ETF/ABS MAGELLAN TRAVEL INDEX (MTI)

A) ETF/ABS MAGELLAN TRAVEL INDEX (https://magellantravelindex.com)

  1. A) ETF/ABS MAGELLAN TRAVEL INDEX (https://magellantravelindex.com)

The Atlântico Business School (ABS), a university in Porto, Portugal, built a new index that tracks the achievements of global travelers, and has partnered with the Extraordinary Travel Festival (ETF) to launch this index. Their collaboration aims to make the ETF/ABS Magellan Travel Index (MTI) a leading benchmark for travelers worldwide.

The index is named after the famous Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães in Portuguese), who led the first circumnavigation of the globe from 1519 to 1522. The name was chosen to:

  • Honor the legacy of early explorers, like Magellan and other Portuguese and Spanish navigators, who set out into uncharted territories and, in doing so, kickstarted the age of globalization.
  • Recognize modern-day explorers, whose adventurous spirit often takes them to remote and challenging regions, echoing the bravery of explorers from centuries past.

ABS portugal

The ETF/ABS Magellan Travel Index is based on two main factors, each given equal weight: Quality of Travel (QL) and Quantity of Travel (QT).

Quantity of Travel (QT) is determined by how many regions a traveler has explored, based on membership in the three most important travel clubs:

  • United Nations Member States (UN)
  • International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
  • Most Traveled People (MTP)
  • NomadMania
  • TCC – Travelers’ Century Club (TCC)

Quality of Travel (QL) is evaluated using four key criterions:

  • UNESCO Sites: number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS) visited
  • Cultural Heritage: number of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity experienced
  • Tentative List: number of sites on UNESCO’s Tentative List visited
  • Capital: number of capitals of countries and territories visited
  • Border: number of land or sea borders crossed
  • SLOW: a NomadMania index showing how long the traveler stayed in each country

 

MTI (ETF/ABS Magellan Travel Index)  = 50% QT (Quantity)  + 50% QL (Quality)

  • QT = (UN + ISO + MTP + NomadMania + TCC) / 5
  • QL = UNESCO*11% + CULTURAL*11% + TENTATIVE*7% + CAPITAL*7% + BORDER*7% + SLOW*7%

The ETF/ABS Magellan Travel Index will be updated and published annually on the ETF website and other partner platforms.

(You can see the full breakdown in the Technical Sheet)

 

  1. B) RANKINGS

 

Users can view different types of rankings:

  • the annual Official Rankings;
  • the Live Ranking, always up to date.

 

Live Ranking is the previous Official Ranking, updated to reflect:

  • any changes in the number of items under each criterion;
  • any updates made by travelers included in the previous Official Ranking;
  • any traveler submissions that have not yet been verified.

The Live Ranking is not verified by MTI and remains provisional throughout the year until, the following year, the new Official Ranking is calculated based on data provided by our partners, NomadMania and MTP.

 

For each of these rankings, they can choose to view:

  • the total ranking;
  • the ranking of the quantity component (QT) only;
  • the ranking of the quality component (QL) only.

 

ETF in conjunction was pleased to have announced the Top ranked travelers of the ETF/ABS Magellan Travel Index (MTI) at the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Bangkok on October, 2026.

 

Please click here to view the top ranked 759 most accomplished travelers in each category:

 

The top 20 in each category is:

 

2025 NAME MTI
1 Michael Runkel 69.80
2 Sascha Grabow 68.62
3 Harry Mitsidis 68.56
4 Igor Sergeev 68.56
5 Thomas Buechler 68.33
6 Nadezda Lazareva 67.86
7 Axel Wacht 67.81
8 Pawel Krzyk 66.99
9 Dominique Laurent 64.25
10 Bill Altaffer 63.61
11 Chris Pullan 62.23
12 Janie Borisov 61.89
13 Hans Thulin 61.36
14 Ron Perrier 61.32
15 Shihe Huang 61.19
16 Luis Filipe Gaspar 61.03
17 Steve Newcomer 60.89
18 Mehraj Mahmudov 60.37
19 Rus Margolin 60.30
20 Selman Arinc 60.28

 

2025 NAME QUALITY
1 Thomas Buechler 46.86
2 Igor Sergeev 45.50
3 Nadezda Lazareva 44.57
4 Axel Wacht 44.24
5 Michael Runkel 43.98
6 Dominique Laurent 43.55
7 Ron Perrier 43.45
8 Sascha Grabow 43.07
9 Harry Mitsidis 40.09
10 Pawel Krzyk 38.15
11 Geri Winkler 37.82
12 Shihe Huang 37.75
13 Selman Arinc 37.58
14 Chris Pullan 37.19
15 Janie Borisov 37.01
16 Steve Newcomer 35.83
17 Rainer Roesky 35.64
18 Bill Altaffer 35.35
19 Carlos Useros Moyano 35.15
20 Hans Thulin 35.14

 

2025 NAME QUANTITY
1 Harry Mitsidis 97.03
2 Charles A Veley 96.86
3 Pawel Krzyk 95.84
4 Michael Runkel 95.61
5 Carl Gustaf Siby 94.50
6 Sascha Grabow 94.17
7 Roman Bruehwiler 93.53
8 Milan Srejber 92.62
9 Jagannathan Srinivasaraghavan 92.43
10 Mehraj Mahmudov 92.26
11 Kari-matti Valtari 92.18
12 Frank Rainer 92.16
13 Dominik Grzyb 91.99
14 Donald M Parrish Jr 91.93
15 Bill Altaffer 91.87
16 Igor Sergeev 91.61
17 Axel Wacht 91.38
18 Mariusz Majewski 91.16
19 Nadezda Lazareva 91.16
20 Luis Filipe Gaspar 90.51

 

  1. C) MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE “ETF/ABS MAGELLAN TRAVEL INDEX”

 

The index aims to serve as a guideline for assessing the quality of travel for those who wish to explore the largest number of regions on the planet. It incorporates criterion that measure the number of regions visited (in the QT subcomponent of the MTI) and criterion that evaluate the quality of those visits (in the QL subcomponent of the MTI).

 

The index value reflects the traveler’s level: the higher the value, the more well-traveled they can consider themselves. Thus, using the index, a traveler can plan their trips considering how each visit affects their index score.

 

As a secondary objective, the index also allows the creation of a ranking among travelers, which is always a motivating and challenging factor for most extreme travelers. Given that travel is more prevalent today than ever, in the future, once its limitations are overcome, this ranking may be considered the definitive ranking of the greatest travelers of all time.

 

  1. D) SPECIFICITIES OF “ETF/ABS MAGELLAN TRAVEL INDEX”

 

In a generic way, it can be said that MTI has 4 very specific characteristics:

  • Quantity and Quality: it considers both the quantity of regions visited and the quality of the visits made, giving equal weight to each of the components.
  • Multiplicity: to measure the number of regions visited, it includes criterion from the 3 most important travel clubs (MTP, NomadMania and TCC).
  • Independence: attaches the same importance to those clubs, giving equal weight to each one.
  • Objectivity: to assess the quality of travel, it uses objective criterion or those defined by prestigious supranational entities in the field.

 

  1. E) ACCOUNTS

 

Travelers can create an account on the MTI website, either with their Google account or with an email address and password (in which case the address must be verified before most features become available).

 

An account allows travelers to:

  • link it to their entry in the Official Ranking, after review by the MTI team;
  • submit their simulated index score to the Live Ranking and keep it up to date over time;
  • keep a history of their simulations, with the simulator remembering the values last used;
  • follow, on their dashboard, every conversation they have had with MTI through the contact form, read the replies from the MTI team and answer them directly from there;
  • choose which email notifications they receive and whether MTI may use their simulations for analytics.

Anything a traveler did before creating an account is not lost: once the account’s email address is verified, the messages sent through the contact form and the simulations saved with that same address (when the traveler agreed to store their results) are automatically linked to the new account.

 

  1. F) SIMULATOR

 

Travelers can calculate their index score, see where they would rank and submit it to the Live Ranking using the simulator: https://magellantravelindex.com/calculation

The simulator allows travelers to do two different things:

  • calculate their index score: based on the values entered, the simulator works out the index score and shows where the traveler would rank in the Live Ranking, overall and in each criterion, as well as among the travelers in the latest Official Ranking; calculating is only a simulation and does not change any ranking;
  • submit their index score to the Live Ranking: the traveler’s name and index score are published in the Live Ranking, where everyone can see them; submitting again updates the traveler’s existing entry instead of creating a new one.

Anyone can calculate their index score, with or without an account. The differences are:

  • without an account, nothing is kept between visits, unless the traveler chooses, when calculating, to let MTI store their results and email address to help improve the index, or to receive news by email; the clubs the traveler belongs to (MTP, NomadMania and TCC) are indicated in the simulator itself;
  • with an account, the values used are saved and pre-filled the next time, a history of simulations is kept, and the clubs the traveler belongs to, like their email and privacy preferences, are set once on their profile;
  • only travelers with an account whose email address has been verified can submit their index score to the Live Ranking. 

 

  1. G) MTI COUNCIL

 

MTI is managed by a board (MTI COUNCIL) with the following members:

 

  1. H) EVOLUTION PROSPECTS

 

This is the third version of the index which, in relation to the previous version, introduces:

  • Live Ranking: the previous Official Ranking, kept up to date throughout the year;
  • Accounts: travelers can create an account, link it to their entry in the ranking, keep a history of their simulations and track their progress over time;
  • Submissions: travelers can submit their simulated index score to join the Live Ranking.

 

Despite these developments, the index remains simple, representing just the initial step in what is intended to become a key benchmark in the world of travelers. Some possible areas for development include:

  • introducing more criteria to measure the Quality of Travel, which represents the primary area for improvement;
  • incorporating lists and criteria from other travel clubs;
  • developing MTI specific lists and criteria;
  • creating more rankings (by age, country and other criteria);
  • developing an MTI mobile app;
  • developing a system to verify the accuracy of the available data.

For these reasons, it is important to engage our friends in the travel community in providing feedback, critiques and suggestions for improvements.

 

  1. I) QUESTIONS, COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

 

As mentioned above, this is just the initial step, inevitably imperfect and incomplete. Therefore, feedback from our friends in the travel community is crucial for possible improvements at all levels, including:

  • lists;
  • criteria;
  • weightings;
  • limitations;
  • methods of dissemination;
  • ways to overcome the limitations mentioned above;
  • and more.

Specifically, they may answer the following questions:

  • What is your opinion about MTI?
  • What are the main limitations of MTI?
  • How would you improve the MTI?
  • How can the MTI be more publicized?

We are mainly concerned with improving the QL component of the MTI, so it is especially important for us to have the answer to the following two questions:

  • What is your opinion about the weightings attributed to the 6 criteria presented?
  • What other criteria and sources should be included in the QL component of the MTI?

 

All general comments, critiques and suggestions should be made through the contact form at the bottom of the website, in English, Portuguese or Spanish.

Also, any traveler (whether or not listed in the Official Ranking) who wants to know more details about their index score can request them through the same contact form.

 

  1. J) A FINAL REFLECTION

To conclude, we would like to pay tribute to the late legendary Spanish traveler Jorge Sánchez by borrowing the words he used on the website where he presented his own ranking:

“This ranking, as well as those in travel clubs such as TCC, MTP, or NomadMania, should not be taken too seriously. Travel is just an instrument to learn; dromomania is a pathology, it is insane; there are more important things to do in life than traveling, but some people are so poor than in their life they only have travels. Nevertheless, I still think that the best traveler is the one who, thanks to his conscious travels, has acquired more knowledge of humanities that has helped him to elevate his being, to develop from featherless biped to complete man”. 

  1. K) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 ETF and ABS extend their thanks to the members of the MTI Council, to the NomadMania Team (especially Harry Mitsidis, Daniel Zagrodzki and Orest Zub), MTP Team (especially Charles Veley, Justyna Janawa and Luis Amaral) and ABS team (especially Pedro Bruno, Pedro Antunes and Débora Luz) for all the support on the creation of the “ETF/ABS Magellan Travel Index”.