Fifty-four years ago overseas leisure travel was still a rarity. It was the early days of international travel and the jet age was still four years in the future. Ships plying the oceans only provided transportation, not cruising as we know it today. Visiting 100 countries was an accomplishment that most people could only dream about and few had succeeded. After all, it took considerable time and money!

The idea of forming a social club for those privileged few who had attained this feat was born in 1954 in the Los Angeles offices of Hemphill Travel Service. Bert Hemphill, the owner, known as the “Dean of Travel,” had pioneered deluxe around-the-world escorted tours by air. He had a loyal following of clients who went on his exploratory tours which were then marketed to others.

The originator of the concept is somewhat controversial. Nevertheless, Hemphill was instrumental in getting the Travelers’ Century Club started for those who had visited 100 countries. But it was his Tour Director, Russell Davidson, who made it a reality and handled the administration. Hemphill was the club’s first President and Davidson was Secretary until his death in 1987. Davidson also served as President.

By 1960 there were 43 individuals who submitted qualification lists proving they had traveled to 100 or more countries. These travel pioneers thus became the charter members of TCC. Many were clients of Hemphill Travel and some were the agency’s tour directors.

Ruth Nelson, who was present at that formation meeting in 1954, recalls that, at that time, she had been around the world, visited many countries in Central and South America and toured the major countries of Europe, “but it would be several years before I qualified as a TCC member upon reaching the magic 100.” By that time Nelson had opened her own travel agency in Palos Verdes, CA. She later became TCC President and recently retired from the Board of Directors, having served for some 20 years.

At the February 2, 1960, Board Meeting, the club officers selected a slogan from among several suggested – “World Travel…the passport to peace through understanding.” A press luncheon to announce the formation of the new organization was held that same day.

The first open meeting of the Travelers’ Century Club was held at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles on April 28, 196l, with 27 members in attendance. Most were from the greater Los Angeles area but some came from Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, San Jose, San Francisco, Honolulu and Austin, TX. Much of the discussion was about the purpose or goal of the club. It was determined that the initiation fee would be $25, annual dues $10. Today the initiation fee is $100, annual dues $50.

At that 1961 meeting, it was decided that the club should incorporate and by-laws should be prepared. The decision was also made to publish a newsletter, The Centurian, four times a year. Members were asked to contribute articles about unusual and/or amusing travel experiences.

By 1980 the club had incorporated, received tax exemption status and obtained insurance. It is a non-profit, non-stock corporation. There were about 300 members then and from that time on the club has grown in membership, with over 1,800 members today.

The club had gradually separated from Hemphill Travel. In the 70s several travel agencies and tour operators were handling tours to interesting and unique destinations. It was felt that the TCC members should have access to as many sources of information and sources of bookings as possible. About 10% of the TCC members are in the travel industry.

TCC members have traveled together to hidden corners of the world and to such distinctive places as the Northwest Passage, Central Asia (the “Stan” countries), West Africa, the World Heritage sites of North Africa, islands of the Indian Ocean, the Marquesas and Tuamotus, a Cape Horn to Cape Town cruise, the South Atlantic islands, including Bouvet Island, Greenland/Iceland/the North Pole, North Korea, the outer islands of Britain, Barrancas del Cobre, the Sahara, and they have circumnavigated Antarctica.

The original list of qualifying countries was put together by Russell Davidson. When Sanford Smith, an attorney in Vineburg, CA, became a board member in the 70s, he headed a country qualifications committee which refined the criteria. As the longest-serving board member, Smith has traveled to 307 countries, has a vast knowledge of geography and is also a radio amateur. He looked at the qualifying nations put together by the American Radio Relay League and used that as a guide. TCC then made some modifications to that list and, as a result, added 35 countries and dropped about 15.

One of the differences is that TCC requires that places have a resident population. The DXCC (Ham Radio) list, which does not have that restriction, contains 338 entities, of which roughly 63 are not on the TCC list. However, a few are on the TCC list but with different terminology as to their individual status The Guinness World Records has used the TCC list of countries as a guide but has added 14 not on the club’s list, though its total is only about 265. The United Nations lists some 191 member destinations.

This exclusive travel club’s official list of approved countries today is 317, grouped in 12 regions. TCC acknowledges that some of the 317 places are not actually countries in their own right, but they have been included because they are removed from parent countries, either geographically, politically or ethnologically. Examples are: Easter Island which belongs to Chile (two credits), Antarctica which has seven territories, Alaska which is counted separately from the rest of the U.S. Bali (the Lesser Sunda Islands), is separate from Indonesia, and Madeira is counted separately from Portugal. The list of countries is modified as changes occur

For instance, TCC does not add countries until they become officially independent, two recent examples being East Timor and Kosovo. Some countries on the list may temporarily be inaccessible or closed to visitors, such as Wake Island and Midway Atoll. The list is posted on the TCC website – www.travelerscenturyclub.org.

Short visits, even a port of call or a plane fuel stop, qualify as a stay. It’s an honor system for the first 100 qualifying countries. There is also a list of retired countries – an area that was recognized as a country in the past -- and previous visits to those places can count toward the first 100 destinations, but then must be replaced, or “paid back” by a visit to a current qualified country. There is also a category of Provisional Members for those who have been to 75 countries. Members are serious about collecting the countries and most stay at least a day or two in the country visited, and are encouraged to do so.

Members receive a membership card, certificate and a pin when they join. Then they are honored when they reach different levels – 150, 200, 250 and 300. They must have proof of visits after the first 100.

At this time, 14 members have visited every place on the list. John Clouse, from Evansville, IN, was the first to travel to all the countries and was recognized by the 1995 Guinness World Records as “the world’s most traveled man.” (Guinness rested this category in 1999.)

Charles Veley from San Francisco is the youngest person, at 37 years, to reach the goal in 2003, having visited all but about 70 countries in just over three years. In 2002, alone, he reports that he traveled 259,640 miles or more than 10 times around the world, with 254 flight segments on 94 different airlines. He claims to be “the world’s most traveled man” today by adding the other destinations from the Guinness and Ham Radio lists.

Others who visited every country on the TCC list are Parke Thompson, John Todd, Kevin Hughes (314), Jeff Shea (also 314), Tony Allman, Gig Gwin, Ken Ziegler, Robert and Dorothy Pine, Bill Altaffer (316), Charlotte Smith (316) and Donald Deberry (316). Dorothy Pine was the first woman to reach this goal.

Among other TCC members who traveled to 300 or more countries – so close to the goal – are (besides Sanford Smith) Robert Spehar, Tom and Peggy Porter, Virginia Hunter, Dr. Gregg M. Cox, Patricia Roberts, Ron Endeman, Richard J.Haddad, Lynn Stephenson, Dr. Alexander M. Gushansky, Dr. Dietrich Deppe, Rowland Burley, Joan Madrid, Charles and Dorothy Mowery, Donald and Patricia Burke, Ted Cookson, Rev. Robert Ippolito, Audrey Walsworth, W. Daniel Walker, Larry Leventhal and Christine Kloner.

It has not been an easy task to accomplish visits to all the destinations. The British Indian Ocean Territory, site of the U.S. Naval Base at Diego Garcia, is considered by many to be the most difficult place to reach because there is no commercial transportation. A dozen TCC members managed to charter a boat out of the Seychelles. It was a five-day voyage each way. Later, a TCC group chartered a boat to BIOT out of the Maldives. Members often get together and form their own tours or transportation to a hard-to-reach destination to help defray expenses

In 2003, Immediate Past President Kevin Hughes, Phoenix, circumnavigated Antarctica during 66 days aboard a Russian icebreaker. But winds prevented a landing at the French Antarctic Territory, the only country he has not visited on the TCC list.

Today the 1,800 TCC members are from all parts of the United States and from all over the world. A Roster of the members is printed every two years. This year, email addresses have been added. The club does not solicit membership and resists commercializing. Growth has come from word-of-mouth and some read about TCC in national magazines and newspapers.

Members on some of the unique trips often run into other well-traveled people and tell them about the TCC. Many of these people are surprised to find they have traveled to so many countries when they check the list.

Former President Floyd Baker, from Anaheim, CA, comments that on a recent cruise he put a notice in the ship’s bulletin, asking if there were any TCC members aboard, and discovered there were over 100. This made the cruise more enjoyable for him and his wife, Rae, as they had much in common with those other extreme adventurers.

The youngest member of the club is Lani Shea, whose parents, Jeff and Novita, from Novato, CA, report that she reached her 100th country at two years, eight months. She has set a new Guinness World Record under the category of “Youngest person to travel to all seven continents.” This was accomplished in December, 2003, when she was two years, 307 days.

The first TCC meeting outside the Los Angles basin was in the early 80s in San Diego. Luncheons later were held in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Today there are four luncheon meetings each year, alternating between Orange County or San Diego and the Los Angeles area, and San Francisco meets separately, also four times a year. In Southern California, attendance ranges from 65 to 100. Programs include a presentation by a member about his or her recent travels to an off-the-beaten-path destination.

Since current members reside all over the U.S., chapters sprang up in other areas. The first chapter established outside Los Angeles was in the New York area, in the early 70s. New York has about 100 members, which meet three times a year.

The next chapter was in the Colorado area, established in 1989. Joan Madrid, Denver, one of the founding chapter members, reports there were only six or seven in the beginning, but today there are about 40 members and over 25 attend the meetings every other month. They meet in restaurants except in July, which is their anniversary, when they meet for a pot luck dinner at Madrid’s home.

Charles and Dorothy Mowery organized the first Southwest Florida chapter meeting in Sarasota in February, 1992. The couple enthusiastically handled the meetings until their retirement in December 2001. The chapter has just recently been reactivated.

The first meeting in the Chicago area was in 1997 and chapters were formed in Miami and Tampa the following year. In 2001, Houston formed a chapter and a Tennessee Chapter was added in 2005. Though there were several San Francisco Bay Area luncheons and dinners in the 80s and 90s, with many members from Southern California in attendance, the first formal Northern California meeting was in August, 2001. Today it claims to have the largest membership and attendance outside of Southern California.

In 2006, Donna Marsh, previously Area Coordinator of the Southwest Chapter in Florida, returned to her home in England and formed a United Kingdom chapter. The newest chapters are in Missouri, Arizona and Arkansas. After a hiatus of over two years, the New England (Boston) chapter will be reactivated in June, 2008.

Each chapter determines its format and where to meet, which can be in members’ homes, in private clubs, or in restaurants. Each chapter coordinator reports about the activities of his or her area for The Centurian newsletter and they also provide photos. Some chapters meet every other month; others meet two or three times a year. Some have formal programs with speakers and video, while others gather to socialize and exchange travel experiences. Many TCC members also visit other chapter meetings. Updates on chapter meetings and photos are on the TCC website.

Following the death of Russ Davidson, who had been handling the administration of the TCC, his widow, Roe, took over for a short while but much of the work was being handled by Klaus Billep and his staff at Universal Travel Systems in Santa Monica. When she passed away, the entire administration responsibilities were transferred to Billep, who was President at the time. He now holds the title of Chairman and his offices are the TCC Headquarters.

In addition to the educational programs at the luncheons, TCC also educates its members by distributing Info Files. These are one or two pages, non-commercial, and written by members following trips to unique destinations. They contain observations and information not found in the usual guide books. They are mailed to all members with The Centurian. Back copies are available for $1.00 each. There are over 500 Info Files but some have been deleted because they were out of date.

Exchanging information about hard-to-reach destinations is one of the primary benefits of membership since many travel agents do not want to or cannot handle arrangements for those difficult-to-reach places. Members who have previously traveled to such places can provide helpful advice on how to get there, what to expect, and other tips. They can provide information on difficulties and hazards as well as on things not to miss.

These globetrotters also enjoy sharing their travel experiences, whereas the average person is not all that interested. “You don’t like to talk about your travels to exotic places when the person you’re talking to has only been to Las Vegas,” states current President Christopher Hudson, from London, Los Angeles and New York. “In TCC you have a forum where other people are as crazy as you are and everyone shares the same enthusiasm. At the same time, it’s like a non-professional club. It’s a very interesting mix of people who happen to have this one thing in common.”

Since many have traveled together, the luncheons are like reunions and all seem to enjoy the camaraderie and friendship. Many deep friendships have been formed. And the more remote the location, the more likely it is that a TCC member will run into another TCC member.

This exclusive travel group comes from all walks of life. They are not asked about their background when they join. Some have traveled overseas for business purposes, some have been in the military, and all have a curiosity about learning about new places. Most members are in their autumn years and are retired or semi-retired because it does take time to visit these places.

Some members like to collect destinations like other people collect stamps, paintings or coins. Some first became interested in travel at an early age because of stamp collecting or by traveling with a parent. It has taken persistence and ingenuity (and money) to reach some of the out-of-the-way places.

“Joining TCC inspired me to go places I might not have gone to; it’s provided a focus,” says Kevin Hughes. “You realize after you join how many more countries there are so you start planning trips to see how many you can add.” He has been motivated by “tremendous curiosity. Every time I go I learn something different.” He notes that just to become a member is an incredible experience.

Most members would agree that a key benefit of membership is the worldwide recognition or the “bragging rights,” since few people have visited 100 destinations.

Robert Ihsen, Covina, CA, says friends question why he would even want to go to some of the far-out destinations. “I tell them every place is so interesting and stimulating,” he replies. “Even some of the very poor countries are worth seeing. It’s interesting to learn how the people live or to observe their type of government.”

Jeff Shea has made a point of seeing as much of a destination as he can and he wants to continue exploring countries in depth. By 1997, at the age of 42, he had completed his climb of the Seven Summits – the highest mountain on each continent.

Many say that being a TCC member has changed and enriched their lives. They look at the world in a different way. They have been in parts of the world where they have experienced history in the making. They are more familiar with foreign policies and places where world events are happening.

Some do not have the desire to go to all the places on the list, preferring, instead, to return to those destinations they have most enjoyed, and to get to know more about the country, its people and culture.

Most do a lot of research before visiting a destination. “Members are a little more educated than the average person and they are intelligent in a way that makes sense,” notes Past President David Barry, Santa Monica. “They know what is going on in the world and they are more tolerant.” He notes that many are so experienced they could easily be tour guides.

Keeping safe traveling in today’s troubled world “comes down to people skills – respect and common sense,” observes Charles Veley. He says he makes every effort to blend in and observe the local cultures.

Virginia Hunter, Santa Barbara, CA, who often travels with a driver and guide, avoids the top tourist hotels, preferring to stay a step down. Both she and Jeanne Hoskins, from the Seattle area, agree that casual, conservative clothes are the safest. Hoskins also travels primarily with a car and driver. Both are very close to reaching the TCC goal.

Hoskins, at the age of 90, has just recently appeared on segments of the Ellen DeGeneres TV show which sent her to the Solomon Islands. TCC and its members have also been featured in many magazine and newspaper articles.

Though travel is easier today – except for security restrictions -- and the world has become “a global community,” many members nostalgically remember when countries were more distinctive in their cultures and travel offered more discoveries. Even though there are more similarities today, there are still those far-flung outposts waiting to be discovered by the true adventurer who always finds it exciting to go to a country not previously visited.

Traveling helps a person deal with adversity and diversity, comments Robert Spehar, from the Detroit area. “The peoples of the world have so much in common. You have an opportunity to represent your country and spread goodwill.”

Virginia Hunter observes that most of the TCC members are very altruistic. “Many of them care about people and the world, which is why they are traveling. They are interested in making a difference in the world and building good communications.”

Ken Ziegler had expressed the view that if government officials could really see a country, talk to the people and learn about the customs – instead of just seeing what the host country wants them to see – this might be a more peaceful world!

To celebrate its 50th Anniversary, the Travelers’ Century Club held two special weekend functions in 2004 – in New York in April (which included a visit and lunch at the United Nations building) and in Las Vegas in October. The club has had two international meetings. The first was in Monte Carlo in October, 1999; the second was this past fall, October 26-28, in London, in cooperation with the UK chapter and its Area Coordinator Donna Marsh.