Raised by dreamers: Another Filipina completes travel to 193 countries
April Peregrino in Slovakia, completing all 193 United Nations (UN)-recognized countries (Photo courtesy of April Peregrino)
MANILA, Philippines — April Peregrino’s parents immigrated decades ago from their small towns in Leyte and Samar in search of opportunities in the United States.
Little did they know that their years of hard work as a nurse and a seafarer in America would afford their daughter the chance to see the world.
At age 46, April became the youngest Filipino-American to visit all 193 United Nations (UN)-recognized countries, marking the end of a decades-long journey in the eastern European nation of Slovakia.
“Well, I’ve been very sentimental lately. My parents are no longer alive. Their journey has been very important to me and very significant, the way my life turned out,” April told INQUIRER.net in an interview.
Her mother, Editha, passed away in 2009 at the age of 67; and her father, Paciente, passed away in 2021 at the age of 79.
“[I]t really motivated me to travel more because I realized life is really short,” April added.
In a melting pot of cultures
Born in Chicago, Illinois, April grew up in a household that spoke Waray and Tagalog in a Polish-American neighborhood, studying Spanish in an American high school.
Further, in her 25 years of work in an American pharmacy store chain, she encountered Latinos, African-Americans, Italians, Chinese, Vietnamese and many more people from all walks of life.
“It’s made me pretty easygoing because I can adapt. I’m very adaptable, which has helped immensely when you’re traveling,” April said.
Even with her multicultural background, at first, she did not imagine criss-crossing the globe.
READ: Filipina Riza Rasco sets foot in N. Korea, marking visit to all countries
Falling in love with traveling
April Peregrino in Bhutan (Photo courtesy of April Peregrino)
The first country she visited, apart from the Philippines, was France.
“Not everyone starts out to want to visit every country in the world. You’ll visit one country first and possibly fall in love with travel or fall in love with the country. Then, you visit more countries and you visit more countries,” April said.
She was working as a pharmacist, doing 10-hour shifts for seven days a week with seven days of time off afterward. This enabled her to pursue traveling more often.
She became even more emboldened in her goal after reading about the story of Irish travel blogger Johnny Ward, who also visited all 193 UN countries.
“There was this realization that there’s a possibility I could do this too,” April said.
By 2013, she became the first Filipino female to visit every continent in one calendar year.
‘Not so different’
Among the countries April visited was the island nation of Tuvalu.
April recalled meeting an elderly woman who welcomed her and three of her fellow travelers into her home, cooking chicken for them and telling them stories about the nation’s history and how they supported Tuvaluan women.
“The way she told stories and the way she offered us her hospitality, her delicious cooking, it just reminded me of being back in the Philippines,” April said.
“So when people say we’re so different, we are not. That experience made me feel so loved in just the short time I was there. It really reminded me of being back home,” she added.
Looking back and giving back
April Peregrino in Afghanistan (Photo courtesy of April Peregrino)
With Slovakia now checked off her list, April became the fifth Filipina to visit every country in the world, taking after her mentors Odette Ricasa, Luisa Yu, Kach Umandap and Riza Rasco.
READ: Kach Umandap sets record: First to visit all 193 countries with PH passport
The Philippine Global Explorers named April the “Most Progressive Wanderer” in 2024.
But April wasn’t traveling just for sightseeing, she wanted to do good in the world, too.
Along the way, she refurbished schools in Uganda and Indonesia, taught underprivileged children in Afghanistan and helped in relief operations after a volcanic eruption in Guatemala.
She even volunteered in food distribution and reconstruction in Leyte in the wake of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) in 2013.
“The world has been so good to me, and I am immensely blessed to have experienced it for its beauty and glory. But now, it’s time to give back. Give back to the world and give back to the Philippines,” April said.
Looking back on her years-long journey, when asked for advice for aspiring travelers, April said, “You may have to work harder. It may take you longer, but I truly believe anything is possible.”
