just 499 days.
"It felt long, terminable, difficult, frustrating, but at the same time, it was beautiful. It was mesmerizing. It was captivating, meeting people from all walks of life everywhere in the world," Zervos said.
This vision is part of his brainchild called Project Kosmos.
He says it's a way to see as much of the world as possible, while asking natives in each country one crucial question: "What's the happiest moment of your life?"
"I've always been a thrill seeker and wanted to test my limits. I guess challenging yourself makes you better, but on the other side of things, I wanted to tell stories. I wanted to collect stories across the world about happiness and help other people," he said.
The idea was born in his pursuit of happiness. He says he overcame years of depression and got inspired after the pandemic. When he decided to change his life for the better, he wanted to explore what it truly means to be happy.
"The smallest thing, a breeze a cup of coffee sitting down with loved ones those can give you as much happiness as winning a contest, breaking world record, even though it really is all about perspective and when you look at things small things, you can have those experiences of happiness pretty much every day and you don't have to climb a mountain to do it," Zervos said.
You can follow his journey and .
