Pursuits

World's Most Traveled Man: The Contenders

Two top guns are competing for the title of World’s Most Traveled Man. It’s been a turbulent ride

Fred Finn has flown more than 15 million miles, visited 139 countries, and in 2012 spent roughly 160 hours on planesPhotograph by Sasha Kurmaz for Bloomberg Businessweek

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By Joel Stein

January 31, 2013 at 10:21 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

BusinessWeek Cover Image (13_06, portrait_2x)

This article is part of the February 4, 2013 issue of businessweek.

For too long, Fred Finn was a champion without a rival. Since 1983, Finn, 72, a cheery, aristocratic, British-born businessman, has held the Guinness World Record for Most Air Miles Flown by a Passenger. He’s now past 15 million miles. Tom Stuker, 59, a fast-talking American who sometimes wears a cowboy hat, is at 13 million and coming up fast. Stuker flew 1 million miles on United Airlines this year alone. Finn racked up only 90,000.

World's Most Traveled Man: The Contenders — Tom Stuker has flown almost 14 million miles, visited 100 countries, and in 2012 spent roughly 2,600 hours on planesPhotograph by Daniel Shea for Bloomberg Businessweek