Hey guys, my name is Ivars, I have been to 109 countries (out of 193) and I'm on the mission to become the first ever Latvian to go to every country in the world. So far the project has been 100% self funded and I’ve spent more than $50k of my own hard earned money over the last 5 years. This year I plan to go see 8 new countries and ⅔ “Axis of Evil” (Iran/Iraq) in particular is the highlight. I’ll be visiting Azerbaijan, Iran and Iraq from the 4th to 17th of June 2014.

It all started with the project to visit 100 countries before my 30th birthday, which I achieved, yay! To see me journey so far please visit my blog: www.krutainis.com

Why ⅔ Axis of Evil?

Well, we all know G.W.Bush favorite catch phrase 'Axis of Evil' (AoE) where he refers to Iran, Iraq and North Korea. This year I'm planning to go visit ⅔ Axis of Evil. Namely, Iran and Iraq (Kurdistan area). Along with ‘random’ country, Azerbaijan (just because it’s on the way, and has direct flights from Riga). These countries are not everyone's favorite destinations, or ‘places to see’ as they are hard to get to and to get in, so here is your chance to go there virtually, via me. 

What am I offering?

There is no paper photo book, I think we have enough of those. What I propose instead is something with more direct involvement from you in the project that hopefully you’ll find interesting:

1. For $5 I’ll mention you on my project related blog posts as a supporter of the project.

2. For $15 contribution I’ll send you a handwritten note on a local postcard from one of the ‘Evil’ countries. Standard shipping included.

3. For $40 contribution you’ll get an A3 (21 x 29.7cm) size limited edition photo print of your choice from one of the AoE, on pro photo paper, signed by me. Standard shipping included.

4. For $75 contribution you’ll get an A2 (29.7 x 42cm ) size limited edition photo print of your choice from one of the AoE, on pro photo paper, signed by me. Standard shipping included.

5. For $150 contribution you get an exclusive challenge, meaning I will take a challenge from you to do something, hold something etc and have photo proof of doing it. Say, “take a 'selfie' with a local fruit seller” or “hold a placard with a greeting to my friend/joke in the main square of Tehran”. Make them fun! P.s. challenges will have to obey to local laws and restrictions, I will not do anything illegal or overly dangerous, as the last thing I want is to visit Iranian or Iraqi prison.

6. For $1000 contribution you get to sponsor a whole country. Basically besides entry and exit points/dates you get to decide what I do in the country (Iran or Iraq Kurdistan), where I go, what I eat etc. I will be like a remote controlled robot and you’ll have the joystick. p.s. Again make them fun, but lawful and achievable!

What content can you expect from me?

It will be storytelling of everyday life, via photos. On my travels I rarely visit tourist sights, I'm more interested to find out how people live, how they get to work, where they eat, where they shop and where they go to have fun. More photos from my previous trips are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/krutainis/sets/

Where your money is going?

This specific trip costs over $2000 and that is doing it on the budget. Iranian visa alone costs over $200 and I have to take 4 international flights to get in and out of the region. Please note that this is not me looking to fund my vacation, I’m on the mission to go everywhere and this campaign will help me get there quicker, whilst vast majority of the funding will still come from me. I’m very serious about the project and have committed $50,000 of my personal money to the project already and plan to commit another $50,000 over the next 5 years. What I’m doing here is crowdsourcing the ideas of how the rest of my visits should go and drive participation with people who relate to the idea behind the project, but do not have time or money to do it themselves. I want to make you part of my journey! Here’s rough breakdown of my trip costs for ⅔ “Axis of Evil”.