This is the ultimate list of the countries and territories I have visited as a backpacker.
Included are all of the 193 UN-Listed Member States I have been to and those that I personally recognise. If you disagree, then that’s your problem, my list, my blog.
I have just done a blog post, Countries and Territories Visited: Beyond the UN – 193, which, as the text link suggests, is a separate list of the non-UN ones, with added detail for my loyal readers, because some might not be known by everyone.
At the Source of the Nile in Jinja, Uganda:
Crossing the Pamir Highway in Tajikistan:
Puente Nuevo in Ronda, Spain:
The River Thames in London:
Exploring Cappadocia in Turkey:
Hiking to Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal:
At the Estadio Banorte, still using the proper name of the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, which will host the opening game of the FIFA 2026 World Cup:
Inside the Iglesia el Rosario in San Salvador:
Backpacking in the United Arab Emirates:
Nomadic Backpacker at the Tikal National Park – UNESCO World Heritage Site in Guatemala:
Republic of Iraq – Kurdistan Region:
At Chichén Itzá in Mexico
Among travellers, it’s always a much-talked-about topic: How many countries have you been to?
But there is added confusion. How many countries are there in the world, and according to whom? I have already discussed the various lists: the UN Member States list, the Travelers Century Club list, and the FCO list. What about making your own list?
And there is also the question of how long one should stay in the country. I do not think that stepping foot on the runway on a quick pit stop, en route to somewhere else, qualifies as having visited somewhere.
For me, I need to accomplish something, to do something significant. To order a coffee or beer, visit a museum, stay a night, or kiss someone or maybe all of them.
Countries and Territories Visited – My List:
This list is getting longer with every adventure. It’s easier to refer to the number of countries and territories across the blog as 130+, but this is the definitive list:
- Abkhazia
- Albania
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Canada
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Cyprus, British Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri & Dhekelia
- Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
- The Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- England
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- The Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Gorno-Badakhshan
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Republic of Iraq – Kurdistan Region
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Ivory Coast
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Karakalpakstan
- Kenya
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Mali
- Malta
- Mauritania
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Republic of Artsakh – formally dissolved Jan 1, 2024
- Namibia
- Nepal
- The Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Northern Ireland
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Panama
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- San Marino
- Scotland
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Sovereign Military Order of Malta
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Transnistria
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- The United States of America
- Uganda
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Wales
- Western Sahara
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
