How do you decide if you can include a country on your list? Well, for TCC purposes, you basically just need to have stepped foot on its ground to be included. Here is a link to the official TCC rules and country list:
http://www.travelerscenturyclub.org/
And—a note from the TCC president about its policy:
Several months ago a member asked me why the Club allows its members to say they have been to a country by just setting foot in it. He seemed to think it was like “cheating.”
He is right on both counts. The Club DOES allow it, and sometimes it does seem like “cheating.” However, the rule is there because some places are somewhat dicey to visit, even under the best of circumstances. War zones and isolated pieces of rock, like Bouvet Island, can be dangerous – even life-threatening – and the last thing anyone wants is for a member to be injured, or even killed, attempting visit a new place. To add, say, a minimum overnight requirement might result in a risky undertaking and would also render most places in Antarctica impossible to visit, as well.
The important thing to bear in mind is that every member sets his or her tolerance for use of the “set foot on terra firma” rule. It is there for a reason, but to use it just to “run up the total” really defeats the whole purpose of travel; if you just put your foot across a border, you really haven’t seen the country, have you?
If a member feels it is “cheating,” he or she doesn’t have to make use of that policy. We all set our own travel paradigms. If you cheat or feel you have cheated, you have only cheated yourself out of another opportunity for a unique experience.
The TCC list of countries is meant to encourage members to broaden their horizons and really visit the tiny backwaters of the world, not just to run up the total by visiting airports, or sticking one’s big toe across a border.
And, remember, it’s not how many places you’ve visited that matters. It’s the quality of the experience that really counts!
