# So How Many States/Countries Have YOU Visited? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 8, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104 "2003-07-08T22:15:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/21 "2003-07-09T02:46:28Z")
Not counting places I’ve only been in the airport or driven through: States and similar thingies: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachussetts, Minnesota (I think – some of the childhood vacation memories are fuzzy), New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, Virginia, Wisconsin (I’m pretty sure), and DC. Foreign countries: UK (all four of the major parts), Ireland, Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany (briefly), Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary (also briefly), Switzerland (ditto), Italy, Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Cook Islands, New Zealand. Hoping to add Australia, Thailand, and Cambodia next year. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/22 "2003-07-09T02:53:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JessEnigma \* > \*\*I don’t know that lack of travel necessarily means a limited world view – speaking personally, I haven’t had much opportunity to see the world, though it’s not for lack of trying. I think a limited world view comes more from someone who is unwilling to be exposed to anything outside of their present experience, whether or not travel is involved. \*\* **Very good answer and responds to the post. Perhaps it’s just the xenophobic nature of many Alaskans that makes me think it matters.** ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/23 "2003-07-09T02:58:26Z")
Canada: Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia (hitchhiking all the way there and back). USA: New York (only Buffalo and Rochester), Florida, California (changed planes in Atlanta, GA and Phoenix, AZ). I think **JessEnigma** ’s comments about world view are what I would have said, only he/she said it much more eloquently. We would certainly like to visit more places and very likely will, but first we have to accrue more _a)_ vacation time, and _b)_ money to do so. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/24 "2003-07-09T03:05:13Z")
Canada: Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia (hitchhiking all the way there and back). USA: New York (only Buffalo and Rochester), Florida, California (changed planes in Atlanta, GA and Phoenix, AZ). I think **JessEnigma** ’s comments about world view are what I would have said, only he/she said it much more eloquently. We would certainly like to visit more places and very likely will, but first we have to accrue more _a)_ vacation time, and _b)_ money to do so. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/25 "2003-07-09T04:15:53Z")
States: All except Hawaii. Several times, for most of them. Canada: All provinces & territories, except NW Territories & Nunavut. World: UK (incl. Scotland & Wales), Ireland, France, Spain, Gibraltar, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Yugoslavia (the Slovenia part), Hungary, Austria, Liechtenstein (made a deliberate detour there to add it to the list, lol), (West) Germany, Belgium, Hong Kong (pre-China), and Japan (only saw the airport, though.) And **Chefguy** , as well as everyone else who’s well-traveled, it does qualify you for one thing. Bill Maher used to take people to task for claiming that, “America is the greatest country in the world!” when they’d never set foot outside the borders of Alabama, for instance. Having been around the world a couple times (at least, the “livable” part of it), I can safely say…yes. Yes, it is. (And I don’t have to go to Mali to know that life there would really suck!) ---
**Author:** ![G-RAY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@G-RAY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G-RAY)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/26 "2003-07-09T04:15:55Z")
One day at work my coworkers and I we were comparing lists of states that we have had sex in. I was really dissapointed when I was over ruled and it was decided that you had to have a partner for it to count. What really pissed me off was that also kicked me out of the mile high club. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stranger\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@The\_Stranger\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stranger_1)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/27 "2003-07-09T04:31:10Z")
United States I’ve been to: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, District of Columbia. Foreign Nations: Honduras Bangladesh Japan S.Korea Thailand Philippines Singapore Maylasia Oman United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia Kuwait Iraq Somalia ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stranger\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@The\_Stranger\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stranger_1)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/28 "2003-07-09T04:34:26Z")
supposed to be a “.” and a line space after WV. I know D.C, is not a state ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/29 "2003-07-09T04:41:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chefguy \* > \*\*… I’ve noticed that when I talk about things I’ve seen and places I’ve been, a glazed look comes over the faces of the people I now work with and those of my family (Jeez, there he goes again about friggin’ _Africa_). It seems the lack of exposure to other cultures also coincides with a very limited world view. Is that just me? How do you all feel that travel has influenced your political/cultural outlooks and tolerances for others? … \*\* Been all over the U.S. & to many countries, and find that I have become addicted to travel and need to get my periodic “fix.” I love meeting people from other cultures and laughing and dancing and eating and drinking with them. When I discuss places and experiences, I do not get the same glazed over expression that you get. People seem very interested, and they often have questions of their own, like, “Does one need to know Italian before visiting Italy?” Yes, I have gained a better understanding of how others view the world. And others have hopefully come out of their boxes, so to speak, through interacting with me & my thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/30 "2003-07-09T04:53:29Z")
I haven’t been to the US yet… But anyway… Hong Kong (where I live), Portugese Macau, China, Thailand, Australia, Greece, Spain (mainland plus the Canary Islands), Egypt, England, India, Singapore, Seychelles and by next week, Malaysia. Hopefully I can add more to that list before I turn 20 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Publius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@Publius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Publius)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/31 "2003-07-09T05:23:33Z")
So far I’ve been to every US state except North Dakota, Oklahoma, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, the Carolinas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Outside of the country I’ve only been to Mexico, Canada, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands Antilles, Grenada, Dominica, and the Bahamas, but in college I hope to see a lot of the Middle East, Central Asia, and possibly China and India. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/32 "2003-07-09T05:24:23Z")
Let’s see… Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, England, Wales, Scotland, Monaco, Spain, Germany, East Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, Vatican, San Marino, Greece, Czech republick, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Yugoslavia, South Africa, Swaziland, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Cook islands, Canada, USA, Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia. **41**. If we are counting airport stop-overs, add Japan, Venezuela, Fiji and Tahiti as well. In the USA? Califonia, Texas, Illinois and whatever state Buffalo is in. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/33 "2003-07-09T05:35:55Z")
This was done in January on [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=156444). But we broke it down even more. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/34 "2003-07-09T05:41:47Z")
I’m up to 48 states, Alaska and North Dakota are my two missing. As for countries, I’ve only been to Canada (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and British Columbia) Mexico (Cancun only) The Netherlands and Tanzania. My father in law lives in West Virginia, lived in Michigan for a while, he’s only ever been to West Virginia, Michigan and Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/35 "2003-07-09T07:47:52Z")
I’m not impressed with my totals. Let’s see. New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Missouri, Florida, and Michigan, plus Washington, DC. Texas is on the agenda. Countries: Jamaica; England. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/36 "2003-07-09T08:11:52Z")
States - CA, MA, CO, TX, AZ, NV, WA, UT (all in [one trip](http://pws.prserv.net/zainet.nixgrim/USATrip/index.html) - pardon self-promotion :)) Countries - South Africa (birthplace), Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zaire, UK (now living), Canada, Mexico, France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxemburg (flight transfer only). Not bad I guess ---
**Author:** ![Aries28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Aries28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aries28)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/37 "2003-07-09T13:26:02Z")
AL, CT, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, & WV Other Countries: England and France And for those who have never visited Alabama, let me be the first to invite you to come see us. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/38 "2003-07-09T13:47:23Z")
Draw a big oval over the east coast of the US. The top extends to Montreal and the bottom extends to Key West. The western edge clips Indianapolis and the eastern fringes of Al. I’ve been almost everywhere in the oval. I’m poorly traveled. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/39 "2003-07-09T13:58:25Z")
I’ve been to 44 of the 50 states. Never been to North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada or Oregon. Been to Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104/40 "2003-07-09T13:59:20Z")
Oh yeah, I forgot to answer the second and more interesting part of the question: > [@](#): > > It seems the lack of exposure to other cultures also coincides with a very limited world view. Is that just me? How do you all feel that travel has influenced your political/cultural outlooks and tolerances for others? Partly agree, partly don’t. I think there are plenty of other ways to expand your world view (especially nowadays, when you can communicate with people all over the world without leaving your house), and on the flip side, some people travel without learning a thing. I’m reminded of a story I read on another board, where a poster said he’d had the following conversation with his co-worker who had just come back from a package trip overseas: “So where did you go?” “I don’t know.” Long pause. “It was hot and they talked funny.” He eventually found out she’d been to the Canary Islands. All the same, yeah, I think travel both inside and outside of the US has changed my take on things. Going to Alaska earlier this summer was a huge revelation, for instance. (BTW, **Chefguy** , where are you from?) While I knew in the abstract that various regions of the US had a few cultural differences, I hadn’t realized _how_ different they could be. That, in turn, changed my outlook on a few political issues, particularly gun control; I saw that laws that made sense in the East Coast urban areas where I’d lived my whole life simply wouldn’t make sense in Alaska, and I’m now inclined to think more of these things should be decided at the local level. I could write a few more pages about what I’ve learned from traveling _outside_ the US, but I’ve rambled on long enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-states-countries-have-you-visited/187104.md?page=3)