When can you claim to have visited a country?

[Deefstes]

I've often wondered about this, when can you lay claim to have visted a country? I mean, during our travels we often pass through an airport or maritime corridor and effectively pass through another country, yet it would be absurd to say that you have "visited" such country.

On other occasions we spend a weekend in Paris breaking a longer journey, so surely you've visited Paris but where do you draw the line (and have you actually visited France)?

So what would you think is neccessary to be able to say that you have visited a country?

Now accepting your most flippant of suggestions (if its not in the poll already)

 

[Tomeck]

Have set foot on its soil is enough for me. I am Swiss citizen and I cannot ask a stamp in the other European countries as other European citizens.

 

[Deefstes]

Yeah, that would be the easy answer but if you're taking the train from Zurich to Amsterdam and you have to connect at Frankfurt, does your stepping from the train in Frankfurt and walking to another platform where you get onto the train to Amsterdam constitute a "visit" to Germany?

Before I'm accused of being a pedant I have to make it clear that I am indeed trying to be as pedantic as possible. The more ridiculous this thread becomes the more satisfied I'll be. ;-)

 

[battles2a5]

I don't include layovers as a visit. I've visited 30 countries. But that number would go up by a few if I counted countries where I've had a layover. I think once you set foot outside of the port (air port, sea port, etc.) you have visited. Although, personally I don't consider cruise ship ports of call a true visit to a country. Anything with guided excursions and that kind of touristy nonsense does not constitute a real visit IMO.

 

[stu_in_fl]

if i've gone through immigration/customs and left the airport I'd inculde it in a list of places visited, e.g. Beiruit, Dubai and Buenas Aires I never actually left the airport (but did get off the plane and wander around) so don't count them....
..i'm upto about 41 countries (of which a couple are no longer countries in their own right but i still count them as they were when i went there).......as to how many I'd claim to have seen/expreienced, a lot less.

 

[Air One]

A week is the minimum, for me I mean.
Just enough time to have decent sex with a local ...OMHO I mean...( well, I don't know if "Humble" is appropriated....hu hu ! if you see what I mean)

At the moment, i've visited....wait a minute...
...
hem
...
Using those criterias, I think I've only visited France....:11:

 

[Walter]

I've been in more countries than I've visited. If you are on the ground, even if you don't exit the plane, you've been there, but you haven't visited. Visits take more effort on your part. Visits can be short or long. A short visit takes more effort to accomplish. It's more of a feeling for the country and its people.

 

[drbill]

Wow, you guys are strict on the definition. I count the countries I've visited in my dreams... as well as the women I've met in them. Heck I've visited hundreds of countries, not to mention a few other planets (Xanadu being my favorite, but I did dive on Mars) and galaxies.

 

[T23]

I've always followed the simple rule of "setting foot on soil" to support the claim of having visited a state or country. Setting foot on soil to me really means me physically being in a certain place. I'm not sure the length of time I remain in that place has any significance. Of course this opens up the can of worms as to whether or not one needs to be awake at the time to realize they have actually been somewhere?

I agree with others on the airport terminal thing. I have also been in a whole bunch of airports where I never actually went outside the terminal so I do not count that location as a visit. Well except for one, many years ago before the days of airport security. I was in a foreign country and did go outside the terminal because I had a 12 hour layover and actually set foot in soil.

When traveling by auto it is fully possible to pass thru some of our smaller states without ever getting out of the car so the rule still applies... you have to stop and get out of the car. I'm not sure if stepping on asphalt, concrete, or even roadside gravel is technically "soil" and counts so I make sure I find some real soil before my conscience is clear. For that reason I don't think I would count changing trains in Frankfurt either... nor, if the train was headed to say Italy, would I count Switzerland when the train passed thru.

Taking this concept to a bit more of an extreme... if I flew over the same route I traveled by auto the only real difference is altitude and I don't think most of us would count having flown over a state or a country to count. If altitude did count then I guess every one of our astronauts could lay claim to having visited every country on earth.

 

[Deefstes]

If altitude did count then I guess every one of our astronauts could lay claim to having visited every country on earth.

Hmmm, you'd probably have to investigate the exact trajectory of their orbit. And it makes me wonder, does altitude play a role when having sex with a local?