Ever since Renee Bruns was a tiny girl in Maria Stein, Ohio,

She’s wanted to see new places.

“When I was born, it was obvious something was wrong,” she says about her condition. “It’s a skeletal problem, mostly my legs, hips, and feet. My parents took me to a lot of specialists to get a diagnosis, so we traveled a lot. Then, when I was 5, we flew to New York City, which just amazed me.”

The travel bug bit, and at some point, Renee told her parents she wanted to see all 50 states. By the time she graduated from ONU in 2005, she’d met that goal, with her parents’ help, of course. “They took my three siblings and me to a lot of places, especially during the summer.”

Renee’s parents had the normal expectations for her that parents have of their children: do well in school, go to college, have a family. “They wanted me to have a full life, despite the physical challenges. But, believe me, I had to work hard.”

Her college years were among the “happiest times of my life,” Renee says. She served on the dean’s advisory council for the business college before changing her major from business to psychology.

Renee received her MBA in 2010 from Capital University and is working on a doctorate in business administration. Today, she is an ambassador for the Free Wheelchair Mission, which provides wheelchairs to people in need.

She also is a motivational speaker (reneebruns.net) and is completing a book about her life and travels. “I’m doing the final edits right now.” She lives in Atlanta, Ga., with her partner, whom she met years ago while working in insurance.

Renee has some tips for travelers. “Be open when traveling. Focus on what is happening. Often, people want photos and videos, but you really want to be present to experience it fully.”

Several years ago, a man in Bali shared with Renee his secret to contentment, maybe happiness. “He said, ‘I’ve been bankrupt three times. The smile on someone’s face when I bring them coffee is what makes me happy.’ We’d sat together and got to know each other, which is so much more impactful than lots of photos and videos.”

“Here’s the thing,” Renee emphasizes. “Time doesn’t go backwards. Whatever your goal is in life, go for it. Life will run out – that’s the only thing we know for sure.”

Summation: Renee Bruns (born February 21, 1984) is a disabled American female, blogger,^[1] traveler,^[2] activist, life coach, and motivational speaker.^[3] In 2023, she received a Guinness World Record^[4] for ‘most countries traveled in one year with a wheelchair.’ In her one year of travel to achieve the Guinness World Record, she traveled to 66 countries.^[5]

BONUS:I’ve Traveled to 50 Countries and All 7 Continents in a Wheelchair — Here’s What It’s Like

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“People are my favorite part of traveling. You pick up things you like about different cultures and decide, ‘Hmmm, I want to be like that,’ and then you learn you have become a well-rounded person who embodies these things you’ve learned.”

Renee left her job at a Fortune 500 company where she led a service team of 250 to pursue her travel goal, thereby setting the Guinness record. To date, she has been to 144 countries and all seven continents and all 50 US states.^[6].

Early life

Renee was born in Maria Stein, Ohio and attended Marion Local Schools.^[7] She was born with an undiagnosed skeletal disorder^[8] and at an early age, she decided to visit all 50 states with her family, completing that goal by the age of 18. In 2022, she visited Antarctica and completed her goal of visiting all 7 continents.

Career

Renee earned her undergraduate degree from Ohio Northern University and her MBA from Capital University. She is a current online student at Business Science Institute in Luxembourg where she is working towards her Doctorate in Business Administration.

Renee worked in the insurance industry receiving numerous awards in her 15 year career, including a Breakout Award from Business Insurance magazine.^[9] In 2022, she left her insurance executive role to travel the world.^[10]

She is working towards visiting all 195 UN recognized countries. She is an active member of the travel community and won the NomadMania ‘Against All Odds’ award in 2022.^[11] Renee is also an active podcaster appearing frequently as a guest on related podcasts.

Podcast Appearances

Jonathan Otero’s Post

Jonathan Otero

GTM Strategist || Driving Growth for Goose OTT Solutions2y

Jonathan Otero I had the opportunity to talk to Renee Bruns for an hour; within minutes of our interview I was in awe of her thirst for life, can-do attitude, and A-type personality. The purpose of her one year sabbatical wasn’t to break a world record, she simply wanted to learn and grow as a person like so many of us aim to do.

Some of the challenges she encountered on her trip were similar to what many of us face (i.e. language barriers, depending on where you are in the world), but Renee educated me about the infrastructure in some of these countries and how inaccessible it was for someone using a wheelchair.

Prior to her trip, she couldn’t find many resources that were helpful in mitigating some of these challenges. By being one of a few individuals in the world to take on an adventure of this magnitude, she has now become the resource and inspiration for many. I walked away from this conversation with nothing but gratitude for having met and spoken to such an inspiring figure.

Globetrotters Podcast

#49 Guinness World Record Holder Renee Bruns – Most Countries Visited Using A Wheelchair In One Year At a young age, Renee was diagnosed with a skeletal disorder that forced her family to travel around the United States to get the proper medical help.

At age 5, she made her way to the Big Apple and fell in love with traveling so much that her family took it upon themselves to check off all of the 50 states in the US, which they did. This only fueled her fire to see more of the world.

Later in life, she experienced corporate burnout while leading a large team in a Fortune 500 insurance company and decided for the first time, to go on a one year sabbatical and travel the world. In doing so she broke the Guinness World Record for most countries visited in one year using a wheelchair.. Renee sheds light on inaccessible infrastructure, being an inspiration and resource for others, and her restored faith in humanity. ♫ #49 iHeart Podcast Guinness World Record Holder Renee Bruns #pursuitofhappiness #team #inspiration #love #travel #infrastructure #guinnessworldrecords #accessibility #guinnessworldrecord #nolimits

Renee Bruns, BA ’05 | Ohio Northern University