The world of travel is evolving, but some trends, like counting countries, have gone too far; let’s explore why ticking off every country is missing the point of travel.
These days, ticking countries off your list has become a trend, but is that really the point of travelling? While this can be seen as exciting, venturing to a new country and ticking that destination off, focusing too much on that may defile the real essence of being a traveller.
In our opinion, ticking countries off your list is missing the point of travel, and in this article, we will explore why. So, stick around.
Travel influencers – a modern-day trend
Let’s face it: in our world, travel influencers are everywhere we look, and perhaps this is where the trend of counting countries evolved.
With many claiming to be the youngest, oldest, or first person from a particular country to have visited every country in the world, it is a little concerning that many travellers aim to follow in their footsteps.
Some of these country counters may have visited a destination for a few days and feel that they reserve the right to tick the country off their list despite not getting to know the heart of the culture and beyond.
Let’s talk about the point of travel. Travel is one of the most eye-opening experiences in more ways than one. Indeed, you could spend years exploring one region of the world or even one large country, gaining many invaluable experiences.
So, why is it so important to visit every single country? Counting countries can be fun, but if you spend a few hours at the airport or visit a country on a day trip, does this account for having really travelled there?
Travelling takes time, lots of time to soak up real experiences. Having a list of countries you need to get to just for the purpose of ticking it off your bucket list of countries to visit takes away invaluable experiences.
In reality, some travel influencers we admire who are on their second and third lap of the globe are in their 20s and 30s, so we must ask, how is this even possible?
Is there a right way to travel – is counting countries bad?
We believe there is no right way to travel; after all, we travel to make memories, explore destinations, and meet new people. There are no correct guidelines on how to do this.
Some may say that ticking off every country is missing the point of travel, and we would have to agree, to a certain point.
Counting countries can be a fun and exciting way to keep track of where you have been. We understand that you may have a bucket list of some cities in the world to see before you die, but it becomes valueless when it becomes unhealthy and perhaps competitive.
Slow travel is the best way to experience a country and get to know its people. It gives you almost enough time to become a local, long enough to learn more than you would if you had just passed by.
One of the reasons why ticking off every country is missing the point of travel in some ways is when we are eager to see more rather than to explore the places we are already in.
Country counting has become a huge trend, so much so that competition is high, and this can take away the benefits you get from travelling.
Travelling is not about ticking boxes – you are missing the point of travel
While we can all agree that having travelling goals is a good thing that encourages and motivates us, it should not be the primary focus.
Travelling is not about ticking boxes, especially when it devalues the purpose of travel and the experiences that come with it. Once in a while, it can be fun to tally up the places you have been but remember that it shouldn’t be your sole purpose of travelling.
One of the main reasons why ticking off every country is missing the point of travel is because it takes away the essence of travel.
Travelling should be fun, exciting, challenging, intriguing, educational, and sociable, but if you spend your time counting countries, you may not have the chance to experience this wholesomeness, at least authentically.
So, we hope you see reasons why counting countries can be fun to some degree, but focusing on enjoying the experience should be the point of it all.
