Guides to counting, mapping and sharing your travels

These guides answer the questions travelers type when they start counting countries: how many have I visited, how to make a map of them, what is happening to passport stamps, and how to compare maps with a friend. Each one gives a direct answer first, then the detail and sources.

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Which guide should I read first?

Start with how many countries have I visited, because the counting rule you pick shapes every other number. If you already have a total, what counts as visiting a country and the guides on layovers and territories will help you defend it.

What is covered here?

Four groups of questions come up again and again. Counting: how many countries exist, how to treat territories, continents and percentages. Making a map: formats, projections and keeping it current. Sharing: Story cards, travel stats and comparing with friends. History and clubs: passport stamps and the Travelers Century Club.

Each guide starts with the direct answer, then gives the steps, a table where it helps and the sources. Wikipedia, the UN and MDN are linked where a fact needs one.

Do I need the app to follow the guides?

No. Every method works with a spreadsheet or a paper list. Inkpass appears where it shows the idea in practice, for example comparing maps with a friend by link or finding countries in your photos.

Compare Countries Visited With a FriendAgree on a list and rules, swap maps, then read the overlap. A link does the sums.Countries Visited MapPick a list, a format and a projection, mark your trips, then share the map.Do Territories Count as Countries on a Travel List?Puerto Rico, Greenland, Hong Kong: three ways to count territories without muddying your total.Does a Layover Count as Visiting a Country?Four common tests for airport transfers, tricky cases, and how to set one rule you can defend.Find Countries You Have Visited From Your iPhone PhotosUse the place and date stored in your photos to rebuild a visited-countries list, year by year.How Many Continents Have I Visited? Counting RulesThe seven-continent model, how to place Russia, Turkey and Egypt, and what to do about Antarctica and Oceania.How Many Countries Are There in the World?195 is the common travel answer: 193 UN members plus 2 observers. Why other lists differ, and which to use.How Many Countries Have I Visited? Count It ProperlyList your countries against the UN's 195, pick rules for layovers and territories, then count.How to Post a Travel Map as a Social StoryUse a 1080x1920 image, keep the edges clear, add a link sticker and caption, and mind your privacy.How to Remember Every Trip You Have TakenReconstruct past trips from five sources and keep a running record with one small habit.Is Scotland a Country? Counting UK NationsScotland is a UK country but not a UN member. Here is how to count the four nations fairly.Least Visited Countries and How Rarity Is MeasuredWhere rankings of least visited countries come from, why they shift, and how to think about a rare stamp.Passport StampsA short history of border stamps, why they are going away, and how to keep your own record.Private Travel Tracker AppEight checks for a private travel tracker: account, location, analytics, links, backup and deletion.Scratch-Off Map vs a Travel AppA poster is for looks and ritual, an app is for counting and sharing. Compare them, and fix a map that will not scratch.Travel Bucket ListChoose 10 to 15 countries, give each a reason, rank them, and keep the list apart from your visited count.Travel Journal Ideas You Will Actually FinishA five-minute daily template, twelve prompts and ways to use stamps, tickets and postmarks in a journal.Travel MilestonesWhat 10, 25, 50 and 100 countries mean as a share of the world, how long each takes, and how to mark them.Travel Stats Worth Tracking Beyond Country CountEight travel stats beyond the country count, what each needs and which make the best story.Travel WrappedThe stats worth including in a travel wrapped, how to gather the data, and how to share six cards.Travelers Century ClubWhat the Travelers Century Club is, why its list is bigger than the UN's, and how to check your own total.US States Visited MapSet a rule for layovers and DC, mark each state with a year, and track progress toward all 50.What Counts as Visiting a Country? Five TestsFive tests for what counts as a visit, plus answers for day trips, children and work trips.What Percentage of the World Have I Visited?Divide your country count by 195. Worked examples, limits of the figure, and other ways to measure.

Frequently asked questions

Where should I start?

Start with how many countries you have visited, because the counting rule affects every other question about maps and comparisons.

Are the guides about the Inkpass app only?

No. Each guide works with paper lists or any tool, and mentions Inkpass where it shows the method in practice.

Where do the facts come from?

From the Inkpass app itself and from public sources such as Wikipedia, the European Union, the U.S. National Park Service and MDN, linked in each guide.

Do the guides use the UN list of 195 countries?

Yes, as a neutral base: 193 UN member states plus 2 observers. The guides explain how territories and layovers change the number.

Keep exploring

Inkpass FeaturesAlbum, map, friend links, arrival stamps, counting rules, backup, regions and cities.How Many Countries Count195 countries by default. Switch territories, UK nations and layovers on or off.How Many Countries Have I Visited? Count It ProperlyList your countries against the UN's 195, pick rules for layovers and territories, then count.

Which guide should I read first?

What is covered here?

Do I need the app to follow the guides?

Frequently asked questions

Keep exploring

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