No one ever wants their birthday to end, but Sven Hagemeier from Germany managed to keep his special day going for almost two days by crossing between different time zones, this day last year, as he was turning 26 years old.

Over the course of 46 hours, Sven flew from Auckland (New Zealand), to Brisbane (Australia) and then to Honolulu (Hawaii), achieving a record for the Longest birthday ever.

Sven's elongated birthday celebrations beat the previous record set by Nargis Bhimji of Karachi, celebrated her birthday for 35 hours 25min by crossing time zones after flying from Karachi to Singapore and then to San Francisco back in June 1998.

Speaking of his record-breaking birthday celebrations, Sven said, “I have known Guinness World Records since my childhood and I am a huge fan … I always asked myself if it would be possible to set a record myself. After I found the perfect record for me, I felt confident I could become a record holder.”

The birthday-boy spent the majority of two days in an aeroplane enjoying plane food, working out how to stay comfortable on long-haul flights, and communicating using hand-gestures.

In New Zealand, Sven met Khan, a particularly accommodating taxi driver who managed to show him many of Auckland's most interesting places in just an hour and a half. Everyone wanted to get involved in his record attempt and Sven arrived back home feeling happy that, “you will get help, wherever you are in this world.”





Above: Sven's arrival in Auckland

But Sven’s extended-birthday highlight was landing in Hawaii at midnight, with the knowledge that he had successfully set the record and that his wife was there waiting for him.

Sven described his Guinness World Records certificate as “an incredible present”.

This year, however, Sven plans to celebrate his birthday in a more low-key, traditional manner - at home with just his family - happy 27th birthday Sven!