Catalan couple visits every country in the world: ‘Travel is everything’ 

Just over a month ago, Mayte Galindo, 67, and Enric Moreno, 69, returned from the Republic of Palau, an island nation in Micronesia and they are already planning new trips.  

For the couple, who live in the Catalan city of Manresa, traveling “is everything”.  

In their 40 years of traveling, they have visited more than 195 countries recognized by the United Nations, although they have set foot in a total of 204 countries and have returned to 73 destinations.

One of the destinations they have visited several times is India, which they have visited nine times.  

When they first started traveling, it was only during holidays, but after retiring they started traveling more, and six years ago they decided to set a goal of visiting every country in the world, which they have accomplished. In total, they have traveled for years. 

Honeymoon to London

The couple met when they were both studying engineering. Enric was already a fan of traveling, and he was even one of the first people to go on Interrail in 1972 when it was created.  

They caught the travel bug when they went to London together for their honeymoon, and ever since, they have traveled together and couldn't imagine doing it without each other. 

For a while, they traveled with their children, Carla and Martí, who have inherited their passion for traveling. And now that they are grandparents, they also travel with their grandchildren. 

Well documented travels

The big organizer behind the trips is Enric, says Maite. He is the one who arranges the trips and takes care of all the logistics, while Maite takes care of all the sentimental parts.  

For all their trips, they have a personal diary where Maite writes down everything they have done. When they return from each trip, Enric makes a photo album and a travel guide. After all these years, they have taken over 77,000 photos. 

They have also kept their old passports, 29 in all, and some are even from the time of the Franco dictatorship. 

The couple has documented every part of their travels, and at their house in Manresa, they have a room devoted to their trips. 

The couple also has all sorts of anecdotes from their trips, of historic moments, such as the death of Indira Gandhi in 1984, and they have made many friends, who they are still in touch with.  

Their favorite places are Asia as a continent, Uzbekistan as a country, and Istanbul as a city.  

On the other hand, they would not return to places like Tuvalu, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. “You have to stay there for at least four days because there are no flights. There are three roads and nothing there,” says Maite.  

Their next destination is the island of Mallorca, a trip organized by the Institute for Older Persons and Social Service(Imserso), an organization run by the Spanish state.