Travel Goals - Why I Won't Count Countries

Do you count the number of countries you have visited as you travel around the world?

Does the number of countries a person has been to impact on your view of how widely travelled or worldly wise they are?

When reading travel writers, bloggers or influencers, one common finding on their profile or biography is how many countries they have visited... perhaps even their goal for how many they intend to visit by a certain point in time.

It seems there is a notion that the higher the number of countries visited, the more esteemed a traveller you will be.

Is this really the case?

Does the number of countries a person has visited really matter?

Does a person need to have crossed many borders to be able to take on the claim that they are a 'traveller' and so their experiences and observations are more worthy?

I am going to be controversial in this post and say I won't count countries as I travel... perhaps this will upset some, but let me explain my reasons for not counting countries and whatever your reasons for travelling, why I don't think the country count matters!

Why I Won't Count Countries As I Travel

What Does It Mean To Travel?

What does it comes down to to be able to say you travel?

What does it mean to 'travel'?

For me, travel is about exploring and really getting to know a new destination, to take time to experience the culture and people... not just race through a country to be able to say I have been there.

I am also of the opinion that you don't need to cover thousands or even hundreds of miles to be travelling.

If you do visit a country on the other side of the world then great, but travelling could also be within your own country - a day trip from home, visiting local sights or venturing to local areas of beauty.

Travelling is taking time from your usual four walls and taking in new experiences and world sights - be they at home or away....

A person who really travels keeps their eyes and mind open to the world around them, seeing and living it.

Someone who travels across many borders but has their blinkers on and sees little of the world on their journey, just to tick off the country list, is probably not really living their travels (or enjoying them!).

Is Travel A Competition?

Counting and comparing number of countries a person has travelled to with another makes it seem very competitive and is more always better?

As the saying goes, sometimes less is actually more!

When it comes to travel bloggers - is the traveller who has visited 100 countries to be held in higher esteem than the person who travels around and experiences their home country alone?

Both can be expert in what they see and experience.

So, as a traveller, keep a tally for yourself but other people should not be left feeling less worthy of taking on the title 'traveller' simply because they have crossed less borders!

A Country Tally Says Nothing About Travel Experience

Merely stating how many countries I might have visited in my lifetime says nothing about how those countries were visited, how much time was spent in each one and if true travel experiences were gained as I was there.

Being able to say a person has visited 50 countries does not speak about how much value was gained from each.

It is possible to say you have visited Switzerland (as an example) when in reality you might have merely driven through it as you were travelling between France and Italy, without even stopping!

Or... perhaps a person has spent 12-24 hours in a country, but how much experience of that country can you really gain in such an amount of time?

On the other hand, a traveller who has visited just 5 countries might though have spent a good amount of time in each one... lived it, gone off the beaten track and absorbed the local culture and people, becoming a true expert in how the country lives and breathes...

Where A Person Travels In The World Impacts On Country Tally

Where in the world a person is travelling can immediately impact on how many countries they might visit.

Travelling around Europe, it is easy to explore and appreciate several countries in a short space of time, as each country is relatively small and the borders are easy to cross.

However, countries such as Australia, Russia, India, the USA, Canada, China are all vast and diverse land masses, which would take months to truly travel around and experience (although technically they will only account for one country on the tally!)....

Home Base Impact

The part of the world a person comes from and usually lives in will also impact on how many countries they might be able to visit in between their 'home lives'.

As a person who lives in Europe, we are privileged to be able to travel relatively cheaply and easily to a new country and city with a quick flight - stay for a weekend and be home in time for work on Monday morning!

In this way, I could easily add to my country visited tally without such an impact on my time or even my bank balance!

However, for those who live in Australia or New Zealand - visiting another country takes much more time and money and is therefore not so simple.

They do though have incredible parts of their side of the world (within their home countries) to travel around and appreciate and are no less a traveller for it!

Slowing Down To Appreciate The Here And Now

One reason I choose to travel is to escape the rat race world we live in - the constant drive to be on to the next thing: the target driven, goal setting, competitive and crazy world many find themselves caught up in.

To be able to travel and discover parts of the world, should be about slowing down and actually taking time to appreciate the here and now in the place you are in at that time.

When I see travellers with long bucket lists of countries to visit before a certain point of time, or before a landmark birthday, I wonder how much of their focus on that goal is distracting them from appreciating where they are in the current moment.

Travel should be about slowing down, appreciating and truly experiencing the place and moment we find ourselves in and focusing on that.

Counting countries and setting targets for how many to strive to visit surely just takes away from the focus on today.

Does It Really Matter?

All the above points I think are really leading me to the question - what does number of countries I have visited really matter?

Isn't it starting to sound like notches on a bed post (and let's face it more is not necessarily considered better there!).

When I travel, be that around my home country or abroad I want to enjoy the experience,

get to know the destination in full, live it, become knowledgeable about it... not just race through it in an attempt to score another number on a list of countries I have been to!

Likewise, when I read about or speak to other travellers, I would much rather hear about their authentic and lived experiences and appreciation of a country or destination... how many other countries they have visited matters little!

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying nobody should count countries - if that is your thing and your way to show yourself or the world all you are doing then keep at it...

but I am not going to be joining in.

I have no idea how many countries I have visited in my life - I know I am privileged as the number is not insignificant, but counting and comparing to others... nah, not for me!

I know this was a controversial topic and might have ruffled a few feathers, so why not join in the debate here...

Your views on counting countries as a traveller, whether you travel as a writer / blogger or simply for pleasure. Do you do it, if so why and if not why not?

**To make my travels possible and affordable I do so through international house-sitting, using both Trusted Housesitters and Kiwi Housesitters**