Inspired by recent “How many … have you been to?” threads.
[ol]
[li]I flew over at 60,000 feet.[/li][li]I was in a car, bus, train, or airplane that had its wheels on the ground. [/li][li]I put my feet on the ground, for a restroom, cigarettes, food, whatever.[/li][li]I stayed overnight in a motel, hotel, B&B.[/li][li]I did something; visited a museum, zoo, or park, etc.; went to a concert, play, etc. in one day.[/li][li]I did multiple somethings over multiple days.[/li][li]I lived there.[/li][li]I did something other that I count as having been there.[/li][/ol]
I voted 3. If I’ve put my feet on the ground somewhere, I’ve been there. For years, I thought I’d knock North Dakota off my list by driving across the state line, getting out of the car, getting back into the car, and heading out. As it turned out, I spent some time there, but still, I would have counted my plan as having been there.
I voted “did something” and also “did multiple somethings,” as I assume it’s multiple choice, not just the minimum. I use the term “been through” for many of the others, including stuff like stopping in a restroom. For example, I’ve stopped in Milan, stepped out of the train station and walked to a nearby place selling pizza and eaten there, but I don’t really consider myself as having been to Milan. It was just a quick stopover–I call it being “through” Milan, or if anyone asks if I’ve ever been “to” Milan, I say “not really” and explain. I’ve been through a lot of cities and towns, but most of them I don’t consider being “to” for sake of conversation. If someone asks if I’ve been to Italy, I say “no,” as none of my experiences, to me, really count. I’ve taken the train and bus through, and I’ve walked around Trieste and, as I mentioned, Milan, but that’s all in what I consider a “traveler’s limbo,” where you’re between places.
I picked #2 but I have a modified view of that. I figure it counts as “being there” if you drive through a place and see the sights, even if it’s from inside your car. But it doesn’t count if you’re in an airplane at an airport or if you drive through on a freeway or at night without actually seeing anything meaningful.
Either stayed overnight or stopped and visited someone or something. Passing through and getting out of the car at the Rest Stop to pee and get a bag of pretzels doesn’t count.
I count it if I’ve driven across a state, if I get out somewhere, even if it’s just at a highway rest stop. I’ve driven across both Minnesota and Missouri, and I’ve changed planes in both states. The former counts, the latter doesn’t.
Driving in a car through a state counts, but you have to get out of the car at some point and get your feet off of the pavement. You also have to urinate in a state in order to claim it.
Flying in to an airport does not count, unless you leave the airport get feet on actual soil or grass and also urinate outside of the airport.
I voted “do something there.” But if it was just one thing and I saw very little of the place, I’d say I’d sort of been there. Like, I’ve “been to” San Diego, but only to Sea World, which barely counts. And I’ve been to Cologne, but only to the Cathedral (it’s conveniently near the main station), but at least I also walked around a tiny bit, so that counts more.
Airport stopovers definitely don’t count. Athough given how unexpectedly long my airport stopover in Canada was it started to seem like it should count. Any longer and I’ve have applied for residency.
My cousin came up with the best criteria, you have to have eaten and pooped in a country/state/city in order to count as having “been there”, and airports don’t count.
I voted for boots on the ground and not in an airport. I do tend to wander around when I travel but if I find something I like, I can spend an entire day in one place. An example would be the Hermitage or the beach in Bora Bora.
I wouldn’t count it. I used to drive from Michigan to Maryland a couple of times a year. I got out of the car on the Ohio Turnpike to get gas, food, and yes, urinate. I still feel I have no legitimate claim to having visited Ohio.
I agree, but I think stopping for a meal might count (though not if you never leave the airport).
Thus I have not been to Dallas, Detroit, or Boston (only been in the airports, waiting to change planes), but I have been to Phoenix because I drove through and stopped for a meal.
My standard, which my sister originally came up with, is that you have to both buy something and use the bathroom there in order for it to count. When I passed through North Dakota on my way to Montana, I made sure to do both, for just that reason (though the “buy something” was just a candy bar from a vending machine).
I also don’t think just an airport visit counts. Also for me age counts. Somewhere my folks took me when I was two doesn’t count. I only consider places I’ve been since I started paying attention to things. About Junior High age.
60,000 ft. don’t think too many of us here have been flying that high. 30-35,000 ft., sure.
I think normally when I have done no more than set foot in a place I say I haven’t been there and use qualifiers. So: “I’ve never been to the US; only transferred at LAX once.”
If I had one of those scratch world maps I wouldn’t scratch it for passing through. I’d scratch it for spending a night, but only because if I’m spending a night there I’m doing something. I’ve never just slept somewhere in a hotel room and not left to see anything or to meet people.
When I flew from Jerusalem, West Bank (then under Jordanian control), to Beirut, Lebanon, we made an unscheduled stop at Amman, Jordan, airport so they could remove an unauthorized person (no details) from the plane. We had to deplane so I walked on the tarmac, so I was IN Jordan.
After we took off from Amman, we flew to Beirut, AROUND Israel, and I could see the night lights of Damascus, Syria, so I was **in/over **Syria.
I took the California Zephyr from SF to Chicago with overnight travel thru at least one intervening state, so I was **in **that/those states.
Flying from Chicago to Quincy, ILL, we made a scheduled stop in Wisconsin and I left the plane and walked on the tarmac so I was in WI. IMO