I figured someone would bring that up. That's my guide.

I've done a lot of day trips from one country to another so overnights would mean they don't count. One such trip was from Reykjavik to Kulusuk, Greenland. We walked around, talked with some locals, had a meal and flew back to RKV. I just visited Copenhagen last month. To me, that's a separate country! The point about cruises is a good one: this last trip included Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark and Poland. I overnighted in Stockholm the day before we embarked and in Copenhagen the day before we flew home.

As for border formalities- sometimes there aren't any. On this trip the ship's crew kept our passports. We had no interaction with Immigration in any of the countries other than at the airports (my passport displays stamps only from Sweden and Copenhagen) except the morning we arrived in Finland. The immigration officials wanted to talk to me.:eek: They'd noticed that my passport had been reported lost or stolen. Yes, it was two years ago in Malta, this was a replacement of the temporary passport they'd issued at the Embassy (within 24 hours, bless them) and it bore the stamps of subsequent trips to Central and South America and Eastern Europe. They scrutinized my passport, entered something in their computer and told me to enjoy my stay in Helsinki.

What makes Taiwan a “quasi-country”?

Probably a better discussion for a political forum. :)

Not looking for a discussion, just wondering why Taiwan would be considered a “quasi-country”?

Because mainland China says that Taiwan belongs to them, and so in turn, it's just part of the PRC.

I don't count airport layovers either, but I count any country whose soil I have ventured out onto. Under this criterion I count my day trips trough Austria and Liechtenstein.

(From UA Island Hopper trip)

Would this count as 3 countries (Micronesia, Solomon Islands), plus Guam (not shown here)? Or add on NRT where I connected on the way back from GUM to EWR (using the - "I bought stuff and talked to a local, so I was there" logic above)?

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f3040285ed.jpg

and thankfully other nations disagree with China about Taiwan. Stuff can get messy.

Taiwan counts as a country in every practical respect: it has its own currency and its own foreign policy including border controls, in short, it is sovereign. However, it's not a Member State of the UN and very few other countries recognize it as independent.

I think Taiwan is pretty unique and the most arguable case that could be considered a country. Other "quasi-countries" have their own currencies and/or border controls, but most are not sovereign, e.g., French Polynesia, Macao, some Caribbean territories, Greenland.

But for my narrow purposes that are the subject of this thread -- needing an objective parameter to measure independent countries visited -- I don't count it. I wouldn't begrudge anyone who does, as it's hard to draw a line sometimes.

I hadn't seen the badges introduction but love this thread. It shows the depth and breadth of the travelers here and also how much geography has changed over our travel lifetimes. My partner and I are sitting in Belfast ..our first time here.. and it got us to thinking and counting our many decades of adventures across the six continents..only missing Antarctica..and we got to 40 pretty easily..so it might be 50..we've always wished you could have a printout of entry and exits of your passport especially now since a..there is a chip on it..and b..so many countries don't stamp so you don't even remember when and where you entered. Why can't we do that since the govt asked us where we have been when we apply for global entry...

PS we didn't count airport transfers as a visit. Our motto Life is short the world is wide and travel is the only thing you spend money on that makes you richer.

Well said. I hope you enjoy Belfast and Northern Ireland....it is now my adopted home as my travels led me here in '89 where I met my future wife....so travel has lots of benefits and I love it. My mother did her last long haul across the world at age 81, so if I can equal that I will be happy.

My own rule is that I have left the airport and entered the country proper. I see that there are a couple of countries on my list that others wouldn't count because I haven't met the one-night rule.

Qatar is an odd one for me as I didn't sleep in the country. But, I spent some hours travelling around central Doha in the middle of the night. But, I count that.

I'm not sure why I have a badge for countries visited that gives the number of countries that it does. I never asked for it that I remember, and the number is way off. Is there a way to update it? EDIT: Yes, here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/badg...?do=viewbadges Now accurate.

We did enjoy Belfast. Wished we'd had more time for more of Northern Ireland. You definitely got a great benefit from travel!! Hope to be traveling into our 80s as well..

A few years ago I traveled by train from Salzburg to Munich, left my luggage at the train station, and walked to Oktoberfest where I spent most of the afternoon enjoying food, drink and music. When I was done, I retrieved my luggage at the train station, took the train to the airport, and flew to London for the next leg of my journey. So, I have visited Germany but never spent the night there. I definitely include Germany on my list of countries I have visited. I'd like to go back someday and see more of the country!

There are two official lists IMO.

-The Century Club list https://travelerscenturyclub.org/cou...d-territories/
-The list of UN countries. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states

Everything else is just an opinion :)

I prefer the TCC list as a guide to 'how much I've seen', as it is absolutely a different experience to say you've gone to French Polynesia or visited Paris. However, if someone asks me how many countries I've visited (or for my FT badge!), I do use the UN list, because it's more widely accepted as the definition of a country.

In the end it doesn't really matter though, do what makes you happy! 'Counting Countries' is probably not the best way to enjoy your travels. But it is fun to do.