Twelve awards, one night in Bangkok: Meet the winners of the 6th NomadMania Travel Awards

What do you give people who have already seen most of the world? On 25 October 2026, NomadMania’s answer was a night of recognition in Bangkok.

Founded in 2012, NomadMania is a leading travel community for independent travellers who go beyond the ordinary and obvious destinations. The 6th NomadMania Travel Awards closed this year’s Extraordinary Travel Festival with 12 awards for travellers, fixers, content creators and volunteers.

Many in the room had reached all 193 UN countries, and the rest were well on their way. But what made this year’s winners stand out wasn’t how many countries they had visited. It was how they got there.

The stories behind the awards

• Travel with kids? Elena did the whole world. Elena Chechina won Biggest NomadMania Traveller after travelling the world with very young children. She is the fourth woman to take the award since 2021.
• 193 countries on a “hard” passport. Kach Umandap of the Philippines won the Low Passport Index award for reaching every UN country on a Philippines passport alone. Anyone who has queued at an embassy for a visa knows what that takes.
• A first for fixers. Chloris Ankunda became the first woman named best fixer. She is fast becoming the go-to person for anyone planning a trip to Uganda.
• Still going after 193. The Lifetime Achievement award went to Japanese couple Kazuto and Azusa Matsumoto. Azusa is the first Japanese woman known to have reached all 193 countries, and they are one of only a handful of couples to have seen the whole world together.

The 2026 NomadMania Travel Awards winners

Chosen by community vote

• Biggest NomadMania Traveller: Elena Chechina (Russian / Sweden)
• Biggest Low Passport Index Traveller: Kach Umandap (Philippines)
• Best Fixer: Chloris Ankunda (Uganda)
• Best Travel Book: The World is your Playground by Ildiko Szabo (Hungary)
• Best Travel Digital Content Creator: Chris Joondeph (USA / Nigeria)
• Most Purposeful Traveller: Dondon Bales (Philippines / Australia)

Chosen by the Awards Committee

• Lifetime Achievement: Kazuto and Azusa Matsumoto (Japan)
• Against All Odds: Maura Ward (Ireland) and Hayley Kennedy (UK)
• Best NomadMania Team Member: Pedro Peticov (Brazil)
• Best NomadMania Envoy: Yan Pun (Australia)
• Best NomadMania Friend: Jack Shepherd (UK / Sweden) and Stephen Nemeth (USA)
• Best Counting Countries Podcast Interview: Yael Pericard (France)

See you in Moldova

This was the last time the awards will run as a standalone night. From 2027 they move into the NomadMania Conference, and the 7th edition will be held in Orhei, Moldova, in July 2027.

Who would you nominate next year? Tell us in the comments, and read the full review on the 2026 NomadMania Travel Awards.

Photo credits: Ric Gazarian and the Extraordinary Travel Festival team