How many countries have you been to?

[Gavin Chipper]

To further confuse this issue with a densely-worded and ridiculously over-punctuated post that is sort of something vaguely related to the matter, I've driven through loads of towns and cities and villages and shit (inevitable when driving through some of them (not that I'd say which)) and I consider that I've "been" to them. Getting out of the car for ten minutes wouldn't make any difference, because what are you going to do in ten minutes that you can't already do while driving the (possibly more than) ten minutes of driving through them? I've never been to Wells Cathedral, for instance, but I've driven through Wells a few times. So have I "been to" Wells? Yes.

Or no.

I think this is a good point because if you're driving through somewhere, you can still see a lot of the place and take in the sights etc.

[JimBentley]

I think this is a good point because if you're driving through somewhere, you can still see a lot of the place and take in the sights etc.

As another f'instance, I've probably driven through (or been driven through) Liverpool more than a hundred times but the only time I got out of the car was to have a meal in a Chinese restaurant for some sort of family celebration or other. So does that count more than actually driving through Liverpool (which is pretty much impossible to do without seeing all the big landmarks, and takes a lot longer than ten minutes)?

[sean d]

24: Netherlands, and indeed Holland. Dundalk in the Europa League group stages getting a drawwith ten men away to a decent AZ Alkmaar side
Alkmaar's a beautiful little city, surprised it's not more of a tourist destination

[Gavin Chipper]

Anyone fancy a trip here?

[Jennifer Steadman]

Chronologically: UK [England], France, Spain (loads of islands), Cyprus, USA, [Wales], Italy, UAE (airport transfers), China, Croatia, Vatican City, [Northern Ireland], [Scotland], Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Ireland, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina*, Montenegro*, Albania* (bus station stopover, out of the bus for like 15-20 mins and made a blog proving I was there), Kosovo*, Macedonia*, Greece*, Bulgaria*, Lithuania*, Latvia*, Estonia*, Finland*, Denmark*, Sweden*, Norway*, Malta.

Countries starred are ones I've been through all on my lonesome!! #StrongIndependentWhiteWomanWhoDontNeedNoTravelCompanions

+ Slovakia, Luxembourg*, Iceland

Up to 37 now (only 13 more European countries to go). Anyone else want to update their numbers?

[Thomas Carey]

Anyone else want to update their numbers?

Sure, why not

I want to go to the USA mainly, but that's to meet some mates, not really for the country (though I'm sure it'd be interesting)

This finally happened . +USA 4/51 (Maine <3, Florida, New York, Massachusetts, and also New Jersey (bus, twice) and New Hampshire (train) without leaving the vehicle which apparently doesn't count)

I think this puts me at 13

[Mark James]

Played in a football tournament earlier in the year. The team flew in to Cologne, got a bus to Maastricht to our accommodation and then travelled by taxi to Millen in Belgium for the tournament. A great weekend (Maastricht is amazing BTW, highly recommended) but two of those countries were already on the list so just an addition of Belgium for me.

[Matt Morrison]

canada soon

[Gavin Chipper]

Mexico soon

[Matt Morrison]

f1?

[Gavin Chipper]

Yep.

[Thomas Cappleman]

UK (3), Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Vatican City, Montenegro, Croatia, Greece, UAE (transfers only), Japan, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, USA for 20 total. No new ones planned for this year yet - may fill in one of the holes in Western Europe

Added Ireland and India, and will add Austria and Slovenia in a couple of weeks for 24 total.

[Ian Volante]

Slovakia and Austria to the list this week.

[Gavin Chipper]

Mexico soon

I hope this is still on anyway. Obviously my first thoughts should be with the people in Mexico suffering in all this, rather than wondering whether my trip is going to be affected!

It's weird how slow the news was with this. Last night, the BBC reported that there had been an earthquake and that a building had partially collapsed in Mexico City (something along those lines anyway). Yeah, I think it was a bit more than that, guys.

[Thomas Cappleman]

UK (3), Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Vatican City, Montenegro, Croatia, Greece, UAE (transfers only), Japan, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, USA for 20 total. No new ones planned for this year yet - may fill in one of the holes in Western Europe

Added Ireland and India, and will add Austria and Slovenia in a couple of weeks for 24 total.

Done, and thoroughly recommend

[Stewart Gordon]

Not quite at the bottom of the list with 6/197 (3/4):
United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Republic of Ireland, Belgium (purely by the 10-minute rule), Finland (England, Scotland, Wales)

[Stewart Gordon]

Vatican City (dubious if this is counted)

OF COURSE THIS COUNTS.

Wait what? That's a sovereign state that's a member of the UN in its own right?

I went there while I was in Rome. So 9.

Vatican City is one of the two sovereign states that aren't UN members - the other being Taiwan. At least, I'm not sure whether the other two Sporcle countries that aren't UN members (Kosovo and Palestine) count as sovereign states.

That said, are some of these actually UN members, albeit in some other country's right rather than their own?

[Tom S]

Am only at a solid 4: Cyprus, France, The Netherlands, Spain. However, if the Balearics were to be classed in some imaginary world as a country, then it would be raised to a more well-travelled 7

[Jennifer Steadman]

Am only at a solid 4: Cyprus, France, The Netherlands, Spain. However, if the Balearics were to be classed in some imaginary world as a country, then it would be raised to a more well-travelled 7

Have you never been to the UK?

[Tom S]

Yes, just happen to reside there . Silly error of mine. You can add Scotland and Wales to the mix, too.

[Gavin Chipper]

I'm in Mexico right now, so that can go on my list.

[Gavin Chipper]

UK (all 4), France, Greece, Italy, Vatican City, Belgium, Ireland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, USA, Singapore, Mexico. I make that 15.

US states - Nevada, Arizona, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Connecticut (stopped there briefly), Illinois (connecting flight), Texas, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, West Virginia (sort of - drove through without stopping, but I'm counting it by the Jim rule), Ohio, Indiana (pretty sure we stopped), Missouri, Colorado. Also 15.

[Conor]

UK*, Ireland*, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands*, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Czech Rep, Poland, Serbia, Hungary*, Slovakia, America. I have lived in the countries marked *

I can now add Croatia, Bosnia, Brazil, Italy and Greece to the above.

[Jennifer Steadman]

Yearly update time: now up to 41 (+ Monaco, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine). Anyone want to update?

[Thomas Cappleman]

Denmark and Sweden done, and should be adding Israel and Palestine in a month.

[Jennifer Steadman]

Israel and Palestine

Spicy.

[Thomas Carey]

Add the Vatican for me

[Graeme Cole]

I wonder if anyone's been to the Vatican City but not to Italy?

[Thomas Carey]

I wonder if anyone's been to the Vatican City but not to Italy?

Maybe someone who got airlifted in and out for a big popey thing, but I doubt it

Feels annoying to have been to Italy for the second time, and still not 'completed' it in terms of countries because San Marino

[Jennifer Steadman]

Feels annoying to have been to Italy for the second time, and still not 'completed' it in terms of countries because San Marino

Yep. San Marino can get dicked.

[Ian Volante]

I wonder if anyone's been to the Vatican City but not to Italy?

Yes, but I've never been to me.

[Edward McCullagh]

33 - UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Andorra, USA, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Czechia, Netherlands, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Estonia, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Croatia, Montenegro, Morocco, Greece, Belgium, Norway, Slovenia, Iceland, Malta, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania.

And Cuba in January.

[Norm]

Yearly update time: now up to 41 (+ Monaco, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine). Anyone want to update?

Just in case you were getting excited that you're catching up, I have a few to add..
Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Chile, Argentina, Ghana, Philippines.
I make that 54.

[sean d]

25 Turkey, just passing thru, sadly
26 Israel with work, interesting few days in Tel Aviv mainly, but a trip to the Dead Sea meant....
27 Palestine and adds Palestine to the exclusive list of "countries I've been to without realising I've been to", a list which currently consists of Palestine. That mini-trip adds Jordan to the list of countries I've seen but not actually visited which consists of Jordan, Albania and Switzerland- I'm not counting countries seen from the air cos that would be obscene.

[Thomas Cappleman]

25 Turkey, just passing thru, sadly
26 Israel with work, interesting few days in Tel Aviv mainly, but a trip to the Dead Sea meant....
27 Palestine and adds Palestine to the exclusive list of "countries I've been to without realising I've been to", a list which currently consists of Palestine. That mini-trip adds Jordan to the list of countries I've seen but not actually visited which consists of Jordan, Albania and Switzerland- I'm not counting countries seen from the air cos that would be obscene.

Similarly 27 Israel and 28 Palestine (and having travelled further north, an add Jordan, Lebanon and Syria to countries I've seen but not been to)

[sean d]

Looks like I miscounted my first post- that had 23 countries not 22, so I'm up to 28. Dundalk are back in the Champions League qualifiers in summer 2019 so here's hoping for Scandinavia or the Baltics!