Well-travelled?

With a friend and with my brother, I sometimes compare the number of countries we each have been to. This generates discussions such as 'what is to be considered a country' and 'what are the criteria for being able to say you have been to a place'.

The website you reach by clicking on the map below does not really answer the first question ― an ideal solution would be to talk places instead of countries ― but its notion of 'visited' countries makes the second issue pretty clear in my opinion. For example, you can visit a country without staying there overnight. But if you just pass through, you don't really visit, even if you stop for a snack or so.

In lack of a realistic (online) solution to the first problem, I decided to create and blog my personal map of visited countries anyway. I'm at 33 so far...



...which contributes ― just ― to qualify me for membership of the Travellers Guild of Denmark (De Berejstes Klub).

As the guild also has a somewhat more exhaustive list of countries and territories, a.o. including countries that are now history, I even reach 37 ― the Acores, Galápagos, Northern Ireland and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) being the four additional territories. One may of course discuss whether or not to count these.

Also, the guild operates with a 24-hour rule, which in my case would remove San Marino and the Vatican from the list. Again: Subject for discussion.

So... Happy discussing, and especially: Happy travelling!
Bjørn

article updated on 18 August