when establishing a list of countries/states that you have been to, should places that you’ve only been to a transit center count? I’ve been to both Geneva and Zurich, as well as Frankfurt, as well as Chicago and Atlanta, but only to change planes. Should I consider myself having visited Switzerland, Germany, Georgia and Illinois? I’ve also been to Virginia and South Carolina (and even lived in the latter for about 6 months), but when I was less than a year old and can’t remember a thing. Should those count? And I’ve ridden through Maryland on Amtrak trains a couple times, but never got off the train in that state (every other state on the Northeast Corridor service I’ve been to long enough that they definitely count). Should THAT count? Lastly, I’ve been to Newport, Kentucky, due to a trip to Cincinnati that I took a couple months ago. While I drove (and even walked - on the purple people bridge) between Ohio and Kentucky a couple of times, and even ate dinner in Newport, I never actually felt like I was seeing the real Kentucky, so should THAT count?
Wow, I’ve lived in most of the places mentioned in your OP: Geneva, Switzerland; Atlanta, Georgia; Frankfurt, Germany; Baltimore and Potomac, Maryland; and Cincinnati/Blue Ash/Fairfield, Ohio*.
*I’ve never lived on the Kentucky side, but have shopped and played there, numerous times.
I guess that brings up the question. How long do you need to live in a place before you can count it as a place you have been?
that was gonna be part 2 of my OP, which I didn’t bother writing. I went to college in Massachusetts for 4 years. I was there more than I was at my home in Connecticut, and lived on campus the entire time, so I never actually had a HOME there. Should I consider myself having lived in MA for 4 years? I also went to New England Music Camp in Sydney, Maine for 1 month for 3 years straight…should I consider myself a partial Maine resident, despite never leaving the campgrounds except for field trips? My opinion is yes for Massachusetts, no for Maine.
When I was heading to Rio a few weeks back, the captain came on while we were over Venezuela to kindly inform us that Brazilian airspace had just been closed to all air traffic, due to radar problems. “We’ll be back in Atlanta in three and a half hours”
After 300 frustrated passengers moaned and groaned about the suckitude of the situation for an hour and a half, he came back on to tell us “Good news! Brazil is now letting planes fly in. But there’s a catch… we don’t have enough fuel.”
And that’s how I was able to add San Juan, Puerto Rico to the list of places I have visited. Does watching the ground crew from the airplane window count? 
I never count myself as having been to Detroit or San Juan, because one airport is often so like another that I couldn’t really tell you the difference between Detroit and San Juan! 
My trip to Hawaii was totally unexpected. I was flying from Los Angeles to Sydney: normally a nonstop flight, but all the toilets were out of order shortly into the flight, and the captain decided that was probably unacceptable on a 13-hour flight, so the plane stopped at Honolulu shortly after midnight to get the toilets fixed. So on my visit to Hawaii, I just sat in the plane looking at the airport outside.
I don’t think airports count, but driving or taking a train through should count for “having been there”. I mean, at least you got to see it and you know what it’s like, right? So I don’t think I’ve been to Honolulu or Frankfurt, but I’ve been to all those states I drove through to get to Colorado and I’ve been to Germany, even if it was just on a train from Amsterdam to Vienna.
Seriously, count for WHAT?
If you’re just making a list. . .make two columns,
“Places I’ve Set Foot In” and “Places I’ve Really Visited”.
If you have a bet with a buddy about who can visit the most places, set the ground rules in advance.
If you’re responding to a poll, what are the parameters?
just counting for bragging rights for the # of states/countries I’ve been to.
If the plane landed, I would count it. I would also count the train ride, you were on the ground. Being in and having a meal most certainly qualifies.
The only ones I don’t count are places I flew over. hell, I count Arizona in my list of states and the most I did was drive across the tiny bit of the 15 that passes through it’s northwest corner. 