How Many Countries Have You Been To? This Free App Will Show You and Help You Keep Track of How Much of the World You’ve Seen

My wife, who I met on a work trip (she used to be the digital editor for a major Canadian magazine and is now JohnnyJet.com’s editor), was recently updating my bio for our media kit. She asked how many countries I’d been to since my old bio said that I’d been to over 70 countries. I told her I didn’t really know the exact number and that it depends which list you follow.

There are multiple lists, websites and apps that consider islands like Puerto Rico, Guam and Hawaii separate countries because they’re somewhat remote. Some people debate if places like Wales, Scotland or Palestine count as separate countries. I think they do, however, they’re not listed in the United Nations list, which many world travelers who count countries go by.

FYI: There are currently 193 UN Member States and I’ve listed them below:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte D’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia (Republic of The), Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands (Kingdom of the), New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Natalie asked me to find out the exact number since she thought it was definitely more than 70 (we’ve been to 70 countries as a couple!) Then I remembered that a few months ago, I sat next to a woman on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles (we were both returning from Turks and Caicos) and she turned me on to the Been Travel Map app.

I’d never heard of it but since it was free (available on both Android and iOS) I downloaded it and spent 15 minutes checking off the countries I’ve been too. The app, with its world map, is visually appealing and they list countries by continent and region (Oceania for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific).

Been’s list is primarily based on United Nations membership but they also include regions that may not hold formal recognition as UN Member States like Scotland, Wales and Puerto Rico. It does show in the list if a country is a member of the UN or not. See screenshot below.

Once you log all of your countries the app’s map will visualize where you’ve been in the world by coloring in the country orange (see screenshot below).

Of course, the map can be shared on social networks to encourage more sign-ups but I haven’t shared mine until now.

It turns out I’ve been to 77 countries or 39% of the world, according to Been (see screenshot above).

It’s not bad for a man who not only used to be afraid to fly but to leave the house as well. I didn’t leave North America until I was 23 when I flew to Hong Kong. That trip changed my life and I was hooked on travel. Shortly after, I created my free newsletter and then JohnnyJet.com.

BTW: If you have the means and the ability, I always advise not going to the same place year after year. Instead, try to visit one new country each year and if you do, Been’s a good place to keep track, as well as a world map for the wall with push pins like I use.

A website that I used to spend more time on and has been around for decades is MTP – Most Travelled People. As reader, Mark, pointed out “it too is free and keeps track of many items including UN countries, UNESCO word heritage sites and others. You can see how you compare to other travelers.”

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