This Canadian couple has been to 195 countries. Here's what they learned on their eight-year journey

Masha and Robert Glanville, a Canadian couple, sold everything they owned to travel the world full-time. With over 195 countries visited, they focus on mindful, eco-friendly travel and giving back. Here’s what they had to say about their global journey.

From the sun-soaked villages of Burkina Faso, to the Galápagos Islands’ unique wildlife, to the beautiful East African coastal beaches, Masha and Robert Glanville have gathered memories that span 195 countries — and counting.

Toronto-native Masha, 60, and Vancouver’s Robert, 58, have spent nearly eight years travelling non-stop, and they show no signs of slowing down.

“When we started, we were just into travelling,” Robert said in a Zoom interview with CTVNews.ca. “Then Masha said, 'Well, why don't we have a purpose? Why don't we do countries?'"

It was a simple suggestion that sparked a mission to visit every UN-recognized country in the world in addition to Palestine, Kosovo, Taiwan and Vatican City.

Before they set out on their global journey, Masha was deep in the grind of a high-stress executive role in the biotech industry. Feeling burned out, she decided she was “done.”

The couple, who already arranged time to travel while working, craved more of what the world could offer.

“More and more years passed and we were just enjoying getting to know all these different cultures and people and we really didn’t want to be in one place,” Masha explained.