The global travel community spotlighted 81-year-old Filipina-American adventurer Luisa Yu as she captured the Most Intrepid Traveler title at the 2025 NomadMania Travel Awards, a virtual event staged from November 22 to 23 and regarded by explorers as the “Oscars of world travel.”
Rather than slowing down after completing all 193 UN countries in 2023, Yu intensified her pace over the past year, navigating destinations many travelers avoid. She ventured through Afghanistan, Somalia, Turkmenistan, and Ethiopia; crossed the Pamir Highway; trekked through Algeria; and camped for nearly two weeks in the remote Ennedi Desert in Chad. Her 2025 travels also brought her to Portugal, Austria, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Kenya. Years earlier, she made headlines after skydiving in Dubai at age 77.
Her recognition unfolded during a gathering of more than 100 “UN Masters,” the exclusive group of travelers who have visited every UN-recognized country — a feat achieved by fewer than 500 people in recorded history. For Yu, who serves as Co-Leader of the Filipino World Travelers (FWT), the honor reflects her belief that “adventure has no expiry date.”
Yu’s latest award also places her in a rare category. She becomes one of only two people worldwide to have earned multiple NomadMania titles. She previously won Most Positive Traveler in 2022, while the other dual honoree, Thor Pedersen, visited every country without boarding a plane and received both the Biggest Traveler award in 2022 and Best Travel Book in 2025 for The Impossible Journey.
Filipino representation extended well beyond Yu’s win. Several members of the Filipino World Travelers were named finalists this year:
– Kach Umandap, nominated for Most Purposeful Traveler, became the youngest and first Filipino to visit every country using a Philippine passport in 2025 while also launching initiatives to help Filipino youth pursue remote careers.
– Odette A. Ricasa, shortlisted for Best Travel Book, completed all countries in 2022 and released It’s All in the State of Mind in 2025.
– Wyatt Maktrav and his mother, Kaila de los Reyes, recognized under Biggest Low Passport Index Traveler, achieved global attention when 12-year-old Wyatt became the youngest person to visit all European UN countries in 2025.
Yu’s latest milestone follows her courtesy visit to the Philippine President in April 2025, where she joined Kach, Odette, and FWT Founder Dondon Bales in recognition of their influence as Filipino global explorers.
