# How Many National Borders Have You Walked Across? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 16, 2019, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727 "2019-08-16T08:10:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/61 "2019-08-17T12:20:40Z")
Italy/Vatican City, but that hardly counts. Cyprus/Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, several times (the in-laws lived in the south until recently, but the cheapest and fastest air itinerary by far for us was usually Turkish Airlines to Ercan in Northern Cyprus). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/62 "2019-08-17T13:06:13Z")
So I asked my mom the world traveler about this. She’s been to dozens of countries\*, on all seven continents, and she says that she doesn’t think she’s ever once walked across a national border. Which means that I can scratch Canada off of my list, too: All of my trips to Niagara Falls were with her (when I was too young to be left unattended), so if she hasn’t, I haven’t, either. \*Off the top of my head, she’s been to Canada, the US (of course), Mexico, El Salvador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Iceland, Ireland, England/Scotland, Denmark, Egypt, Uganda, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakstan, India, Nepal, China, Mongolia, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/63 "2019-08-17T18:03:07Z")
US-Mexico at San Ysidro/Tijuana. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/64 "2019-08-18T18:04:03Z")
US-Mexico Botswana-South Africa Switzerland-Liechtenstein France-Spain Italy-Vatican City ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/65 "2019-08-18T22:06:22Z")
I keep seeing doubts that The Vatican City counts. I would tend to count it since it is at least technically a sovereign nation. The US sends an ambassador there. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2019, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/66 "2019-08-19T23:59:55Z")
Zero here - hell, I think I’ve only ever once walked across a _state_ border (Carowinds theme park; the NC/SC border runs right through it). Someone we know who grew up in very rural Quebec told us she was pretty sure she crossed over once or twice by accident. A friend who worked in Buffalo (I think; somewhere nearish Niagara) said she would periodically walk over to the Canadian border for lunch. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/67 "2019-08-20T01:22:02Z")
Only one, I think: Mexico-Guatemala, in 1997. I was part of a three-day walking/camping excursion with the director of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve and several Maya men from villages over 100 km away, whose villages were titular owners of large parts of this vast tropical forest. The forest path led to a narrow clearing along the border, and a crude stone marker. (The Guatemala portion of this forest is called the Petén). We walked across, took a picture (someone suggested we hold hands), then started our trek back north toward civilization. During the last couple of years the great majority of Central Americans have crossed near the highway near the Pacific, very far from my forest path. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/68 "2019-08-20T01:30:29Z")
I forgot about two more: Israel-Egypt (at Elat, since the best way to get from Turkey to the scuba diving at Sharm-el-Shek is to fly to Tel Aviv, take bus to Elat, walk across to Egypt, take taxi to Sharm)… …and Argentina-Brazil (just to get a better view of Iguazú Falls) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/69 "2019-08-20T05:19:34Z")
I have lived in New Zealand, entirely surrounded by ocean. I have lived in Australia, entirely surrounded by ocean. And once I went on a holiday to Fiji, also entirely surrounded by ocean. I have never been anywhere else. So, the answer for me is **none**. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/70 "2019-08-20T14:15:42Z")
Only the :dubious: ones: Italy/Vatican, England/Scotland and England/Wales. We used to walk the dog over the England/Wales border all the time, it being less than a mile from the house, so what that one loses in internationalness it makes up in volume. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/71 "2019-08-22T05:08:06Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Traveling by bus in Africa, you often have to disembark at a border crossing, walk across the line, and then get back on the bus. No idea why. Yeah, I don’t remember border control coming onto my safari truck, so I can probably add a bunch more. South Africa Namibia Namibia Botswana Botswana Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zambia Zambia Malawi Malawi Tanzania Tanzania Kenya Kenya Uganda Uganda Rwanda South Africa Lesotho South Africa Swaziland Swaziland Mozambique Forgot: Italy Vatican ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/72 "2019-08-22T05:42:56Z")
Just two: US/Canada at Niagara Falls, over the Rainbow Bridge, many times. Italy/Vatican City. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/73 "2024-09-12T20:22:55Z")
Bumping this to add to my meagre total. Today I walked from France to Germany and back. The (slightly) interesting thing is that the means to do so are actually designed for you to make the border crossing on foot (well, you can do it on a bike as well). Strasbourg has a footbridge across the Rhine - the border with Germany. Come on, you’d take a tram ride out there just to walk the bridge - wouldn’t you? j ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/74 "2024-09-13T02:14:35Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Strasbourg has a footbridge across the Rhine - the border with Germany. Come on, you’d take a tram ride out there just to walk the bridge - wouldn’t you? My one and only walk across an international border was via that exact bridge! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/75 "2024-09-16T19:01:19Z")
South Africa/ Namibia. SA/Lesotho SA/Mozambique Germany/Netherlands I was trying to recall if I’d walked SA/Botswana but I think I’d only driven it. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/76 "2024-09-17T13:34:46Z")
I believe only France → Italy, Italy → Switzerland, and Switzerland → France. The other possibility would be USA ↔ Canada at Niagara, but don’t recall as I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/77 "2024-09-17T13:43:21Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I had thought I haven’t walked across any borders until I remembered that one. I have definitely walked across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The way it worked there is you get off the bus and go over to the Kenyan immigration office and get your exit stamp. Then you walk across the border to the Tanzanian immigration office, show your passport and visa and get your entry stamp, then get back on the bus. I crossed the Kenya-Tanzania border on foot back in the '80s, but we changed vehicles there too. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/78 "2024-09-17T14:25:41Z")
Walked? none. But I have crossed the US/Canada border by: Bicycle (Sault St Marie) Car (Pigeon River) Train (White Pass RR) Ship (Seattle-Alaska Cruise that stopped in Victoria) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/79 "2024-09-17T14:46:35Z")
None. One does not simply walk into… ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727/80 "2024-09-17T14:52:13Z")
I forgot about the Victoria Falls bridge, so I’ll claim two instead of one. Everything else was in a vehicle of some sort. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-national-borders-have-you-walked-across/838727.md?page=5)