A high school teacher from California honored his late brother’s memory by visiting every single country in the world. Brian Asher was first inspired to travel by his brother Mark’s decision to study abroad. Before he knew it, Brian was teaching English in other countries. Exploring the world became a thing the two brothers shared, often journeying together.
Sadly, Brian lost his travel buddy when Mark passed away from a heart condition at the age of 25.
“It just kind of came up quickly and got more serious and it was something that we didn’t expect would take his life,” Brian said. “It was just a shock for me and my parents. We were extremely close. It makes it hard when someone passes on.”
Brian moved back to the U.S. to teach Spanish at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento. However, he wanted to carry on his brother’s legacy by continuing to travel. Whenever he had a vacation, Brian made it a point to visit a new country – often two or three! He kept his costs low by traveling light, usually only bringing a backpack with him.
“I never stay in fancy places,” Brian added. “Ninety-nine percent of the time I’m staying in the cheapest accommodation that I can.”
Finances weren’t the only obstacle to the educator’s travel goals. Brian found that some countries were more difficult to get into than others. The very last country on his bucket list was North Korea, and the process to gain entry took him five years. However, when he finally made it, he’d been to all 197 countries on the planet!
Brian’s extensive travel experiences have made him one of the most interesting teachers at Rio Americano High School. Students appreciate the cultural knowledge that he brings to his Spanish lessons.
“He’s the class that everybody wants to go into and no one wants to fall asleep,” said Chase Dinaburg, one of Brian’s sophomore students.
Mark Asher would be so proud of his big brother!
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