How My Quest to Break a World Record for Global Travel Sparked Something Bigger
After visiting every continent in record time, MBA for Executives student Johnny Buckingham ’26 used skills learned at SOM to create a nonprofit that raises funds for at-risk youth through record-breaking attempts.
Ever wondered what it takes to break a Guinness World Record? After four years of planning and three attempts, I recently broke the record for “fastest time to travel to all seven continents.” This challenge was a lot more complicated than simply booking flights and hoping for the best. After successfully breaking the previous Guinness World Record (GWR) of 73 hours with a new record time of 64 hours, I realized that this adventure was about more than speed. It was about pushing limits, learning, and—most importantly—figuring out how to give back. I started SOM in the middle of my record-breaking journey, and the skills I’ve learned here empowered me to start a nonprofit that fundraises around Guinness World Record attempts. Through my business education, I unexpectedly found a way to turn personal ambition into something much bigger.
The idea for this Guinness World Record attempt came about in 2020, when my sister sent me a social media post about a couple who had completed the challenge in under 100 hours. At the time, I was stationed at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, stuck in place due to the pandemic and dreaming about being anywhere but grounded. That’s when the seed was planted. I started studying flight routes, analyzing layovers, and figuring out what it would take to do it faster.
The rules for breaking the record are simple. The journey starts in Antarctica and ends in Australia. The clock starts when the aircraft’s wheels lift off from the first continent and end when you step off the jet on the last continent. Another requirement from GWR is that you must leave the airport and take a picture next to a landmark on each continent for it to count. You can’t simply take a picture of yourself at the airport on a layover. I drew on my decade of experience as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force to create many potential routes, and ended up settling on the one below.
- King George Island, Antarctica
- Santiago, Chile
- Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Cairo, Egypt
- Dubai, U.A.E.
- Perth, Australia
My first attempt, in December 2022, fell apart when I got stuck in Cairo. The second, in December 2024, was canceled before I took off due to bad weather. But in February 2025, everything lined up, and I pulled it off.
The journey wasn’t all smooth sailing. At one point, I had to ditch my luggage in a moving Uber in Dubai and sprint through the airport to make my flight. In Antarctica, weather delays almost derailed the whole attempt. But through all of it, I kept going because I knew this was about more than just setting a record.
This whole experience ties directly into what I'm learning at Yale SOM. Here are three big takeaways that shaped both my journey and my approach to business leadership:
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail
I love planning. It’s in my DNA as an Air Force mission planner and former pilot. I spent months mapping out flight paths, backup flights, and contingencies. And yet, things still went sideways. Cairo’s security process slowed me down, Antarctica’s flights got delayed, and unexpected roadblocks kept popping up.
What did I learn? Even with the best plan in the world, adaptability is key. The ability to pivot under pressure, whether in business or record-breaking travel, can make all the difference.
Go all in, but have a safety net
I approached this record with a “burn the boats” mentality—I didn’t want to even entertain the option of turning back—but at the same time, I had backup plans for everything. If I missed one flight, I had a way to get on the next one. I had an alternate route if one country’s security held me up.
At SOM, I’ve learned that same applies to leadership. While going all-in on a goal is great, smart leaders also have contingency plans. It’s about finding the balance between determination and adaptability.
Know your ‘why’
At first, I wanted to break this record just to see if I could. But once I did it, I realized I wanted to use this experience for something bigger. That’s when I used my SOM education to launch a nonprofit that raises money for at-risk youth through record-breaking attempts, the World Record Breakers Club.
I had experience in starting LLCs for my real estate business, but I had no experience with nonprofits. I reached out to classmates in my cohort with experience in the sector, and they walked me through the process step-by-step. After getting the legal paperwork and registering with the state, I created a board of classmates who had experience in accounting and social media management. I’m currently leveraging lessons from the courses Innovator and Sourcing and Managing Funds courses to adequately fund and sustain the new organization.
The World Record Breakers Club will recruit people to tackle fun challenges—like the fasted time to visit all New York City ferry stations, or the most football passes and catches in one minute—and turn those attempts into fundraising events. The money we raise will go towards providing opportunities and mentorship for at-risk youth. My wife and classmates are already setting up some record attempts, and I plan to recruit a group of SOMers to complete the ferry challenge.
The World Record Breakers Club is how I channel this journey into helping others, and embarking on this challenge while studying at SOM has taught me more than I ever expected. The EMBA program allowed me to turn a personal passion into a structured, impactful nonprofit. What started as a bucket-list goal has evolved into a platform for change.
Ultimately, leadership isn’t just about personal success; it’s about using your experiences to inspire, challenge, and create lasting impact. That’s what I strive for, whether in my military service, professional work, or world record attempts. As my coach taught me in high school, “It’s not where you start. It’s where you finish.”
