Explore More Than 90 Destinations
Explore 90+ destinations by region below. Or, search destinations A–Z. And read more about my personal “country count” methodology. I know, I know, it’s so faux pas to count your countries, but… I just like to know where all I’ve been. I’ve traveled to 55 countries and all fifty states, not including constituent or former nations and I have some very specific parameters about what counts and doesn’t count. How do you count your countries? Do you count them at all?
Search Destinations By Region
Search Destinations A-Z
Asia & Oceania
Caribbean
| Antigua | BVI | Jamaica | San Andres |
| Aruba | Caye Caulker | Martinique | Sint Maarten |
| Bahamas | Cozumel | Puerto Rico | Trinidad & Tobago |
| Barbados | Cuba | Saint Barts | Turks & Caicos |
| Bermuda | Curacao | Saint Kitts | USVI |
| Bonaire | DR | Saint Lucia |
Central & South America
Europe
North America
| CANADA | Idaho | Minnesota | South Dakota |
| Alberta | Illinois | Montana | USVI |
| MEXICO | Indiana | Nebraska | Washington |
| Cozumel | Iowa | Nevada | West Virginia |
| USA | Kansas | New York | Wisconsin |
| Alaska | Maryland | North Dakota | Wyoming |
| DC | Michigan | Puerto Rico |
Jordan’s “Destinations Methodology”
63 countries. And all fifty states. That’s my “country count.” But, how do you count your countries? Do you count them at all? How many countries in the world are there, anyway? Depending on the source, you’ll find a number of different answers to this question. The U.S. State Department claims 195; the United Nations quotes 193. I’ve seen answers numbering anywhere from 189 to 196 on the interWebs.
I’ve tried to be as judicious as possible in calculating my country count, but there are some territories that Google, the all-knowing oracle, just can’t decide on. In these cases, I’ve reviewed several sources to decide whether or not to include them in the official list.
If there’s only one source claiming a place to be an independent nation, I’ve left it off; if there are several, I’ve put it on. (The Vatican and Caribbean islands are good examples of this.) I also keep a separate list of former and constituent countries outside of my final count for good measure (such as West Germany and the Faroe Islands). And, for the record, I don’t count airports or places I don’t feel I’ve really experienced in some way, shape, or form. What’s your methodology?
