- Does it count to just be at the airport?
- or train station?
- or driven through without stopping?
- Do you have to stay 24 hours?
- What about having a meal?
- Can it count if I just breathe the air?
- Do I have to stay overnight?
Seems like there are almost as many rule sets as there are travelers. Here are the ones I have been using for my own travels.
- You must leave the grounds of the port of entry
- Just passing through the airport does NOT count (so no Belize City or Memphis or Yap for me)
- You must leave the airport (or train station, port, or bus depot) grounds
- Getting your passport stamped at immigration is not sufficient if you do not leave the grounds
- If you are driving, you need to stop, put your feet down, and breathe the air
- You must interact with the local economy
- Buy a meal, ride the subway, have a beer
- Exchange money into local currency and use it
- Stay overnight
- Somehow record your visit
- Take photographs
- Find and sign a geocache
- Collect Ingress or Pokemon stops
- There is no time requirement for having visited
How does this work in reality?
I flew through Belize City once on my way to Honduras. I did not leave the grounds of the airport, did not get my passport stamped, did not count that as a visit.
I had a long layover in Seoul on my way to Hanoi. I took the train into the city, had breakfast, had some handicraft made for my brother, went ice skating at City Hall, had lunch, train back to the airport. I certainly count that as a visit. I had a similar experience at Narita in Japan on the way home on that trip--except a temple visit instead of ice skating.
I am sill undecided about Slovakia. I have twice cruised down the Danube past Bratislava and the lovely countryside. I took pictures, I drank and ate, I breathed the air, I got an Ingress stop, but I did not set foot on the ground there. Since the river is not a border river there, I am tempted to count it. On the other hand, I did not leave the port, I stayed on the boat. I have provisionally counted it; but it is still under review.
Anyone else have any other criteria to establish Being There?
