‘Every time, it was spectacular’: seeing Seven Wonders of the world in 7 days – one man’s trip from the Taj Mahal to the Colosseum

Jamie McDonald visited the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Petra, the Colosseum, the statue of Christ in Brazil, Machu Picchu and Chichén Itzá in a week

His 36,783km trip involved planes, trains, taxis, buses, even a toboggan. He slept only 12 hours, and ate plane food all the way, apart from a pizza in Rome

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Jamie McDonald set a Guinness World Record for visiting the new Seven Wonders of the World in seven days. Above: McDonald at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. Photo: Travelport

Erika Na

Published: 7:15am, 14 Jun 2023Updated: 11:02am, 5 Jul 2023

Corrected [4:17pm, 15 Jun, 2023]

[4:17pm, 15 Jun, 2023]
Travelport donated US$1 for each mile Jamie travelled and not £1.

All Seven Wonders of the world in seven days? This looks like a job for Adventureman!

Jamie McDonald, 36, who goes by that name, recently set a world record for doing just that, as the author and motivational speaker zoomed through four continents and nine countries for charity.

It took McDonald six days (March 6 to March 12), 16 hours and 14 minutes to see the Great Wall of China; the Taj Mahal, in India; Petra, Jordan; the Colosseum, Italy; the statue of Christ the Redeemer, Brazil; Machu Picchu, Peru; and Chichén Itzá, in Mexico – known as the new Seven Wonders of the World.

This was a challenge even AI thought was impossible. Before the trip, McDonald asked ChatGPT how long it would take to visit the new Seven Wonders. The answer: 21 days.

Jamie McDonald set a Guinness World Record for visiting the Seven Wonders in seven days. Photo: Travelport

He beat that comprehensively by taking 43 rides – 13 on planes, 16 in taxis, nine on buses, four on trains … and one on a toboggan. All public transport was taken on scheduled services, while taxi rides had to be less than 50km. McDonald travelled a total of 22,856 miles (36,783km) while setting his record.