Voting is live for the 2024 NomadMania Travel Awards, recognizing the best of the best among the global travel community. Our youngest son, Ben, is a finalist for World’s Biggest Traveler, which is a tremendous honor!

As NomadMania describes it, this is akin to the Best Actor category of the Oscars. “The one and only, whose travels in the past year, in terms of both quantity (days on the road and number of trips) AND quality (difficulty and variety of destinations), render them a truly big traveller even by the standards of the NomadMania Community.”

Ben has been traveling nonstop since January 2024 and has made his way from North America to Europe to Africa to Asia, traveling primarily over land with as few flights as possible. From the award nomination:

“Over 295 days, covering 133 NomadMania regions and 36 countries with 23 border crossings, 23-year-old Benjamin Ballard embarked on an incredible global journey that was not just an adventure but an odyssey of personal growth. Travelling on a shoestring budget, he spent 99% of his time sleeping in hostels and camping, flying only when absolutely necessary to optimise for overland travel. This experience taught him resilience, humility, and the power of connection. Each border crossed expanded his understanding of the world and his place in it. From haggling with grandpas in Moroccan bazaars to riding Taliban motorcycles, every moment was embraced with gratitude and curiosity. Benjamin is deeply thankful to those who opened their doors, making this journey a shared experience.”

2024 NomadMania Travel Awards

During the YouTube presentation of nominees, NomadMania founder Harry Mitsidis noted that statistically speaking, Ben is hands-down the biggest global traveler this year. He faces stiff competition for the award from the other nominees, though, who include the first Arab woman to visit all 193 UN countries and the first person to visit every country twice.

In addition to Biggest Traveller, NomadMania also recognizes the Most Purposeful Traveller, the Most Intrepid Traveller, the Most Trusted Local Fixer, the Best Travel Book, and the Best Digital Creator of the year.

Our friend Palle Bo, who was named 2024 Travel Podcaster of the Year, is nominated for Best Digital Creator for his Radio Vagabond podcast. You can listen to our interview with him by clicking here.

Another of the annual NomadMania awards is for Biggest Low Passport Index Traveller. The low passport index (LPI) is determined by the Henley Passport Index Ranking, which indicates passports that are considered less “privileged” in terms of freedom of entry to other countries. People in the LPI category have access to fewer than 95 of the 227 territories considered, which makes their international travel even more challenging.

Voting for the 2024 awards is open on the NomadMania website through Nov. 15, and you can vote! You must be logged into your NomadMania profile on the site, which is free to join, and you must have 20 regions completed on your travel map.

Don’t worry, though — that doesn’t mean 20 countries. NomadMania divides the world into 1301 regions, so if you are, for example, an American who has visited 20 states or a combination of states and regions in other countries, then that meets the requirement. You might be surprised just how much of the world you’ve seen!

Click the image below to learn more about all of the nominees and cast your vote in each category.

The 2024 NomadMania Travel Awards will be presented live at the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Bangkok on Nov. 17, and we will be there as part of our upcoming trip around the world. Stay tuned to see who wins!