Travel related world records
Ollie Smith, www.expertsure.com

Travel related world records

Fastest circumnavigation by bicycle (female)
In just 152 days, 1 hour, Juliana Buhring (DEU) cycled a total distance of 29’069 km (18’063 miles). The journey started and finished at Piazza Plebiscito in Naples, Italy, and lasted from 23 July until 22 December 2012.

Longest Journey On crutches
From 21 March to 27 July 2011 , Guy Amalfitano (FRA) journeyed 4’004 km (2’488 miles) through France on crutches. His journey took him from Salies-de-Béarn to the Centre Hospitalier in Orthez.

Longest Jouney By Bicycle (Individual)
The greatest mileage amassed in a cycle tour was more than 646’960 km (402’000 miles), by the itinerant lecturer Walter Stolle (CZE) from 24 January 1959 to 12 December 1976. He visited 159 countries, starting out from Romford in Essex, UK.

Longest Journey Walking backwards
To date, the greatest exponent of reverse pedestrianism is Plennie L. Wingo (USA). From 15 April 1931 to 24 October 1932, he walked 12’875 km (8’000 miles) from Santa Monica in California, USA, to Istanbul in Turkey at a rate of 24.89 km (15.47 miles) per day.

Fastest crossing of the USA by bicycle
During the Race Across America in 2013, Christoph Strasser (AUT) cycled across the USA in 7 days, 22 hours 11 minutes, completing the trip on 19 June. In doing so, the indefatigable cyclist also became the first person to cross the USA coast to coast in under 8 days.

Longest ongoing pilgrimage
As of 24 April 2013, the greatest distance claimed for an around the world pilgrimage is 64'752 km (40'235 miles) by Arthur Blessit (USA), who has been walking on a mission since 25 December 1969. He has visited all seven continents, including Artarctica, having traversed 321 nations, island groups and territories carrying a 3.7 m tall (12 feet) wooden cross and preaching from the Bible throughout.

Fastest circumnavigation by car
The record for the first and fastest man and woman to have circumnavigated the Earth by car covering six continents under the rules applicable in 1989 and  1991 embracing more than an equator's length of driving (24’901 road miles; 40’075 km), is held by Saloo Choudhury and his wife Neena Choudhury (both India). The journey took 69 days, 19 hours, 5 minutes from 9 September to 17 November 1989. The couple drove a 1989 Hindustan "Contessa Classic" starting and finishing in Delhi, India.

Longest Journey by 50-cc scooter
Theodore Rezvoy and Evgeniy Stoyanov (both UKR) rode 14’434 km (8’968 miles) from Odessa in Ukraine to Ulan-Ude in Russia on two 50-cc Honda Zoomer scooters between 11 July and 11 September 2013. In doing so, they surpassed the previous record, set in 2010, by approximately 2’000 km (1’240 miles).

Longest journey by electric motorcycle
As part of the Meneghina Express event – a project to investigate global food nutrition and sustainability – Nicola Colombo and Valerio Fumagalli (both ITA) covered 12’379 km (7’691 miles) on electric motorcycles. The duo rode from Shanghai, China, to Milan, Italy, between 10 June and 23 July 2013.
www.meneghinaexpress.com

Source: Guinness Book of World Records 2015

First circumnavigation by car
Racing driver Clärenore Stinnes (Germany), accompanied by film-maker Carl-Axel Söderström (Sweden), embarked upon what is considered to be the first round-the-world drive on 25 May 1927, setting off from Frankfurt in Germany and finishing just beyond the starting point in Berlin on 24 June 1929, a total of 46’063 km (28’622 miles). The pair drove a 50-hp Adler Standard 6 automobile that was unmodified save for two lounge seats, added to give extra comfort. The entire trip took 2 years, 1 month and encompassed 23 countries. The following year, Stinnes and Söderström, who had met just two days prior to their departure in 1927, married.

First circumnavigation by hydrogen-powered car
Mercedes-Benz was the first car manufacturer to circumnavigate the world with a hydrogen-powered “fuel cell” vehicle. It took a fleet of three identical cars (based on the company’s B-Class hatchback) on a 125-day journey to celebrate the car-maker’s 125th anniversary. The excursion started and finished in Stuttgart, Germany, taking in 14 countries.

First circumnavigation by amphibious car
“Frederick Benjamin “Ben” Carlin (Australia) and his American wife Elinore left Montreal, Canada, in Half-Safe, a modified Ford GPA amphibious jeep, on 24 July 1950 intent on travelling around the world over land and sea. It proved to be an eventful trip – Elinore left her husband in India and filed for divorce – but eventually Ben arrived back in Montreal on 8 May 1958, after travelling 62’765 km (39’000 miles) over land and 15’450 km (9’600 miles) by water. For the trans-Pacific stage (Tokyo, Japan, to Anchorage in Alaska, USA), Carlin was joined by The Japan Times journalist Boyé Lafayette De Mente.

Longest journey in a wind-powered car
Between January and February 2011, Dirk Gion and Stefan Simmerer (both Germany) travelled 5’000 km (3’100 miles) from Perth to Melbourne in Australia in Wind Explorer, a wind-powered car. A wind turbine charged a lithium-ion battery pack to provide propulsion and, when the wind was strong enough, a kite was used to harness the power of the wind.

Longest journey by car using alternative fuel
From 15 November 2009 to 4 May 2010, Tyson Jerry (Canada) of the Driven to Sustain project – an educational scheme to teach environmental awareness – drove 48’535.5 km (30’158.5 miles) across North America in a Mitsubishi Delica fuelled solely by biodiesel and vegetable oil. Joining Tyson for some of the route was Chloe Whittaker.

Longest driven journey
As of 18 December 2012, Emil and Liliana Schmid (Switzerland) had covered 668’485 km (413’653 miles) in their Toyota Land Cruiser. The adventurous couple – who have no permanent home – embarked on their epic journey on 16 October 1984 and, to date, have crossed 172 countries and territories.

Longest journey by taxi
Leigh Purnell, Paul Archer and Johno Ellison (UK) left Covent Garden in London, UK, by taxi on 17 February 2011 and travelled 69’716.12 km (43’319.5 miles) around the globe, returning to Covent Garden on 11 May 2012. The journey, in Hannah – a 1992 LTI Fairway FX4 London black taxi cab – clocked up £79’006.80 ($127’530; €98’490) on the meter. In the process, the team also achieved the highest altitude by taxi, reaching 5’225.4 m (17’143 ft) in Qinghai Province, China, on 29 August 2011.

Source: Guinness Book of World Records 2014