# How do you decide that you've been somewhere? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 8, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-decide-that-youve-been-somewhere/690365 "2014-06-08T23:39:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-decide-that-youve-been-somewhere/690365/41 "2014-06-11T19:33:11Z")
```php ``` > [@Telemark](#): > > Feet on the ground, but it must be done outside of an airport. I’ve flown through DFW but never left the terminal, so I haven’t been to Texas. This. I’ve driven thru Chicago on the freeway, and I’ve changed planes at the Salt Lake City airport, but I wouldn’t say I’ve “been to” either city. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-decide-that-youve-been-somewhere/690365/42 "2014-06-11T20:24:54Z")
I don’t feel I’ve really “been” to a country unless I go through customs and out of the airport. I’ve been through airports in a number of countries that I don’t count as having “been” there. Through customs and out of the airport, into the open air under the sky, is my rule. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-decide-that-youve-been-somewhere/690365/43 "2014-06-11T22:04:55Z")
IMHO you need to either spend at least an hour or two in a public non-transport related area- walking around, people watching at a park, visiting a site or whatever. I don’t count passing through, nor do I count meals or even an overnight stay if all you do is go in to a building, do your thing and come back out again. For years I didn’t count my two nights in Ethiopia, because all I did was take a bus to a hotel, sleep, and then go back to the airport. Basically, it doesn’t count if you can’t come up with a decent story about it. Because you don’t want to be the one who says “Oh oh I’ve been to Ethiopia!!!” “Oh yeah? What’s it like?” “Uh, a room at an airport hotel?” The exception would be if you are in a situation like a secured work site (military bad, etc.) and you cannot go out and about. That’s a story of its own, so I’ll count it after a full day. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-decide-that-youve-been-somewhere/690365/44 "2014-06-12T09:05:18Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Basically, it doesn’t count if you can’t come up with a decent story about it. Because you don’t want to be the one who says “Oh oh I’ve been to Ethiopia!!!” “Oh yeah? What’s it like?” “Uh, a room at an airport hotel?” I quite like this definition, I guess I didn’t consider it because I’ve been fortunate enough not to have been in that situation that I can recall - i.e. for me, options 4 and 5 have always coincided. ETA: actually, not always - what I mean is that option 4 has always entailed option 5, but clearly not vice versa as there are plenty of places I have been to on day trips. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-decide-that-youve-been-somewhere/690365.md?page=2)