What counts as having visited a country?

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Normally I'm one for homestays and 'travelling' not being a tourist But I've visited a lot of countries and the subject came up today about what counts. I've been to a lot of countries but I can count them differently.

Various answers have been:

Leaving the airport (so transfers don't count)
Getting a passport stamp (now we aren't EU, that's more likely)
Eating in the country
Staying overnight
If a country is disputed, who do you listen to? (I've been to a few countries which have disputed borders.) I'm a fan of listening to the person I think is OK.
Countries within countries? Guadeloupe is part of France. But Puerto Rico? Greenland? All the UK countries? Do they 'count'?

Lighthearted (says she, hopefully).

Ooh. You have not only been to Zimbabwe, but you have also been an illegal immigrant there!

[Edit to sort out nonsensical grammar]

This is interesting. Zanzibar involved lengthy passport and visa shenanigans (and extra injections). But it is part of Tanzania (the -zan- part). So it isn't a separate country. But I've been to a part of China that the Dali Llama would argue is spiritually part of Tibet. But involves nothing at all. No passport, visa or anything. So have I been to Tibet if I think I have? If the Dali Llama thinks I have.

I once, very embarrassingly, arrived somewhere I thought I knew the name of. It had changed since I checked. Once a country starts down the People's Democratic Republic of Somewhere name route, the name and regime changes are inevitable.

Including arriving right in the middle of an attempted coup. Had it been successful, I could have claimed a two-for-one deal.

Leaving the airport as a minimum.
How do you count visiting countries that no longer exist, such as East Germany? Or places that were one country when you visited but are now a number of different countries such as Yugoslavia or Soviet Union?

Wasn't Switzerland not a member of the UN until recently though? Would that mean Switzerland didn't count?

Just Googled, 2002 was when Switzerland join the UN.

If you've stepped on the ground in a country. Airports are some kind of international no man's land so don't count. In my case, going from one part of Austria to another, the quickest route was through Germany. Didn't get off the bus in Germany though, so that doesn't count.

I just checked and you’re absolutely right, Switzerland joined after I first went. DH and I only met in 2003 (after Switzerland joined) and didn’t check the dates when we first started our competition. But I can confirm that we’ve both visited since and can add it to our list.

The other country that I’m aware of that doesn’t work using our rules is the Vatican City. But for competition purposes we’ve both been so don’t get too stressed about that one.

I stood at the top of the Timmeljoch pass, with one foot either side of the line between Italy and Austria. I count that as being in Italy.

Context is everything, though. In the confines of my own head I don’t count the sprint through the airport at Dubai, but if I’m in a “who has visited the most countries” competition with my partner I bloody well do.

Just thinking about this - as I went on several coach holidays in the 90s so travelling through eg Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany but I've since stayed over in most of those countries so I guess I've been there anyway . Belgium though - I had an overnight stay near Brussels airport but not really seen anything alder from the motorway. And Luxembourg - where I've visited a service station . Does that count ? And Slovenia, we drove through on our way from Trieste airport to Croatia, and did a little trip to one of the towns there as well .

I wouldn't normally count those brief visits if I was totting up the countries I had visited (which isn't a lot as we tend to visit several placed in one country if we like it there, or return to a resort we've enjoyed ).

That's just daft .

Most people are counting day trips across borders with a lunch somewhere.

In this case people have travelled on a coach from the airport and had 7 lunches (plus breakfasts and dinners).

I definitely count my day trip to Uruguay as having visited the country!

We were in Argentina at the time and wanted to say we'd been to Uruguay - we had lunch and dinner there, met a cat and caught the last boat of the day back.

However, going on a boat down the Parana river doesn't count as having visited Paraguay, even though we watched entertainment from the boat by some natives of Paraguay standing on the banks of their side of the river

I don't think one can say that you've visited a country unless you've met a cat in each one.

Oh dear. Well I've been nowhere in 30 years now. Must try harder with the cats.

I think leaving the airport or stopping to explore / visit an attraction / have a meal as you're driving or taking the train through counts. Service stations and train stations only do not count.

On the above basis I haven't visited Dubai, Hong Kong, Namibia or Andorra despite having technically been there.

A day trip counts. We're in Jersey so fairly regularly go to St. Malo for lunch. It definitely counts as having been to France! What else would it be?

Visit, yes.
But to truly absorb the culture and customs of the country, you need to have met a cat.

I think I've only visited Greece then🤣! Infact everyone who has visited Greece can probably say they have 😺