Cassie De Pecol always believed she was going to change the world, but she just wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to do it.

When De Pecol was 25 years old and experiencing what she calls a “quarter-life crisis,” she made a life-changing decision. She was going to visit every country on Earth and she was going to be the first woman to do it. If that wasn’t ambitious enough, the adventurous American also wanted to break the Guinness World Record for doing it faster than anyone before her. The goal: to travel to 196 nations in approximately 18 months.

In order to accomplish her dreams, De Pecol secured sponsors and investors, and after a year and a half planning, the 27-year-old adventurer began her expedition in July, 2015.

She told CTV’s Your Morning’s Ben Mulroney on Tuesday that she had originally saved $10,000 for her travels and that she has had to rely on her sponsorships to fund the majority of it. De Pecol has spent almost $200,000 on her adventure so far.

“It’s been a really eye-opening experience,” Cassie De Pecol told CTV News Channel on Saturday of the 181 countries she has visited so far.

“I’ve become a lot more aware towards the kindness and the compassion of people around the world.”

Despite her whirlwind pace, De Pecol said she still manages to appreciate every moment. She maintains a journal of her many experiences.

“The goal is to savour every country,” she told CTV’s Your Morning on Tuesday.

De Pecol said one of her favourite memories happened in Vanuatu in the wake of a terrible cyclone which wiped out the crops and homes of many residents. Despite the devastation, she said they took her into their homes and showed her their local culture.

“It was one of the first places that I visited where I experienced the true kindness of people and humanity in general,” De Pecol said.

Right now, the Guinness World Record for the fastest person to visit all 194 United Nations member countries is another American, Yili Lui. He did it in 3 years 3 months and 6 days, from Sept. 23, 2007 and Dec. 29, 2010.

De Pecol is on track to smash that record. She hopes to complete her expedition by the end of December.

But her dreams don’t just end with breaking the Guinness World Record.

Along the way, Cassie has also been making an educational documentary and an accompanying book series, both of which she hopes will help spread the word about sustainable tourism and women’s achievements.

She’s also working with an organization called Skal International, which promotes tourism and friendship around the globe. De Pecol also acts as a peace ambassador for the International Institute of Peace through Tourism. These organizations arrange meetings with university students around the world where De Pecol delivers keynote speeches on youth entrepreneurialism, women’s achievement, responsible tourism, economics and peace through tourism.

“I think a lot of the youth, and the millennial generation in particular, has this issue of not knowing exactly what their passion is but they want to change the world,” De Pecol said. “I hope to be an influence in that sense, with the millennial generation around the world.”