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how long will it take to visit EVERY country in the world?

how long will it take to visit EVERY country in the world?

Old Mar 1, 2009, 9:54 pm
  #16  
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Originally Posted by wandering_fred
Remember it is a moving target.

When I started Yugoslavia was a country And I don't think I would be welcomed into Iran again.

While I appreciate the above arguments about "doing something useful" being on the ground in a country is a bit like pregnancy and life...... Either you are or you aren't......

fifty something sovereign territories and counting (wandering) slowly.....

Fred
Yeah, how do you count?

I've been to pre-turnover Hong Kong, Yugoslavia and East Germany.


As for the doing something useful bit--I don't count Israel as a place I've been even though I landed at the airport. Simple plane change, nothing more.
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Old Mar 2, 2009, 6:48 am
  #17  
 
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Originally Posted by Flaflyer
...

Other travel problems: Does your trip time include the stop back home? If a US citizen goes to Israel, won't they have to come home, have their "dog eat their passport", then get a replacement expedited before they can travel to certain Arab countries? Certain nationalities (Swiss? Singapore?) might have an easier time or fewer visas.
That's why one might ask for and receive a duplicate US passport.
Originally Posted by Flaflyer
Other question: Do these have to be legal visits? If a US citizen does a MR to Cuba does it count?
So many questions.
It is not illegal for a US citizen to travel to Cuba. There are restrictions on how you get there and on spending US currency.
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Old Mar 2, 2009, 4:45 pm
  #18  
 
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It's my goal to visit every country as well; my standard is usually one night spent there, if possible (its not likely I'll have a sleepover at the Vatican!).

There's ~194 'countries' recognized by the UN, so it's very possible to visit 5-10 per year and still make it. I'm currently at 86 countries, 72 are overnight visits.

It's harder to gauge 'coverage' when dealing with a bigger country. eg. I've been to Russia, but only Moscow; likewise only Rio in Brazil. But when in Liechtenstein I think we drove on every road in the country. So pretty good coverage there.

Last edited by hauteboy; Mar 2, 2009 at 4:53 pm
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Old Mar 2, 2009, 8:55 pm
  #19  
 
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RTW

There are people and agencies that specialize in such kind of things.
RTW - Round the World trips.
You can google it and find lots of resources and agencies specializing on it.
There are case studies of people doing it in under 16 K (USD) and in a matter of 3 months.
Have fun doing it (hope you don't plan to venture into any of the war torn zones though )
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Old Mar 2, 2009, 11:08 pm
  #20  
 
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Collecting passport stamps and visiting countries are two entirely different games. What constitutes a country? Sure, discount Eelam, Abkhazia, and the Sahrawi ADR. But remember that according to the U.S. government, Taiwan isn't a country while Somalia is, in flagrant contradiction to any practical observation.

I admittedly do collect countries— heck, I even collect counties. But I try not to use it as a proxy for seeing the world. I'd argue that someone who's been to rmqi, Lhasa, and Shanghai, or Kona, Brownsville, and Nashua (all in one country) has seen more of the world than someone who's traipsed across three borders on a visit to Aachen or Iguazu/Este.
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Old Jul 25, 2010, 4:46 pm
  #21  
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Originally Posted by EOS
For your goal of traveling to all countries:

There are travelers' clubs--one is called something like the Travelers' Century Club (for people who have visited more than 100 countries)
What is the purpose of joining these clubs? I have just completed my 109th country (Actual countries not their inflated list). Im considering joining their association, but cant figure out what you get for the $150 annual fee other than a regular magazine subscription. Does anyone know if the benefits are worth joining?
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Old Jul 25, 2010, 5:54 pm
  #22  
 
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One of my goals is to visit every country. I've been to about 70 and have been to a few difficult ones (Turkmenistan, DR Congo, North Korea, Sudan). I figure the rest will take perhaps 10-15 years.

The expensive ones are typically islands and much of Africa is "roughing it" quite a bit.

I count a country when I have done something meaningful and gone through immigration (so the DMZ does not count as North Korea). Length of time doesn't matter too much, but typically 24 hours minimum.
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Old Jul 26, 2010, 1:04 pm
  #23  
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I may be insensitive but I think some countries are almost the same. For example, Togo and Benin. Vising one is enough.

My list of countries that I want to see starts to levels off at about 75 because of the expense and certainly by 125. I have no interest in seeing Kyrgyzstan but Tajikistan seems a bit more interesting. Also Timor Leste more than PDRK (North Korea).
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Old Jul 26, 2010, 2:41 pm
  #24  
 
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Originally Posted by TWA A380
I may be insensitive but I think some countries are almost the same. For example, Togo and Benin. Vising one is enough.

My list of countries that I want to see starts to levels off at about 75 because of the expense and certainly by 125. I have no interest in seeing Kyrgyzstan but Tajikistan seems a bit more interesting. Also Timor Leste more than PDRK (North Korea).
Actually the DPRK is worth a visit if only to see something so totally different from normal reality. It's a tragic place but also a bizarre alternate universe. And I agree that some places aren't worth going far out of your way for ... eg Qatar.
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