This Man Just Set a Guinness Record for Visiting All Seven Wonders of the World in Under a Week

A new Guinness World Record has been set by a British man who managed to visit the new Seven Wonders of the World in less than a week, equipped with only a backpack. And the feat is even more impressive considering a childhood diagnosis of a rare condition that could have left him wheelchair bound.

Jamie McDonald, who goes by the apt moniker Adventureman, made the journey—which took him across nine countries on four continents—in just six days, 16 hours, and 14 minutes. In that time, he visited the Great Wall of China, India's Taj Mahal, the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, the Colosseum in Rome, Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer, Machu Picchu in Peru, and, lastly, Chichén Itzá in Mexico.

Covering an expansive 22,856 total miles, McDonald made the jaunt using only public transportation, including 13 flights, 16 taxis, nine buses, four trains, and one toboggan. He also sustained himself primarily on plane food, which is quite honestly a feat on its own—with the exception of a pizza in Rome.

His itinerary was planned by the travel technology company Travelport, which set out to find out if it could simplify "the world's most complex trip." However, according to Guinness rules, he would have been on his own had he missed any of his connections.

Other rules that McDonald was bound to follow for the trip to be endorsed by Guinness included keeping a logbook with clearly indexed evidence such as receipts and tickets for each step, using accurate professional GPS tracking equipment, and documenting each site with photos, videos, and the date visited. He was also tasked with obtaining a written or recorded statement from an official member of staff, local dignitary, or police officer at each location.

But aside from earning himself the shiny new Guinness title, there was an altruistic motivation behind McDonald's feat.

As a child, he was diagnosed with the rare spinal condition called syringomyelia. McDonald was in and out of hospitals until he was nine, and doctors initially thought he'd be in a wheelchair for his entire adult life. Overcoming the odds was what led him to start taking on these wild challenges—which included a Forrest Gump-like run across America and spending seven days on a treadmill. He has since raised over ￡1 million for charity through his Superhero Foundation.