I am aware of that, on the flip side, not a single mile I fly or trip I make is for work purposes.

And absurd? Says who? Everyone has a choice in life, I lasted 6 month working as a corporate slave... then it was time for a change

Very fast from Australia, I used to go there for excursions from high school the flight is only a couple of hours from Sydney. We saw a lot of the island, and a visit over the reef and to the Phare - very lucky that I chose to do French at school.

It was a very strange feeling last time I was there, the immigration lines were for "EU Passport Holders" and "Others" - this tiny remote Pacific Island is very much part of Europe (until they maybe vote otherwise within the next couple of years).

It's always been a very expensive place, the cost of a restaurant meal was roughly double that of Sydney last time I was there. But you don't visit N'lle Caledonie for any bargains!

About the same amount I had as a civil servant in a certain European country. (One that's doing quite well economically, I might add)

Just to clarify, what makes a country "difficult to visit"?

In my mind, it takes several conditions for that:

1) Need for a Visa before arrival (in the case of Bhutan, Visas are not difficult to get, the hotel is actually taking care of that and I won't even need to visit Bhutan consular services or mail my passport - I will simply present a confirmation and get my Visa on arrival..)

2) Long journey (Australia is far, but flying there is pretty straight forward and one can basically get there from EUrope or USA in 24hrs...). Some countries are only accessible from a few airports, and connections are such that one must spend a day at least waiting for an early flight...

3) Cost of Travel: The more expensive a country, the more difficult it is to visit

4) Security Concerns/Political Turmoil/War: In most cases, this is just temprary. For instance, I wouldn't travel to Syria now, but in maybe a year or two, things will have settled down.. But Somalia has been having trouble for a loooong time!


Countries that in my mind are most difficult:

a) North Korea: Visa Required (and takes some time to get), Must travel through Beijing, so must obtain Chinese Visa. Little flexibility regarding dates and extra stop in Beijing, though probably very pleasant, makes it expensive and longer...
b) Somalia: Few flights, Visa required, huge safety concern
c) Tiny Pacific Island: Visa not necessary, but must fly to Australia, flights are not scheduled very often, so it will take time and cost money
d) Haiti: Easy to get to, but unsafe, politically unstable, and very poor infrastructure since the earthquake (getting to the safe part of Haiti where cruise shipds stop doesn't count as a Haiti visit!)
e) Antartica: No Visa, but if you want to sleep on site, the few tour operators are very expensive...
f) Iraq: (Not the Kurdish part, but Baghdad) requires visa.. Easy to get to from Europe but requires "balls" :-)
g) Yemen: Visa, Safety concerns, Political Stability issues
h) Western Sahara: Not a country yet (or maybe. depends on your definition)...


Finally, to expand on what has been said, KSA issues a 5yr Multiple Entry Visa for US Citizens. Obviously, one needs an Invite, but it is not that difficult to obtain. Just look through your network and you'll probably know someone who has a good relationship with a Saudi that can issue the invite

Belarus: again, Visa is very easy to obtain. The hotel can issue the invitation so getting a Visa is just a matter of making a request at any consular service with the appropriate invitation

Perspective: Long journey - USA is far, but flying there is pretty straight forward and one can basically get there in less than 24 hours from Australia. Same with Europe. I wouldn't class either as difficult to visit, just long trips.

Hard to visit countries
 

At the very top of my list of 80 plus countries is Libya in 2005 on a small expedition cruise ship. We were told on approach that there was a possibility we might be turned away. The people were very kind to us and approached us on the street thanking us for coming. Seeing Sabratha and Leptis Magna were a very moving experience. I believe we were the only American tour company based ship which was allowed there for a very long period and afterwards it was closed up to Americans again. From what I heard other countries' ships were allowed but Americans had to stay on board. Something about Kadafis' son or nephew not being allowed into the U.S. to play soccer so no Americans were allowed into Libya in retaliation.

I've been to 129 countries so far including some of the harder ones listed, Belarus, Bhutan, Syria, North Korea and Afghanistan. Mostly what I have left is Pacific islands, Central Asia (though will be there in May), Central Africa and Eastern Europe.

Currently I'm waiting on an Iranian visa authorization, apparently it's taking ~90 days to get approval for Americans right now (and Americans have to be on a guided tour). Saudi will also be difficult to visit on anything other than a transit visa. Turkmenistan is difficult, either need an Iranian+Uzbek visa to get a transit visa, or take a guided tour. Angola is almost impossible (or very expensive) to get a tourist visa, and even transit visas are not being granted from what I hear on the lonely planet site. I've heard Algeria can be a pain to get a visa as well. Libya used to be impossible/difficult for Americans.. not sure now what the situation is.

Nigeria isn't so bad.. getting the visa was relatively easy actually. I just did a Nigeria/Cameroon/Gabon/Equatorial Guinea trip last month. I skipped out of Lagos pretty quickly though.

http://i.imgur.com/Uqe8R.png

I am dying to get to Tuvalu soon but limited flights and the expenses make it improbable.

Iran is actually very easy from Dubai. Kish Island is an Iranian duty free island where no visa's are required and flights from DXB are plentiful and cheap.

Don't ask me how I found out about this...a very sordid tale ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kish_Island

Thats not real Iran - there is no point just going to Kish, unless you really are just collecting countries or stamps. Its an amazing country and going to just Kish would be just wrong.

Turkmenistan - you do NOT need to be on a guided tour for a tourist (non-transit visa) on arrival. You just need an invite letter and someone needs to pick you up. You can then kick around Ashgabad on your own. I used a local agency, booked the letter, got the visa on arrival with that, they booked me 3 nights in the hotel Altyn Asyr, and then dropped me off at the Iranian border, I think all in, that cost about $350. About half of what StanTours wanted.

Lots of people I met in Mashaad, Iran were getting their transit visas for TKM there too, it was very easy. There is a wonderful guesthouse there with the owner being a wonderful source of information, and who organizes trips into the countryside. In Shiraz, one of the things not to be missed, is a night out with the nomads in the hills - these are not tourist nomads - these are the real deal, when we arrived, we were the first visitors to their "house" in 3 months.

Completely agree...but some people do just collect stamps to say they went to a place...for these people Kish is perfect. For everyone else, a trip to Iran proper is likely to be far more rewarding!

As I am just back from Haiti (Port au Prince and Jacmel), I'd say the infrastructure is not especially bad nor is it particularly dangerous if you make arrangements with knowledgeable locals. I can recommend Haiti Tours for setting up hotels, transportation, etc.

Mali through Burkina Faso is quite easy overland, by the way. You could start in Senegal and go through the Gambia on the way. A lot of people also then go to northern Ghana and on through Togo and Benin.

For the South Pacific, all roads go through Fiji. I've been to both Kiribati and the Solomon Islands and the only workable flight schedules require a day or two in Fiji in between.

I've been fascinated by the Comoros (and Mayotte, which is a French dependency) for some time, but that seems complicated, with very limited flight routes and political instability. There is a reason it is nicknamed coup-coup land.

I would say that infrastructure is haphazard. As far as dangerous is concerned, crime is a serious, although manageable issue, but dining is perhaps of more concern. My stomach is still causing me problems two weeks later, and I tend to be pretty careful with what I eat. Make sure you have your typhoid shots up-to-date.

Love the map - which site do you use to generate it? Definitely an improvement over the one on my website.

There were several vendors offering rental cars at the port. None of the big US companies though, mostly private owners who rent their fleet of cars.

A lot of them were used Japanese market vehicles, so Right Hand Drive, and a lot of buttons I couldn't read; but there were a few left hand drives as well.

It depends on what you are used to when traveling. I'd say the two hotels I stayed at were comparable to many I've stayed at in Africa - and better than a particularly notorious motel I once stayed at in Michigan.

Of the group I was with (8 total), the only illness involved someone who overindulged in Rum Babancourt.

Are you taking doxycycline as an antimalarial by any chance? I find that if I do so, I need to eat yogurt (or, I suppose, other probiotics would work) to prevent digestive issues.

Thats from travbuddy.com.
http://www.travbuddy.com/world-travel-map

Awesome - thanks! How did you get the two colours though?

Screencapture and mspaint :)

Add Syria to that list right now.

What is your definition of "visiting" a country? Does staying in the airport count?

I would say "visiting a country" requires at least seeing one meaningful landmark or some noteworthy place of interest or "thing-to-do".

1) Definitely a layover in an airport DOES NOT COUNT as visiting the country. Neither would an overnight stay in an airport hotel.

2) I also believe that what is visited in the country should be of relative importance and also be representative of that country.. For instance, if visiting the Maldives, you'd probably want to hang out on a beach, no need to spend time in the capital city... But staying a few days in Puerto Rico or Hawai DOES NOT COUNT as visiting the USA... Applying this logic to Russia, a visit to Volgograd would not, in my opinion, count as a "PROPER" visit of Russia because Moscow and St Petersburg hold so much importance. But in the USA, importance is spread out between cities such a NY, LA, Chicago, DC, Miamiii and Natural Wonders (i.e. Niagara, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley) and one cannot be expected to visit everything, but at least 1 or 2 of these...

3) Basically, for someone to be able to say they have "visited a country X", they should be able to aanswer the following question: "Did you enjoy Country X?" or "What did you think of Country X?"... Again, if you transit through Frankfurt, you would not have the credibility and credentials to be able to comment on German culture or the beauty of German cities/nature...

My rules are not so strict. You must clear immigration (if one exists). Having said that this is the bare minimum and against the spirit of things if this is all you have done. Personally I would like to see at least one city or town.

The one country of the 57 I have visited so far that I do have a problem of conscience with is Mexico having only been to Tijuana.

What you're describing is "visited country X extensively", not just "visited country X". A brief visit is still a visit.

The part I bolded is just ridiculous... how can a few days in Hawaii NOT count as a visit to the U.S.? :confused:

There are a few people (even here on FT) that fly in, and fly out on the same plane, and count it as visiting a country - to each their own.

I personally dont see a point in that.

But when I take the boat over to Anguilla for the day later this summer, and rent a car to spend a 9 hour layover in Antigua - I will certainly count those as a visit. Likewise, if I was to spend a few hours onshore from a cruise, but not if I just stayed on the ship in that port.

Everyone has a different definition.

Haha, my logic is that if Hawai is the only part of the USA that you've been to, and someone asks you: "Have you been to the US? What was your impression?", I believe the asnwer would not simply be a "YEs, I loved it" but rather a "YEs, but only to Hawaii, so I cannot tell about the mainland"

LEt's take other examples: Does Hong Kong count as China? If so, after spending a few days in HK, one would be able to say "I have been to China and loved it!" or would they be expected to say something like "I have been to China... Well, Hong Kong to be precise.."...
There are many countries where I believe that simply setting foot and walking around is enough: for Instance, most Caribbean countries are basically and Island with beaches and small towns.. No need to extensively roadtrip the island, as long as you leave the airport, have a swim or eat lunch in a town, I'd say you have properly visited the country.. But this cannot be applied to the USA, Brazil, Italy...

A little more: As Jahason says in his post, he has only been to Tijuana in Mexico, and therefore, feels something is missing. The logic being that MExico has so many world renowned sights (Mexico City, Cancun, Maya Pyramids...) that having been to a secondary city feels incomplete. In my case, I have been to Dammam in Saudi Arabia (3rd largest city) for nights, however, I still believe that one must see Ryadh,Jeddah or MEcca for it to count as a proper visit of Saudi Arabia.


Finally, to add to the Hawaii point, I am only stating that Hawaii does not, in many foreigners eyes, represent the "American experience" that you'd get from roadtripping on Route 66, or Camping in a DEsert or Hailing a Cab in NY.


As for the "Extensively" you added, I do not agree, here is why
- I am ok with someone spending 5 days in NY and saying they've visited the USA because it is generally assume that NY is the #1 city to visit in the US.. Likewise, if someone spent 5 days in Beijing and Shanghai, I would again be ok with them saying they visited China. However, do not believe that spending 5 nights in NY or 5 in Shanghai and Beijing counts as having visited those countries "Extensively"..
- What is an "Extensive" visit: say you're visiting France. Many will only visit Paris, and even spending 10 days in Paris does not count as an extensive visit because you won't have seen Mont St-Michel, or the Reims Cathedral, or the French Riviera...

I completely agree with you. Clearing immigration and leaving the airport premises are a minimum requirement but do not qualify as a proper visit yet...

I also agree that spending 5+ hours in a Carribeann Island counts as a proper visit since you won't have the feeling that you missed on a significant monument, museum or ladnmark.

No, I wasn't taking anti-malarials in Haiti (wasn't recommended by my company's health department) and incidentally, I tolerate doxycycline quite well. It was definitely an illness, although there is always the possibility that it was a delayed reaction from something acquired somewhere else - I travel a lot to high-risk (food-wise) places. I was, however, specifically warned about Typhoid by both my personal doctor and my company's health department.

I did choose the word haphazard intentionally, rather than the word non-existent. I have certainly stayed in far worse hotels than the one I used in Port-au-Prince (your comparison to Africa is apt), although I think there are relatively few of quality at the moment. I was also thinking about the broader infrastructure, roads, transportation, especially once you get out of PAP, etc.

^^^
as well as to the person who suggested getting a job interview

I made a lot of Saudi friends in university and one suggested it was as easy as him saying that I was his assistant. That didn't sound plausible to me though so we never tried it. I finally made it past the border this year when I went in with the ID of a Saudi friend's wife who looks somewhat like me - only downside is that I don't get a fancy new stamp in my passport. I'm scheduled for a university-organized trip soon though so I'll get to do it legally, although a friend who just came back from one last week says it's almost impossible to get away from these organized trips. Almost? ;)

I guess my advice is to make friends with Saudis. If they can't get you in, they can at least get you away from an organized trip for a bit. :)

I went to Saudi Arabia on a trade mission in 2009, and I got the visa easily. However, a girl travelling with us had to pretend she was the wife of another member of the group (in Spain married women don't take their husband's surname, so it was credible), but no way, it got rejected.

I managed to do a bit of sightseeing in Jeddah and Riyadh, and here's my message to all of you eager to get there: you're not missing much. At all.

And I thought that I sometimes lived on the edge. You impersonated someone else by illegally using their ID to enter a country, Saudi Arabia, no less, and you weren't worried about being forced into an "extended" visit measured in years if you were discovered?

Not to mention the repercussions on the real owner of the ID upon discovery.

Can't say I was very worried, particularly as I look quite similar to my friend. I've so far found that no one pays much attention to me as a woman in an abaya anyway. I was aware of the consequences but considered the risk to be rather low.

That is -- can't say I was very worried, as I'm still young and foolish.

Niue is quite a pain to visit if you're going to see more than the airport -- it currently has only one flight a week.

According to Expert Flyer, you can transit via Cotonou, Benin if you have an onward connection within 24 hours. Does anyone know if you can leave the airport? Anyone have experience?

If you are in this game then my advice is to go everywhere with an open mind. I visited Nigeria last year on business and surprisingly really enjoyed it. Food was fantastic and people I met were great.

I have only been to 65 countries. But at least a third of these are places I would not have chosen to go myself. Having been to 65 I can't think of a single country where I wish I had not gone.

Similar experience. I have been to both the Congo (DRC) and Nigeria. Many times. Always on business. I would never have thought to go there on holiday. But I thoroughly enjoyed it and made many friends that I remain in contact with.

I have been discouraged many times to go to DRC. If I have my hotel pick me up on arrival, is it still considered safe?

Sure. Just make sure that you got good term life insurance before you go.