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Collecting Countries. Is it Important to You?

4/16/2014

34 Comments

 
Picture
By John Roberts


I grew up a collector. Baseball and football cards?

Yes. I still have boxes and boxes of them.

Comic books? I had a well-worn stash that I recently gifted to a friend.

Now that my life is immersed in travel, I have come across new "collecting" concept: countries.

Do you collect countries? That is, do you regard it as a symbol of your travel cred to reach a high number of countries visited?

I have seen mention of countries visited refer to U.N. countries or TCC countries. The official list of United Nations member states is 193, but for travelers the number often is tallied at 196 to include Vatican City, Taiwan and Kosovo. The TCC, or Travelers' Century Club, counts 324 places on its list. This number generated by the TCC, a nonprofit social group, contains all U.N. countries plus an ever-expanding list of "unique destinations," such as constituency countries or special municipalities like Bonaire, Aruba and Curacao.

Some hardcore travelers really keep track of these lists and aspire to check off as many locations as possible in their journeys through life.

Let me quickly run through my mind to add up how many spots I have visited. . . . 

I might have missed a few, but my best guess is . . . about 30 locations.

My number will grow, but I am not chasing any particular goal.

How do you guys approach travel? Do you collect destinations?

Would you rather go to a new place or are you happy to return to a destination?
Some people might refuse to go back to a place they have already experienced, viewing any return trip as a lost chance to go somewhere new and knock another spot off the list or get another passport stamp (I guess you can track passport stamps, too, but I've never gone out of the way to get mine stamped). Personally, I'm the type of traveler who along with being curious about new locations also really looks forward to getting back to a place I enjoyed the first time around. It poses a constant dilemma, I imagine, though, because life is short and financial resources can be limited for many of us, so you have to determine how to prioritize your overall vision for traveling.

What counts as visiting a place?
I have been to 46 U.S. states, including Georgia, but in good conscience, I can only claim that I've visited 45. I have been in the Atlanta airport more times than I can remember, but that has been it. I have not really ventured into Georgia to experience it as a traveler. Do you count a country or state in which you have simply been in an airport?

How will you look back on your journeys?
For me, the great thing about travel is that every trip holds endless possibilities -- to learn about new places and connect with people. The main thing I want to collect is wonderful memories and experiences. Those things . . . and some new flavors of beer from around the world to savor . . . and I'm all good.

Happy travels!

JR

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34 Comments
Erin Jorgensen link
4/16/2014 03:43:12 am

I'm so glad you touched on the struggle between revisiting favorite places and striking out to new ground. I fight with myself over this often. Some places are so gorgeous, you just have to go back but could you have spent that time/money finding a new favorite? The traveler's quandry, I suppose.

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JR
4/16/2014 04:42:20 am

I used to freak out that there will never be enough time to see all I want. Now, I am resigned to just relax and enjoy it. And I definitely go back several times to a place I know I love. It's good sometimes to just know you will have a wonderful trip.

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City Sea Country link
4/16/2014 03:54:24 am

Hard question. :D I think it´s more important to get to know the culture, the people and the food. Those are the things I remember and not a number of countries. I have no idea how many countries I´ve been so far. It were a lot but the memories count more than countries.

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JR
4/16/2014 04:40:16 am

That's precisely how I feel. I sometimes even forget what country I'm in when I am just sitting chatting with someone over a beer or watching the sunset from a beach and talking to a smiling new face.

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Brianna link
4/16/2014 11:40:34 am

While I tend to seek out new destinations I think its important to focus on enjoying/experiencing where you go and not get hung up on crossing a destination off a list.

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JR
4/17/2014 02:43:35 am

Very well put. I think you find the right mix by not worrying too much about it.

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Margherita @ The Crowded Planet link
4/16/2014 11:55:50 am

This post raises a series of really interesting questions. Just like any other travel blogger, I would love to be that sort of person that loves immersive travel, 'real' experiences, living like a local and blah blah blah. Truth is, I always get a rush from seeing new places. I also love going back to my old favourites. Each to their own, I say. By the way, I also love beer!

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JR
4/17/2014 02:45:26 am

Right on! I say we start "collecting" beer experiences. We could come up with a Beer Passport and mark off places in the world we've seen through the bottom of a beer mug.

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Antonette Spaan link
4/16/2014 06:40:54 pm

To be honest I don't collect countries, but prefer to go back to places if I really like them. I used to get really excited when going somewhere new but nowadays, I"m just happy to go somewhere I know I'll truly love!

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JR
4/17/2014 02:47:05 am

That's kind of where I am, Antonette. My wife and I love to return to Scottsdale, Ariz., every other year. It's where we honeymooned. It has great memories and we know we will be comfortable, warm and stress free for a week.

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Meagan | LifeOutsideofTexas.com link
4/16/2014 08:09:13 pm

Good post... made me think! I like the idea of seeing as many places as possible, but I'm not one that is on a race to tick as many countries off of a list as I can.

And I try to only count places that I have stayed the night in (or at least seen something significantly important in), otherwise I think it's cheating.

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JR
4/17/2014 02:49:19 am

I agree. You really have to visit a place to have it count. I also figure if I keep traveling all my life, who am I to complain if I don't get to everything? I already have seen more than I ever imagined. I'm sure there will be a lot more, but it's no race or competition.

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Karen Warren link
4/16/2014 09:30:58 pm

Like you, I'm a bit of a collector. I also love to try and do new things. So it is always exciting to go to a new country. Every country is slightly different from all the others so visiting somewhere new is always a learning experience. Having said that, there are some places (like Italy) that I go back to time and again. But even then I try to find a new region or different things to see and do.

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JR
4/17/2014 02:52:03 am

I know. So many places in this world offer so many unique spots. I am in America and I know I could spend my whole life just in this country and not see all the amazing geographical wonders and amazing museums, etc., here. When I go to Italy and other places in Europe, it just blows my mind and makes my head spin as to how much there is to see. You simply have to go back again and again.

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Emily link
4/17/2014 06:24:59 am

Awesome post! I used to care a lot more about 'collecting' countries and passport stamps... until I started travelling properly. Now I'd rather spend a lot longer in one place I truly love than jump from border to border missing things. And I'd definitely rather return to the same country - namely Colombia, which I'm now in love with - again and again than jet off to places I'm not so keen on, just to get the stamp!

Sarah Ebner link
4/17/2014 08:30:32 am

I used to love collecting stamps in my passport, but then they stopped stamping them when you travelled in Europe and, especially since we had kids, that tends to be where we go. I don't really collect countries as such, but I do love going to different places, rather than back to the sames ones over and over

Reply
Bob R link
4/17/2014 09:28:15 am

I too am a collector. Stamps since I was about seven, a hobby that actually opened my eyes to much of the world. Yes, I had baseball cards for a while too, but got rid of them before their value started to climb. :)

Collecting countries? Sure, why not? I’ve been to 51, several of those a handful of times. That’s not my underlying reason to travel, but it’s fun to keep count, and pretty easy, too. :) But I also like returning to familiar places and seeing familiar faces. Most of all I like collecting new experiences. And for that I don’t even need to go very far. But I’ll continue to for as long as I can. :)

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Emily link
4/17/2014 10:24:17 am

I have the same dilemma--to go somewhere new or return to a favorite spot? Since we plan to stay on the road, we're likely to return, for a short while, to places that really feel like a "home" on our journey. But, I have to keep moving, not because I want to increase my "list," but because I really have a hunger to see new places. It's an unfortunate bug to catch, because I don't think you can ever cure it. ;)

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Bianca @Itsallbee link
4/17/2014 01:06:04 pm

I see so many picture eager to total up countries they have been too with no repeats. For me its not the number of countries but rather what I want to see about a particular place and I have had many countries repeat like Itally and Germany which I have been to practically once or twice a year for the past 3-4 years.

www.itsalbee.com

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Ashley and Alex link
4/17/2014 07:43:03 pm

It's always a struggle to balance visiting new countries and revisiting old favorites! We try to balance it out by visiting a new city in a past visited country. I don't think visiting an airport counts though. I've flown in to Frankfurt more than I can count but I wouldn't count that as visiting Germany!

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Elena Nacheva link
4/18/2014 12:55:34 am

It all depends how much time you have. When I have a job and normal life, I can't say I really get to see the country where I am - one, two, three weeks are definitely not enough...And there is still so much left to see and makes you wanna go back...But I almost never do it because there always another place that I've never been to and looks more tempting...
And when you are on the road for months and years, you have all the time in the world and can afford to take your time exploring and seeing everything in the country (then I stay until my visa lets me and move to the next country...So for me it is always question of time :)

Reply
JR
4/18/2014 01:36:09 am

First of all, thanks so much for everyone who took the time to read and share their feelings. Reading back through all your comments, it seems as if we all have similar positions on this conundrum. There is no right or wrong way to travel -- as long as we're happy, safe and healthy. That is the bottom line, of course. Take care and best regards.
JR

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Dave Cole link
4/18/2014 03:04:20 am

Very interesting post. I think I am more of collector, but do not consciously do so. The thrill of seeing a new place is what excites me most, although I will never tire of returning to places like Vienna or Barcelona.

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Manouk link
4/20/2014 03:44:31 am

Interesting post! I'm definitely not a collector, but I just travel when I feel like traveling. I traveled five times to Thailand and three times to China, but I still feel like I have loads to explore in those countries. Even though I do mention the number of countries that I visited on my blog I'm not a big fan of counting and bucketlists. You have to travel somewhere because you love to travel there at the moment (not to tick a box ;))!

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Jon @ jonistravelling link
4/21/2014 05:06:26 am

Interesting post! People seem to have the idea that if you know how many countries you have been to then you are just a country counter, but I think it's a bit smug to say "I have no idea how many countries I've been to, it doesn't matter to me" it doesn't take long to count them up and it doesn't mean the whole point of your travels is to count countries.

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JR
4/21/2014 07:16:50 am

Exactly. I definitely know how many I have been to. I can tally them up, and I am proud to be well traveled, but I am in no race to outdo anyone. Thanks for reading, Jon!

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Jennifer F. link
4/21/2014 05:25:37 am

Interesting question - nice post. I like to travel - but with 3 kids and life raising kids (expense to travel as family of 5) - some of my love of traveling has been sidelined...however, when we get opportunities - I go for it. Like this summer we are flying home to the States - and I managed to get a flight that has an overnight layover in Amsterdam - so we are going to enjoy that city on route - add it to the list. I like you - love to collect memories - photos and experiences that give us new perspectives and better understandings of the world.

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JR
4/21/2014 07:19:42 am

You'll love Amsterdam. It's so vibrant and unique. I'll also travel according to a bit of scheduled trips and a bit of serendipity and let the countries visited simply fall as they may. Cheers!

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Susan D link
4/21/2014 08:28:17 am

Sure, I guess I 'collect' them but because it's fun. It would be cool to be in the TCC but I go back to places I like occasionally instead of knocking out the new places.

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Simone link
4/22/2014 02:42:58 am

We are currently doing some country collecting and always struggling with do we go back to somewhere we enjoyed or try somewhere new! Great post

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jennifer link
4/22/2014 03:01:26 am

My rule for having visited a place is that you have to sleep there. There are a whole lotta states in the US that I cannot count because I only spent a day there, no overnight stay.

I want to see the entire world. There are absolutely places I return to often - mainly for fests or then there is Las Vegas - a place I am addicted to. But I do prefer new places over vising past loves. The world is so big and you only have so much time to see it all.

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Rachel Denning link
4/23/2014 05:38:30 pm

I have to admit that I have the desire to 'collect' countries, as much as I embrace slow travel, I feel 'embarrassed' that I've 'only' been to 12 countries (although I've taken my six kids) :)

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The Guy link
4/24/2014 07:50:57 am

Hi JR,

I can certainly relate to Atlanta Hartsfield airport, I've been through there so many times I've lost count. I don't visit Atlanta anymore but I used to. The place really grew on me and if you get the chance I'd recommend it.

As for counting countries, well I must be 40+ now. I must admit I'm not seeking to visit as many countries as possible.

There are some I want to go to because they fascinate/interest me. I would prefer travel to go to places I want to see rather than places that don't interest me or I'm afraid to move around safely.

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JR
4/24/2014 08:46:14 am

Thanks for the comments. I see a pattern here. We love getting to news spots (of course), but we also fall in love with spots to which we must return. Time stands as the enemy, of course, and perhaps financial resources. So, we'll just have to do the best we can. Just don't stop exploring! Peace.

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