The Boast - Travel Maps & Clubs

The one that got away!

We all like to boast about where we have been and what we have seen - and why not? It’s like Fishermans tales, but on a grand scale. The one that got away! After all you don't dine out on travels that went to plan - it’s the disaster and ones that went array, the boat that caught fire and nearly sank, the propeller that came of the aircraft next to you when its undercarriage failed and the time you were hunted by a leopard seal in Antartica.

Most of us will be lucky enough to see 20 or 30 places in our lifetimes - some more - some less, a few will go on to see every country and a bit more all 193 of them plus 2 observer states, which is the generally recognised number. Which brings us on nicely to what is a country? Is it having a defined border (many a war fought over that), a passport, a parliament, your own currency? The isles of Man has all that - but it’s not a country! You can break it down how you will, but it boils down to a very simple equation - do other countries say it’s a country! Even then that’s not a unanimous decsion and ultimately it’s politics that decide - take Taiwan, Israel, Kaliningrad or South Ossetia to name but a few, so for the moment we will stick to the UN list.

Member States off the United Nations — 193 UN States and 2 Observer States (Palestine and the Vatican City)

ISO / IBAN Country Codes - 249 Countries (International Standards Organisation / International Banking Codes)

TCC - Lists 329 Countries and Independent Territories (Travellers Century Club)

MTP - lIsts 573 Countries and Territories (Most Travelled Persons)

Nomad Mania - 1031 Countries and Territories (Nomad Mania)

Ultimately it’s your game - your rules, but there is according to the United Nations 193 counties plus 2 so 195 in total. As an FYI there was just 103 countries when I was born so it’s anybodies guess - you could of course just forget the targets and just travel - but where would be them fun in that?