What is the definition of a "visit" to a country?

When it comes to my world travels, a common question I get is, "How do you define a visit to a country?"

While there are no universal rules for defining a visit to a country, I have established my own personal requirements for one. Keep in mind, this is simply my opinion and by no means intended to be the final word on the subject.

RULE #1: If you arrive by plane, You must completely leave the airport and spend a small amount of time doing some kind of activity, whether it be having a meal, visiting a tourist attraction, kicking a camel, etc.

RULE #2: If you pass through by land, you must get off at some point and set your feet on the ground.

RULE #3: Do yourself a favor and spend enough time in each place to make it indisputable.

Those are my basic requirements for making a visit official. Personally, I always stick to RULE #3 without exception. I have spent enough time in every single country I have visited to make it utterly indisputable. In large countries, like Brazil and India, I stayed for more than two weeks. In tiny countries like Liechtenstein, San Marino, Vatican City, etc. I have walked around for at least four hours. Trust me, if you've been to those places, you'll agree that's sufficient to qualify as a visit. While people sometimes criticize me for ripping through places too quickly, they can never say that I haven't visited that particular place.

Take a moment to think about New York City. This is a place where people can live their entire lives and barely scratch the surface of what there is to see. At the same time, someone who has never been to New York in his/her life can show up in the morning, have breakfast, go to the Empire State Building, shop in Times Square, ride the subway, buy fake purses in Chinatown, ride the Statue of Liberty ferry, eat a nice dinner, then dash to the airport. Even if this person never, ever goes to New York City again, nobody can ever tell them they haven't been there. The visitor can always describe what it was like, show everybody the pictures, and tell a few good stories. I am able to do that for every single country I have ever set foot in...and that's indisputable.

Proof of a visit can be demonstrated by the following:

  • passport stamps
  • credit card statements with a transaction from the location
  • bank statements which show ATM withdrawals from the location
  • photos of you in front of something that's obviously in that particular place (e.g. a government building)
  • receipts that clearly show it's you who obtained them (from hotels, cambios, etc.)

    As I've said, feel free to make your own rules. But if you don't leave the airport in Frankfurt on your way to Istanbul, have you really been to Germany?