k374

what exactly do you consider a "visit"? I know at least some people who have just been to the airport at the country and claim to have visited it, others went to some beach resort and say they visited the country...I don't think it really qualifies unless you spent some time outside the airport in a location that reflects the true nature of the country.

For example a cruise ship docking at Labadee, Haiti (a private gated beach resort owned by Royal Caribbean)...well, if you never went past the confines of the resort then you have not really seen Haiti.. you may have seen it in theory but you really haven't seen it culturally.

I have been to Incheon airport but I don't claim to have visited South Korea because I never went outside the airport.

Also those that are just visited countries at the speed of light just to increase their count are just losing the whole point of traveling to places. Call me a purist but that is how I feel

jarusoba

Who (apart from you) said the whole point of traveling to places is to experience the true nature of the place? For me, some places are better not to visit but I just want to claim that I've been there. So yes, setting foot on the airport, or stepping on the soil at the border counts!

k374

well, which side of the airport? If you didn't pass immigration then you were not officially admitted into the country

jarusoba

I would say either side of the airport. But since I'm a passport stamp collector, I would not be satisfied to go to a country without obtaining my trophy - the passport stamp!

jackal

Here's my list (in rough order by when I first visited them; ones in parentheses are considered separate by the Traveler's Century Club):

USA (Lower 48, Alaska, Hawaii)
Canada
Mexico
UK (England/Wales/N. Ireland/Scotland)
Germany
Austria
France
Luxembourg
Spain
Portugal
(Gibraltar)
Morocco
Andorra
Monaco
Italy
Vatican
San Marino
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Poland
Hungary
Slovakia
Lithuania
Latvia
Estonia
Finland
Russia
(Åland Islands)
Sweden
Norway
Denmark
Netherlands
Belgium
Ireland
Croatia
Slovenia
Romania
Bulgaria
Turkey
Greece
Australia
(Puerto Rico)
Singapore
Malaysia
Thailand
Myanmar
Laos
Cambodia
Vietnam
Colombia
Peru
Japan
Panama
Uruguay
Brazil
Paraguay
Argentina
Israel
Jordan
Egypt
India
Chile
United Arab Emirates
Qatar
Bahrain
Kuwait
Oman
South Korea
North Korea
China, People's Republic of (Mainland)
China, Republic of (Taiwan)*
(Hong Kong)
(Macau)
New Zealand
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Zambia
Swaziland
Lesotho
Namibia
Botswana
Algeria

76 by standard count*; 86 by TCC count. All have been actual visits, not just airport layovers, although five (Myanmar, Laos, Egypt, North Korea, and Lesotho) are somewhat tenuously counted, as I can't claim to have had a visit of any significance to those places (yet!).

Edited to add one of the nicer maps I've seen: jackal's Travel Map - TravBuddy Only 37%?!

*I recognize that Taiwan is not considered a separate country by definitions such as the UN+3 and other conservative definitions, but in my mind, it absolutely counts as a separate country.

Ichinensei

USA, England, Scotland, France, Holland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia..

Just 16...! I think I have to go to more.

trsny

I feel the same way. I'm still upset at not getting a Denmark and France stamp in my passport.

That said, I don't consider airports as "visits". However, I will count resort vacations as a visit.

the_happiness_store

It is interesting considering an individual's opinion of real. I was in Buenos Aires discussing waterfalls. The other person asked me whether I had ever been to Africa. I responded that technically I had, since I had spent a week in Morocco, but I did not feel that I had "really" been there since I had not been to the heart of Africa. I had been to Arabian Africa but not to African Africa.

We count our numbers differently. On FT I will use the usual rules but personally I have not yet been to Africa.

Happy travelling.

Mr H

Latest List is:

Albania
Algeria
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Cambodia
Croatia
Denmark
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
FYR Macedonia
Germany
Greece
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Italy
Kosovo
Lao PDR
Lebanon
Macao
Malaysia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Netherlands
North Korea
Norway
Poland
Russia
San Marino
Serbia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States of America
Vatican City
Vietnam
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Of these, North Korea is a cheat as I stood the other side of the table in the DMZ and Serbia was about 20 minutes of driving between Montenegro and Kosovo - followed by half an hour held up by a Serbian border guard at the border they claim not to recognize. I have not included Jersey or Isle of Man.

Question for three weeks time - what about self proclaimed countries that are not recognized by anyone else?

Much as I am a passport stamp collector, I think it is cheating a little to count airport visits. But then, as someone once put it, if you're not in that country then where else are you?

DesertNomad

You should go to North Korea for real (Pyongyang etc). It is a fascinating and remarkable country despite its unflattering image in the Western Media. I can't wait to return.

Bralo20

Not to many

Belgium
The Netherlands
Luxemburg
Germany
France
Denmark
Sweden
Austria
Switserland
Italy
Vatican City
Monaco
United Kingdom
Ireland
Poland
Spain
Canada
USA

Mr H

I would like to - the difficulties are time and money. I have a dwindled supply of miles now and North Korea is very expensive and awkward to get to. I had planned a trip to China/Japan which could have allowed me to build in a side trip to DPRK but this fell through because I was broke.

Right now, if I could go anywhere, I'd go for Ghana, Benin and Togo - hoping to head inland through Niger and Burkina Faso. But affordability reigns and my next voyage is Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia and NKR.

UpperDeck87K

70 countries:

Armenia (Yerevan) (EU)
Australia (Canberra) (AU)
Austria (Vienna) (EU)
Azerbaijan (Baku) (AS)
Belarus (Minsk) (EU)
Belgium (Brussels) (EU)
Benin (Port-Novo) (AF)
Brunei (Bander Seri Begawan) (AS)
Bulgaria (Sofia) (EU)
Cambodia (Phnom Penh) (AS)
Canada (Ottawa) (NA)
China (Beijing) (AS)
Croatia (Zagreb) (EU)
Czech Republic (Prague) (EU)
Denmark (Copenhagen) (EU)
Ecuador (Quito) (SA)
Estonia (Tallinn) (EU)
Fiji (Suva) (AU - Oceania)
Finland (Helsinki) (EU)
France (Paris) (EU)
Georgia (Tbilisi) (EU)
Germany (Berlin) (EU)
Ghana (Accra) (AF)
Greece (Athens) (EU)
Hungary (Budapest) (EU)
India (New Delhi) (AS)
Ireland (Dublin) (EU)
Italy (Rome) (EU)
Japan (Tokyo) (AS)
Jordan (Amman) (AS)
Kenya (Nairobi) (AF)
Korea, North (Pyongyang) (AS)
Korea, South (Seoul) (AS)
Laos (Vientiane) (AS)
Latvia (Riga) (EU)
Lebanon (Beirut) (AS)
Liechtenstein (Vaduz) (EU)
Lithuania (Vilnius) (EU)
Luxembourg (Luxembourg) (EU)
Macedonia (Skopje) (EU)
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) (AS)
Moldova (Chisinau) (EU)
Monaco (Monaco) (EU)
Mongolia (Ulan Bator) (AS)
Netherlands (Amsterdam, The Hague) (EU)
Norway (Oslo) (EU)
Oman (Muscat) (AS)
Peru (Lima) (SA)
Poland (Warsaw) (EU)
Romania (Bucharest) (EU)
Russian Federation (Moscow) (AS)
Serbia (Belgrade) (EU)
Singapore (Singapore City) (AS)
Slovakia (Bratislava) (EU)
Slovenia (Ljubljana) (EU)
Spain (Madrid) (EU)
Sweden (Stockholm) (EU)
Switzerland (Bern) (EU)
Syria (Damascus) (AS)
Taiwan (Taipei) (AS)
Tanzania (Dodoma) (AF)
Thailand (Bangkok) (AS)
Togo (Lome) (AF)
Turkey (Ankara) (AS) & (EU)
Ukraine (Kiev) (EU)
United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) (AS)
United Kingdom (London) (EU)
United States (Washington D.C.) (NA)
Vatican City (na) (EU)
Vietnam (Hanoi) (AS)

Yes, North Korea is very expensive. We only stayed there 2 nights after a 2-week train trip (10 nights on trains, others in hotels) from Helsinki.

Good choices those trips of three! Ghana, Togo & Benin was great, so was Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan last Easter: small distances but three different nations with interesting history.

rankourabu

Good to hear, heading there next summer!

My goal was a 100 by age 30, but that ship has sailed this year

I am at 93 currently, and look forward to the prospect of my 100th country visited next year

UpperDeck87K

Cool! Although summer might be incredibly hot.

Damn, you're the same age and 23 countries ahead...^