81 Year Old Filipino World Traveler Luisa Yu earns Most Intrepid Traveler at 2025 NomadMania Awards

The global network of Filipino World Travelers (FWT) made big waves at the 2025 NomadMania Travel Awards — widely dubbed the “Oscars for world travel”. The virtual ceremony, which took place on 22–23 November 2025, convened a distinguished group of renowned explorers. FWT concluded the event having received more than just recognition.

A milestone win for 81-year-old explorer Luisa Yu

FWT Co-leader Luisa Yu earned the coveted Most Intrepid Traveler award — an accolade reserved for those whose recent journeys displayed exceptional courage, risk-taking, and a fearless sense of adventure. At 81, Yu’s win is more than a personal triumph: it’s a powerful message that age is no barrier to bold, globe-spanning travel.

With this honor, she joins an elite club as one of only two people worldwide to have received two distinct NomadMania Travel Awards — the other being seasoned explorer Thor Pedersen, who previously won the Biggest Traveler Award (2022) and Best Travel Book (2025) for his epic work The Impossible Journey: An Incredible Voyage Through Every Country in the World Without Flying.

More FWT faces on the global stage

Luisa’s victory wasn’t the only reason to celebrate: FWT members also had a strong showing among this year’s Finalists. The community was represented in three additional award categories:

• Kach Umandap — Finalist, Most Purposeful Traveler
• Odette Ricasa — Finalist, Best Travel Book for “It’s All in the State of Mind”
• Wyatt Maktrav & Kaila de los Reyes — Finalists, Biggest Low Passport Index Traveler

This continues a legacy of strong representation for Filipino travelers: in previous years, Kach Umandap (2022), Pia Dina Montemayor (2023), and Gean Tayone (2024) stood out in the Low Passport Index category, while Ricasa previously won Best NomadMania Friend (2023).

A historic gathering of global travelers

This year’s Awards were historic in scope: 128 “UN Masters” — travelers who have visited every UN-recognized country — participated in panels over the two-day event, with 67 joining the final ceremony. Among them were four people who’ve completed the world circuit twice, and one explorer who achieved the extraordinary “Grand Slam,” visiting all countries, both Poles, and even space.

The scale of this gathering underlines why NomadMania is widely seen as the world’s leading authority on verified global travel and country-visit documentation with over 50,000 members across the globe. That stature matters for a community like FWT — not just for recognition, but for credibility and global standing.

2025: A milestone year for Filipino world travelers

Yu’s win comes on the heels of a deeply meaningful moment earlier in 2025: during a courtesy call at the presidential palace in Manila, she was recognized by the Philippine President as the oldest Filipino to visit all UN countries — a moment shared with Odette Ricasa (first Filipino to complete all countries) and Kach Umandap (youngest Filipino to do it using solely a Philippine passport).

But that’s not all. In July 2025, 12-year-old Wyatt Maktrav became the youngest person ever to visit every UN-recognized European country, accompanied by his mother Kaila de los Reyes. And in September 2025, Glen Dalisay made history as the first Filipino man to visit all countries in the world.

To commemorate these achievements, FWT recently launched its official anthem, “We Are Filipino World Travelers”, now available on major streaming platforms — and rolled out a 2026 Commemorative Calendar via Lulu, honoring the newest generation of Filipino explorers.

The strong presence of Filipino World Travelers at NomadMania 2025 is more than an awards success — it’s a bold statement. It proves that with passion, perseverance, and a supportive global community, Filipinos continue to define what world travel looks like, on their own terms.