Originally Posted by
rankourabu
lol count it if you wish, no one is going to check :P
I drove thru Neum, which is Bosnian territory that cuts thru Croatia. Total time spent, maybe 15 minutes - didnt use a card, didnt take a dump, didnt take a picture. Didnt count it until going back to Bosnia proper.
Like mentioned above - there are a lot of "collectors" that count 5 minute cross border visits. Thats their business, in the end noone really cares how many countries you have been to, and whether its 150 or 151 doesnt really make a difference. Its on your conscience. .
I have 4 categories of counting countries.
1. Countries that I really know. That would be knowing the local news, knowing attractions to visit, knowing local restaurants, knowing obscure sights, knowing local laws, being able to name local politicians, visiting many times, etc. For me, this number is very small, perhaps 4.
2. The second category is countries that I've visited more than a token visit. Usually 2 days is needed though a well used one day can count.
3. The third category is all the countries that I've step foot in. This is the most commonly quoted number. Without counting, I don't know the number to #2 or #4.
4. The fourth category, one that I never mention as a number, is all the countries that I've step foot in, including disputed political entities and unusual circumstances. One example is West Berlin. Prior to reunification of East Germany, West Berlin was a free city, not part of West Germany. East Jerusalem is also possibly part of the West Bank. Puerto Rico has an Olympic team but I don't count it as a country except possibly as this fourth category.