Couple Rachel and Martina visited every country in the world

Jordan Hirst 8 December 2022

Very Hungry Nomads, Rach and Marty, have visited every country in the world — Images: Very Hungry Nomads/Instagram

For four years, Melbourne woman Rachel Davey and her partner Martina Sebova, from Slovakia, have travelled the world together.

It’s taken the couple 1,685 days, but they’ve achieved their incredible goal of visiting all 195 countries around the world.

The women are known as Rach & Marty, the “Very Hungry Nomads” on social media, where they’ve shared their journey with thousands of followers through stunning photos.

The two travellers achieved the incredible feat when they touched down in Samoa in late November.

“Back in 2016 we both had already travelled to 100 countries, we worked in travel, loved travel. It was our passion,” Martina told ABC News.

“We returned to Melbourne after one trip, and wondered if there’s been anyone that’s travelled to all the countries.

“We looked it up. They were all men. We struggled to find any women on the list.

“We decided to set off on that journey.”

Already keen travellers, the women had 88 countries left on their list. They quit their jobs and sold everything they owned to fund the incredible journey.

As they set off they lived out of a backpacked and gave themselves a budget of $50 a day.

“One of the most memorable experiences was when we were walking in Tajikistan and saw a group of women working in a field,” Rachel said.

“They stopped for lunch and invited us over. They had pots of rice, stewed meats and fruit from their trees.

“We chatted through broken English, bits of German and broken Russian.”

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A post shared by Rach & Marty🌏 (@veryhungrynomads)

Before the Taliban seized control, the two women visited sacred places in Afghanistan. There, a group of Afghan women invited them into a local home.

Rachel and Martina also made it into North Korea and travelled to Iran.

In many regions, the two women say they chose not to disclose their relationship, instead describing themselves as friends for safety.

“We just looked like best friends, and that’s how we introduced ourselves,” Rachel told ABC News.

“It was the easiest thing and safest thing moving through the world.”

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A post shared by Rach & Marty🌏 (@veryhungrynomads)

Very Hungry Nomads want to see more women achieve the feat

The Very Hungry Nomads believe they’re the first Australian woman and first Slovakian woman to travel to the almost 200 countries in the world.

Rachel and Martina say what they want to see is more women on lists of those who’ve achieve the feat. They say totals of people who’ve done so number less than 300 people worldwide. But of that, only around 10 percent are women.

“We set out on this journey to inspire other women and add more women to the list,” Martina said.

“Our message is more in a general sense to encourage women to travel and not be afraid.”