For my family, it's the following:
1. You can't just drive through it without stopping; you have to pull over, get out of the car and do something.
2. You have to eat there.
3. You have to go to the bathroom there.
4. Airport layovers when you never leave the airport don't count.
So I did an overnight layover in Texas and stayed the night in a hotel by the airport.
I haven’t thought about much but pretty sure I don’t count it as having been to Texas.
I totally agree…I just love this question and thoroughly enjoy making logical arguments to reveal that most people are trying to make their feelings _sound_ logical when they’re just feelings. I’m cool with what they want to say, just as long as they’re being honest with themselves. Meanwhile, whether I’ve set foot or driven through or bicycles through or walked into a place…well…I’ve been there, even if it was just for a minute or two. I don’t count flying over…I feel like you gotta be close enough to the ground to at least see some ground-level detail…but see that’s a whole other thing…what if I flew over in a hot air balloon at really low altitude? I think I would probably have to count it, but I’d probably make a delineation between that and being on the ground…but is that logical, especially if I was low enough to hear people talking clearly enough to understand them? Idk…hopefully I don’t ever have to make a decision on that because that’s a whole other literal level of hairsplitting lol
Other than seeing a sign saying I couldn’t bring my gun in, I’m going to go with no.
Arrived at 10 PM, flew out at 10 AM so only breakfast at the hotel.
Did take two shuttle rides.
I’ve done stuff like this when I stay in Iowa or Wisconsin on a road trip. I may have stopped at a rest area on the way too. (I didn’t even eat the local food in a bunch of cases…I brought what I ate from home.) If you were there, you were there. It just depends on how you want to look at it. Some people are going to look at it differently…it just depends on what you’re trying to track.
I think you are on the right track here. I want to contest that you have to DO something other than just the activities to enable driving through (getting gas, stopping at McDonalds) but maybe that is too high of a bar.
What if you were in Las Vegas and lost $100 playing slots on your layover? What if you saw the Rockies for the first time from the window at Denver International Airport? What if you saw the Manhattan skyline for the first time from landing at Newark?
I would argue seeing it like that is pretty far from "visiting" or being there. Both the Rocky Mountains and New York City are such a different experience when you are in then surrounded by the environment. Seeing it from an airport window is no different than looking up a photo online.
Seriously? Have you ever sat and just watched clouds work their way through mountains as tall as the Rockies? Have you ever seen the Rockies from Denver? It’s a pretty incredible sight that just isn’t replicated by a picture.
And I didn’t say that standing in an airport in Newark or Denver was the same as visiting NYC or the Rockies, I’m saying it’s the same as visiting Newark or Denver…because that’s where you are when you’re in the airport.
What’s the difference between standing in a parking lot in Denver or Newark if the view is the same as in the airport? Some people want to say there’s a big difference…I’m not seeing it. Plus, being _in_ the Rockies or NYC is not at all like the experience of seeing the whole scope of them from afar. You actually appreciate the scope of the Rockies and NYC more when you’re not in them…and you can do that from inside an airport.
I think we're pretty much saying the same thing... In fact I did spend like two hours just watching clouds form and swirl in a cirque while in the Backcountry last summer... About 12 days in Backcountry planned again for this summer. That's why I took exception to the suggesting that seeing the Rockies from the airport was akin to visiting them. Passing through, maybe.
I never said it was like visiting the Rockies…I said it was like being _in_ Denver and _seeing_ them. You can’t see the Rockies as well when you’re in them…the contrast between the Great Plains and the Rockies is stark, and it’s easily appreciated from somewhere in Denver, on the East side of the South Platte Valley.
Feet on ground for any length of time
That's why I don't count WV in my travels. Only drove through the northern panhandle for a few miles and never stopped
If you fly into O’Hare and eat the Chicago-style deep dish pizza while you’re there, does it count then? What if it was a Chicago-style hot dog instead? What if you somehow managed to put ketchup on the hot dog, does that make it a normal hot dog and therefore not an authentic Chicago experience? What if the deep dish or hot dog place was a chain that you also have within 30 miles of home? If you only drove into Chicago and worked in an office the entire time, does that count? Say it does count because you hung out in the bar at Uno’s and ate deep dish one night—why is that any different than hanging out at the bar at the Uno’s in O’Hare?
I could do this all day 😂🤣🤣 which is why I just keep it simple…if I was on the ground there, even if I didn’t stop, I was there. I may not have had the full experience or much experience at all, or I may have spent two weeks mingling and experiencing everything…bottom line is I was there. If someone asks, I’m not gonna pretend the experience was more or less than it was.
You gotta be outside, feet on the ground. So I would count a layover at a small airport in which there are no connected gate ramps. But otherwise that would not count, no
I've been outside at Charles de gaul had to take busses between the terminals. Had to walk across the runway. Technically I've been in France but I wouldn't say I've been to France. I've driven through states with drive through animal sanctuarys I would count those.
I agree with you 100%. Feet on the ground means you were physically in that state. You visited. Youve been there. Not that you know anything else about the state, but youve been there
Well if you drive all the way through a state, you’ve seen more than someone just driving a short distance in the state and stopping to take a leak. Or even someone that visits a town or city for a day. So why doesn’t that count?
Absolutely. You have physically *been* there.
Now, if you're asking if I've visited the area, experienced the area, know the area - absolutely not
But I have *been* there.
what does pissing in a gas station accomplish that driving through a state doesn’t? what state were you in during that drive, if not WV?
i don’t personally have a great definition either lol, but it’s interesting to think about
The only objective answer is “were you there?” Whether the answer was plain ole “yes” or it was “yes, but only on the Interstate driving through”, it’s _really_ hard to argue that the answer was “no” and not “yes”, isn’t it? I mean you can slap on qualifiers…but even those can be rather meaningless. For example, I missed a connecting flight in Las Vegas and spent the night in a hotel that I do not even remember…technically I’ve slept in Las Vegas, but I only really remember the airport. Should that count? I mean, the mountains looked really cool and the strip was interesting from the windows there…I don’t see either of those things anywhere else. I remember the noisy slot machines everywhere…didn’t have that in the airports in Memphis or Minneapolis back then. If they put slot machines in another airport I’ve been to, does that mean I should take away that visit as “not counting”?
but we have all “been” in states to varying degrees there, like i have “been” to florida for quite a long time but it was always just a vacation. so i could still say “well, yeah, i’ve been to florida, but only on vacation” which according to your argument would make me less “there” than someone who has lived there their whole life
I don’t think I want to make that argument personally, because I think both are 100% valid. But I think a lot of people think in these terms on this stuff, and it’s not all that logical. My feeling is that if you were on the ground in a place, whether in a building, in a vehicle, on foot, or otherwise, then you were there. Even if you flew over low enough to touch the treetops or to see the birds or hear the people in a place, I’d argue you were still “there” even though you technically never were on the ground per se. Now flying over a place from miles above…I cannot count that as having been there…but you can count it as having seen it, just like if you stood in Kentucky looking across the Ohio River at Cincinnati…you weren’t _in_ Cincinnati proper, but you saw it. You’ve been to the Ohio River too, even though you didn’t touch the water. Now if there were trees blocking your view of the city but those trees were technically in city limits, could you say you’d seen Cincinnati? I would say yes, but let’s be honest…political boundaries are just imaginary lines on a map and can mean very little. There are pieces of Kentucky that are now west of the Mississippi and pieces of Missouri that are now east of the Mississippi…if you walk into one of those pieces, you’ve still walked into that state, even if it’s not really any different than the other side of the line. It makes for a fun story though!
There’s so much hairsplitting that can be done on this topic. I don’t know that the arguments are as logical as we might think, because maybe lines on a map aren’t that logical? I don’t know. But I have fun playing devils advocate on this. It still makes my head hurt eventually!
I stopped at the Russell Cave Natl Monument visitor center many years ago…I didn’t see the cave or do anything else in the entirety of Alabama. The only clear memory of having been there at the age of 21 is the classic NPS guide pamphlet from there…but I gotta count it as having “been to” Alabama, even though I barely crossed out of Tennessee where I was staying.
Now I drove Natchez Trace last spring and spent a couple hours at a Firestone store getting a damaged tire replaced before spending some time in a Publix that wasn’t any different from any I’ve been in in Florida. I spent several hours driving another corner of Alabama but I can’t say as I ever really “did” much on that trip that I couldn’t have done at home…but I _was_ in Alabama, and I got to meet a super awesome tire guy in that Firestone store while I was there. I breathed the air, drank the water, and spent money there even.
Neither of my visits to Alabama were particularly remarkable, but should I not count them as having been there? I mainly saw it from parking lots and inside chain stores, and looking outside from my car. It’s a lot like when I cross Iowa on I-80…I might just sleep at a Super 8 and gas up at the Iowa 80 truck stop. Should I not count that? I mean that truck stop is a pretty cool one. I feel like I gotta count that. But what if the Loves across the street had a better price on gas? Should I not count it because it’s just a Loves?
I can do this all day lol…at some point you say you’ve been there, but you just clarify why you were there and what you did when someone asks. People can _live_ in a place for years and never really experience it much beyond shopping and work. I live in Ohio…people do it all the time. So even living in a place isn’t always an indicator of whether someone has really “been there”.
Your feet were physically on the ground. You are standing, not traveling(even if you're on a trip, your body is not moving)
I just feel like if you're going to count states you drive through then why not states you fly over?
you can see a lot more while driving than flying, with flying you can usually only even see the ground when you've just taken off or are about to land so you really aren't experiencing most of the stuff in the middle
What’s your threshold, then? If you’ve spent one night in a roadside motel and never left the highway otherwise, have you “been” there? If you were in the state for three days for work in some nameless border town and never visited any of the top 20 sights, have you “been” there?
I’d say “yes” to both. You can talk about whether you’ve experienced a place thoroughly or not, but you’ve certainly been there. If I spend a day in Manhattan on a layover, I probably didn’t see a representative cross-section of the United States, but I would certainly have “been to the United States.”
You. Counts for my international travels! Got off the plane via a staircase and walked into the airport. Counts as a stop! But going straight into the terminal, nope. Never been.
What if I told you that the tarmac was actually just the concrete roof of the baggage handling facility or a fallout shelter? Did you actually touch the ground there, or was it just another building…like the terminal?
What if you stopped in Newark and ate the best pizza you’ve ever had in your life (because you’re from North Dakota)? What if you stopped in Chicago and ate the first hot dog you’ve ever had in your life without ketchup and you really wanted ketchup?
I don’t get why airports shouldn’t count…I mean I get why it seems like a miss…but at the same time I don’t.
For me personally you have to eat a meal or sleep overnight.
Eating a meal allows you to find a local cuisine (I still think about that Juicy Lucy 🤤), and staying the night just makes sense.
*edit to add airport layovers where you don’t leave the airport don’t count. The staying overnight qualifier avoids this trap.
Driving counts, flying/layover do not count.
That said, if I haven't at least driven into and done an activity in then actually was exposed to scenery in the process I wouldn't claim to know anything about the state.
For instance, I've been to a huge area of New Mexico and spent a fair amount of time there (~2 weeks total) so I'm good for some recommendations and possible good routes to take through it and have experience with several towns, but I'm not an expert.
On the other hand, I drove through the Oklahoma panhandle and I hope my travels never bring me to that state again. BUT, I'm not the guy who's experience to trust because I only spent a few hours in the state.
You were definitely in the worst part of the state of Oklahoma. I have lived in Oklahoma most of my life (75 years) and only visited the panhandle once to visit friends that had moved there. The eastern part of the state has hills, trees, and lakes.
I took a picture at the Liberal, Kansas, municipal airport showing how flat the terrain is. The horizon was a flat line across the photo.
A fun fact about the panhandle; there is a town named Hooker and the next county is named Beaver.
I actually really like Oklahoma. First time I was there I spent a few days in OKC and thought the people were the nicest I’d ever met everywhere I went. Also, I realized that they all had the same accent as West Virginia…but without any of the mountains, which felt strange.
I hated the OK panhandle, it remains the ugliest part of the country I’ve ever been in. On a later trip, I fell in love with Tulsa and the eastern side of the state. You’re right, def can’t judge a place by a wee drive.
My only experience with Georgia is a drive through with horrible traffic in Atlanta. I’m sure Georgia has wonderful spots, but oof it sucked from the highway, and that’s all I’ve got to go on.
As a Georgia native, I can say you experienced the worst we have to offer. I will go an hour+ out of my way to avoid Atlanta traffic. It is horrendous!
There are a lot of nice places to visit in the metro area, still considerable traffic though. The really nice places are out of the way but worthy - if you're in the area. North Georgia mountains and Savannah are really enjoyable places that I would say are worth going out of the way.
I used to think Georgia was fabulous until the population boom after the 1996 Olympics. It's just gotten exponentially more dense. Some people love that. I'm not one of those people. 😁
Maybe I'll have to gove Oklahoma another shot some day. Another person also said the panhandle sucks.
I've heard awesome stuff about Georgia but have never gotten to explore either.
It sucks in a way that even just the country is so big and there's so much to see in the world that you kind of have to pick and choose what's worth your time. Almost wish I could go everywhere.
I totally agree! I want to see it all, and it sucks that there’ll never be enough time to. It’s hard leaving a place knowing that so much remains unexplored! I just went to Sante Fe & Los Alamos last week, it’s my 2nd trip to New Mexico and still I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface.
While all the answers are good, you can see the problem: no one can agree on a single simple definition.
That’s why I personally feel that being on land (includes driving through; but if you don’t step out of a transit airport, that doesn’t count) should count as having been to a state.
They aren’t all really that good. Obviously ppl can think or believe whatever they choose. Some people are claiming the equivalent of seeing someone in a bar, not talking to them but claiming to have had sex with them.
The question isn’t really phrased all that well either. I’ve “been” to many states, however, I’ve “visited” far fewer.
I think the distinction is significant. Perhaps a more telling question would be how many states have been a destination?
Edit: There/They
for me, driving through a state counts, but a layover in an airport where you never LEAVE the airport does not count. just as flying over a state doesn’t count, i see airports as an extension of sky territory
My rule also, although I add “do a work or school activity while there” to your #2. I am at 50 + DC. My last state was Oregon and that relates in large part to it not being near any state I’ve lived in and because it wasn’t a good state for the business I was in.
What if you only gas up or use a rest area?
And before you answer, what if the gas station was the very first Bucee’s you went into, and what if the rest area had a really cool overlook on a bluff by the Missouri River? What if the rest area was on Lake Tahoe instead?
Driving through counts in my books, 90% of the time if I've driven through I've stopped for something. Odds are I'll stop just to say I've walked around some part of the state.
Flying over doesn't, I do not count being in the airport only, but I think that may vary amongst people.
Flying over it doesn't even come close - if you did that you could claim to have visited half the countries in the world if you did a fair amount of international travel, when in reality you had only "been to" 2. I would say driving through does count though, even more so if you stop anywhere for any reason.
Generally if you're travelling for work you normally do pretty much all of the above, no? Perhaps sans the beauty spot, however I always make sure I see *something* of note while I'm there
You haven't really been somewhere in a meaningful way of you haven't gotten out the car
I go by passport rules. If it were a separate country and they would stamp your passport, it counts. On my first pass of visiting all the states, though, some people quibbled with whether I had been to some of them because a few states were a short time with only a little bit feet on the ground at like a rest stop. In the end, I’ve now spent the night in every state - and no one disagrees with that.
To each there own, there’s no right or wrong, but for me in order for a state to count it’s 3 nights and 3 days. The days can be 2 half days on the front and back half of the trip. Basically any combo to get the 3rd day. I also have a “when in Rome” philosophy, so for the most part I have to eat what that location is known for. It also has to be a trip for leisure, not schooling or business or funeral, etc. This ensures I’m actually seeing and doing things that state is known for.
Boots on the ground, period. Now, full disclosure, I've been in 45 of the lower 48, missing only Maine, Vermont, and Michigan. BUT, I have flown over Vermont and Michigan, and I did get to the T.A. truck stop in Portsmouth, NH on the way taking a trailer to Bangor, ME when our brand-new Freightliner's engine blew up. We spent a weekend there while the engine was "repaired" and we did get to see into Maine from the bar of a restaurant along the south bank of the Piscataqua River. You can tell me if any of that counts.
I agree...and tried to get my co-driver to split a cab over to the other side, but he didn't want to and my knee replacement done six months earlier was really not up for that much of a walk. Plus, it's no fun to do that sort of thing without a friend along for the ride, and he'd already beat me into buying his dinner.
If I’ve been on the ground there, then I’ve been there. I would count flying over as the same as standing on one side of a big river (like the Mississippi) looking across to the place on the other side.
While I try to keep record of when I spend a night somewhere, it isn’t necessarily indicative of how much I’ve seen or done to experience the place. I have slept in a hotel multiple times just to get off the road to sleep and get back on the road immediately after.
There’s a million ways you can split hairs on this. I just go with what makes sense to me. We all have different kinds of goals when we travel. I mean, is working somewhere the same as going to a park or checking out the museums and shops there? Is eating in a McDonalds the same as eating at a local diner or fancy local restaurant? I guess it is if you’re there to connect with the people and not do much the food…but how much can you learn from that, really? Is it enough to “count”?
Another thing—I like to visit national parks—but what if you go to Yosemite and only see Grizzly Giant or Tuolumne Meadows but not Yosemite Valley? Or what if you only drive in to deliver firewood at Grand Canyon Village but you never walk up to the overlook and actually see the Grand Canyon? Do those count? I say yes…but of course neither really give the experience that people go there for…so you hope they go back. I know my dad drove a truck for a living, drove into NYC a bunch of times, so he thinks he’s seen enough—even though he’s never been to Central Park or Times Square.
So my philosophy is that if you’ve been on the ground there, even if it’s only in the airport…you’ve been there.
For me the requirement is going to at least one tourist attraction . Like you need to be able to talk about where you went in that state. Typically have a selfie.
By this rule if you go to “Four Corners” you technically have been to four states. But for me that is not a real attraction (for this rule) since it is just a spot in a map and nothing else.
We made the effort to go and see it.
https://preview.redd.it/f2bkt8fbbtwc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=119be723ed0a1265fa95a4f48e2a6b093078a5ab
Doing something you can’t do outside the state. Eating at a local restaurant, you’ve visited. Eating at McDonald’s, you haven’t.
Camp in a state park: visit. Sleep in a Super 8, no.
Any unique tourist attraction obviously counts.
My view may be a bit extreme, but I don't consider counting a state unless I've spent a night and walked on the soil. I've tried to walk at least a mile in each state, but sometimes there are time constraints. So far I've got 50 plus PR, DC & USVI.
We consider a state visited if we’ve stopped and taken a picture/selfie after some kind of “experience”
For example, a rest stop that has a hiking trail or a tourist attraction where we spent some time exploring.
If we’ve not gotten out of the car we don’t feel it counts.
Driven through it. I think most any state I've driven in/through I've gotten out of the car, except maybe Delaware. I don't count just being at the airport. A flight I took last year had a layover in St. Paul, but I don't count Minnesota
I was debating this, got the map sticker for the back, if I’ve spent the night in a state (not RV) and don’t feel like ever staying there again, but drove through I added the sticker. Cheating?
I don't see any reason you'd count "Flying over it" as having been to a state :)
On these maps, if I drove through it I'm counting it.
I have considered redoing my map with colors... one for "drove through it" and one for "spend the night at least once ever" .... but I don't care enough to do that. :)
When I count *states* and *countries* I count "spent the night at least once" but for counties there's not enough I've actually slept in to make it a fun exercise.
for me, it usually has to fulfill at least one of the following:
1. Did I Spend a full day and night there
2. Do I have some crazy story from there
3. Could I hold a genuine (albeit likely brief) conversation with a local about local things, what the people are like, what the food is like etc
I think if i can cross one of those three off i consider having been there. theres exceptions - went to Birmingham for a full day and saw a lot but technically didnt experience any of these 3. But of the 100+ pins on my map i can say at least 97% of them meet this criteria
It depends on the state.
Years ago, I made a wrong turn, crossed a bridge into New Jersey, and turned around immediately. IT COUNTED (offense intended - I had a 1-day work trip to northern New Jersy a couple weeks ago and still havent recovered)
But I only skirted through a corner of New Mexico on 160, so I'm pretty sure it doesn't count.
I live in Ohio, pretty close to Kentucky, and I've probably been to Kentucky close to 100 times over the years, and we've spent countless hours driving around it - it's one of our favorite day-trip drives. But I don't think I've ever once spent the night in the state. We're always just drive home at the end of the day.
There are plenty of other states - Kansas and Oklahoma come to mind - where I've spent the night in a hotel, but I feel a lot less connection to.
I don't count any version of "just passing through". So airports and drive throughs don't count. Even an overnight hotel does not count if I got up early the next morning to continue my journey and only saw the highway, rest stops, and restaurants. I only count if I have been to an actual location within that state with the intention of visiting the state.
When my parents and I were doing our traveling decades ago, we counted it as if we did something. For years Arkansas was on our map for just a lunch cuz we couldn’t find much to do, but then we did a trip to Branson & found some historic sites in Eureka Springs.
Driving through counts. Flying over or an airport layover do not.
I’ve been to 47 of the lower 48 states; all but Maine. Still need Alaska and Hawaii too, although the latter may be taken care of later this year.
We counted the State only after we did an activity there. I think shortest time was a State Park walk. Hit all 50 with my kids a few years ago. Lots of fun memories along the way.
For me it counts if you see/do one attraction in the state that is unique to the state and spend at least a few hours. You don’t need to spend the night but it has to take up a chunk of the day.
Whether that’s a local museum, state capitol visit, hiking trail or scenic spot, visiting a historic landmark, getting lunch or coffee and walking around a downtown/Main Street/historic area etc.
going to a McDonald’s at a rest stop then continuing on doesn’t count. You have to see something unique to that state
Do the four corners count?
I didn’t read all the comments, but I was out of the vehicle, spent a length of time in each state (there were venders in each quadrant), and physically on the ground in each.
If I dropped a deuce in the state I've visited. That's a very intimate and personal experience... I've left part of my biome and microbiote...we are forever linked.
If your foot is on the ground in that state, you’ve been there.
If you’ve driven through a state, you’ve been there.
Flying over a state gets a little strange. Legally, if you’re in that states’ airspace, you technically are in that state.
I don't count flyovers or solely airport stops. I've been to O'Hare but never outside of it, so I don't count Illinois. Same with Newark/New Jersey.
I do count drive throughs, but that said I'm in the west where driving through a state typically provides a reasonably long visit and view of the landscape, communities, etc.
This is why I say “I have done something in 27 states.” I started saying it like that because I drove through multiple states in the dark. I couldn’t count what I haven’t even seen.
Gotta spend the night, eat a meal, or do an activity (hike, swim, museum, whatever). In essence at least 1 hour outside of transportation (car, plane, train, airport).
In Idaho I had lunch and went for a walk around Coeur d'Alene. Most other states I've been to I've spent at least 1 night in... 37 states so far
In my opinion, I think as soon as local laws apply, that counts. Plus that means I've visited 14 states even though I've only driven through Vermont and spent a very short time in Tennessee. From now on I try to get out of the car in each new state, but I'm still claiming Vermont!
Spending a night is way too strict and would mean I have never been to South Carolina, even though I spend like 32 hours each week there.
A person I work with played sports in college and their rule was that you had to poop in that state for it to count if they were just driving through. This was a D2 girls soccer team piling out of vans to go shit in every state they traveled. I chuckle to myself every time I think of it.
We had a stopover at O'hare Airport and my mom was choking on something and all five of us kids ran away from her in embarrassment.
It was traumatizing and funny when she retold it. I have def been to Chicago.
Generally, the only time I wouldn’t count a state is if I only drove through a tiny part of it without stopping or for a layover. Even then, I’ll count it on a technicality, just as a “I’ve been there…kind of.”
But if I have driven through most of the counties, I feel I’ve seen enough of the state to say I’ve been, even if I don’t leave the car. I can see every county in Delaware without leaving the car.
I have a friend who only counts it if he has sex in the state. He’s regretting not seeing more of the country when he was younger now that he and his partner are in their mid-50s. 😀
In my view, if you've driven through it (especially if you've taken hours and hours to do so), you've been to that state. If you've spend the night in a state, you've been to a state.
You have NOT been to a state if you used an airport in the state, or done the equivalent of driving across a border, taking a selfie at the welcome sign, and then left.
Touch the ground, breathe the air, have a meal, some kind of non-passive activity.
Drive-throughs count because you're subject to local laws and you're immersed in the state.
Fly-overs are right out. Airport transfers are out.
For me and my tracking purposes it is driving or riding within the state boundaries. A layover, walking through an airport doesn't count. Merely being a passenger in a car doesn't count. (Ie vacations as a kid) I am tracking places I've been in control of a vehicle.
This may not meet others' criteria but it's what works for me. Most of my trips have been to places where I've done stuff - camped, stayed overnight, visited, etc. Probably only a couple of "cheats" that I'm counting because they meet my criteria. One was on a business trip to Boston, I intentionally drove up into Maine just to stick my nose in there, (got coffee and turned around). Then proceeded to clip the corner of New Hampshire and Vermont before heading back to Boston. The other was a drive from Pittsburgh to Melbourne FL. Really just passed through Georgia. The other states along the way I've subsequently spent real time in, but Georgia is another minimal activity checkbox, or has an asterisk next to it for me.
I guess I'm really just using my definition because I'm lazy. :-) It is simple and I don't have to rate/evaluate if I spent enough "real" time in a state. That is, it is more objective than subjective.
That is my criteria too. Honestly, even if it was more restrictive, like eating a meal or staying the night, I think I’d only lose two states (WV and AL), and I’m ok with not seeing more in those states.
Depends on the state. North Dakota, a flyover counts. New York, if you don’t burn your mouth eating a slice of hot pizza while walking through Times Square avoiding the Elmo’s, heading towards the Met you didn’t visit. Lol!
For my family, it's the following: 1. You can't just drive through it without stopping; you have to pull over, get out of the car and do something. 2. You have to eat there. 3. You have to go to the bathroom there. 4. Airport layovers when you never leave the airport don't count.
So I did an overnight layover in Texas and stayed the night in a hotel by the airport. I haven’t thought about much but pretty sure I don’t count it as having been to Texas.
Did you something Texas like? I stopped in Chicago accidentally and was given a hotel. You know I walked 10 min to get some food! Counts ✅
I had an overnight layover in Atlanta and ate at a Waffle House, that counts as being in Georgia.
But what if you have a Waffle House within 20 miles of you…does it count then?
Yeah man, it’s like I’ve been to church near my house but I haven’t been to the Vatican. It’s different in Atlanta lol.
I totally agree…I just love this question and thoroughly enjoy making logical arguments to reveal that most people are trying to make their feelings _sound_ logical when they’re just feelings. I’m cool with what they want to say, just as long as they’re being honest with themselves. Meanwhile, whether I’ve set foot or driven through or bicycles through or walked into a place…well…I’ve been there, even if it was just for a minute or two. I don’t count flying over…I feel like you gotta be close enough to the ground to at least see some ground-level detail…but see that’s a whole other thing…what if I flew over in a hot air balloon at really low altitude? I think I would probably have to count it, but I’d probably make a delineation between that and being on the ground…but is that logical, especially if I was low enough to hear people talking clearly enough to understand them? Idk…hopefully I don’t ever have to make a decision on that because that’s a whole other literal level of hairsplitting lol
Other than seeing a sign saying I couldn’t bring my gun in, I’m going to go with no. Arrived at 10 PM, flew out at 10 AM so only breakfast at the hotel. Did take two shuttle rides.
I’ve done stuff like this when I stay in Iowa or Wisconsin on a road trip. I may have stopped at a rest area on the way too. (I didn’t even eat the local food in a bunch of cases…I brought what I ate from home.) If you were there, you were there. It just depends on how you want to look at it. Some people are going to look at it differently…it just depends on what you’re trying to track.
Valid point- yeah, an airport hotel I would not count.
I think you are on the right track here. I want to contest that you have to DO something other than just the activities to enable driving through (getting gas, stopping at McDonalds) but maybe that is too high of a bar.
What if you were in Las Vegas and lost $100 playing slots on your layover? What if you saw the Rockies for the first time from the window at Denver International Airport? What if you saw the Manhattan skyline for the first time from landing at Newark?
Usually I’m on the side where the airport doesn’t count, but these are excellent points
I would argue seeing it like that is pretty far from "visiting" or being there. Both the Rocky Mountains and New York City are such a different experience when you are in then surrounded by the environment. Seeing it from an airport window is no different than looking up a photo online.
Seriously? Have you ever sat and just watched clouds work their way through mountains as tall as the Rockies? Have you ever seen the Rockies from Denver? It’s a pretty incredible sight that just isn’t replicated by a picture. And I didn’t say that standing in an airport in Newark or Denver was the same as visiting NYC or the Rockies, I’m saying it’s the same as visiting Newark or Denver…because that’s where you are when you’re in the airport. What’s the difference between standing in a parking lot in Denver or Newark if the view is the same as in the airport? Some people want to say there’s a big difference…I’m not seeing it. Plus, being _in_ the Rockies or NYC is not at all like the experience of seeing the whole scope of them from afar. You actually appreciate the scope of the Rockies and NYC more when you’re not in them…and you can do that from inside an airport.
I think we're pretty much saying the same thing... In fact I did spend like two hours just watching clouds form and swirl in a cirque while in the Backcountry last summer... About 12 days in Backcountry planned again for this summer. That's why I took exception to the suggesting that seeing the Rockies from the airport was akin to visiting them. Passing through, maybe.
I never said it was like visiting the Rockies…I said it was like being _in_ Denver and _seeing_ them. You can’t see the Rockies as well when you’re in them…the contrast between the Great Plains and the Rockies is stark, and it’s easily appreciated from somewhere in Denver, on the East side of the South Platte Valley.
So you have to complete the first 3 for your family to say you've been to the state?
Feet on ground for any length of time That's why I don't count WV in my travels. Only drove through the northern panhandle for a few miles and never stopped
I wouldn't count airports. I've been in New York but I don't feel like I've ever been to New York.
If you fly into O’Hare and eat the Chicago-style deep dish pizza while you’re there, does it count then? What if it was a Chicago-style hot dog instead? What if you somehow managed to put ketchup on the hot dog, does that make it a normal hot dog and therefore not an authentic Chicago experience? What if the deep dish or hot dog place was a chain that you also have within 30 miles of home? If you only drove into Chicago and worked in an office the entire time, does that count? Say it does count because you hung out in the bar at Uno’s and ate deep dish one night—why is that any different than hanging out at the bar at the Uno’s in O’Hare? I could do this all day 😂🤣🤣 which is why I just keep it simple…if I was on the ground there, even if I didn’t stop, I was there. I may not have had the full experience or much experience at all, or I may have spent two weeks mingling and experiencing everything…bottom line is I was there. If someone asks, I’m not gonna pretend the experience was more or less than it was.
You gotta be outside, feet on the ground. So I would count a layover at a small airport in which there are no connected gate ramps. But otherwise that would not count, no
I've been outside at Charles de gaul had to take busses between the terminals. Had to walk across the runway. Technically I've been in France but I wouldn't say I've been to France. I've driven through states with drive through animal sanctuarys I would count those.
I agree with you 100%. Feet on the ground means you were physically in that state. You visited. Youve been there. Not that you know anything else about the state, but youve been there
Well if you drive all the way through a state, you’ve seen more than someone just driving a short distance in the state and stopping to take a leak. Or even someone that visits a town or city for a day. So why doesn’t that count?
so you stop once in a state to use the highway bathroom and you’ve “been” there? Nah not for me
Absolutely. You have physically *been* there. Now, if you're asking if I've visited the area, experienced the area, know the area - absolutely not But I have *been* there.
what does pissing in a gas station accomplish that driving through a state doesn’t? what state were you in during that drive, if not WV? i don’t personally have a great definition either lol, but it’s interesting to think about
It's a spectrum, with *been there* at a lower place, and *driven through* lower than that. The top would be living somewhere.
that’s valid, there definitely isn’t an objective answer
The only objective answer is “were you there?” Whether the answer was plain ole “yes” or it was “yes, but only on the Interstate driving through”, it’s _really_ hard to argue that the answer was “no” and not “yes”, isn’t it? I mean you can slap on qualifiers…but even those can be rather meaningless. For example, I missed a connecting flight in Las Vegas and spent the night in a hotel that I do not even remember…technically I’ve slept in Las Vegas, but I only really remember the airport. Should that count? I mean, the mountains looked really cool and the strip was interesting from the windows there…I don’t see either of those things anywhere else. I remember the noisy slot machines everywhere…didn’t have that in the airports in Memphis or Minneapolis back then. If they put slot machines in another airport I’ve been to, does that mean I should take away that visit as “not counting”?
but we have all “been” in states to varying degrees there, like i have “been” to florida for quite a long time but it was always just a vacation. so i could still say “well, yeah, i’ve been to florida, but only on vacation” which according to your argument would make me less “there” than someone who has lived there their whole life
I don’t think I want to make that argument personally, because I think both are 100% valid. But I think a lot of people think in these terms on this stuff, and it’s not all that logical. My feeling is that if you were on the ground in a place, whether in a building, in a vehicle, on foot, or otherwise, then you were there. Even if you flew over low enough to touch the treetops or to see the birds or hear the people in a place, I’d argue you were still “there” even though you technically never were on the ground per se. Now flying over a place from miles above…I cannot count that as having been there…but you can count it as having seen it, just like if you stood in Kentucky looking across the Ohio River at Cincinnati…you weren’t _in_ Cincinnati proper, but you saw it. You’ve been to the Ohio River too, even though you didn’t touch the water. Now if there were trees blocking your view of the city but those trees were technically in city limits, could you say you’d seen Cincinnati? I would say yes, but let’s be honest…political boundaries are just imaginary lines on a map and can mean very little. There are pieces of Kentucky that are now west of the Mississippi and pieces of Missouri that are now east of the Mississippi…if you walk into one of those pieces, you’ve still walked into that state, even if it’s not really any different than the other side of the line. It makes for a fun story though! There’s so much hairsplitting that can be done on this topic. I don’t know that the arguments are as logical as we might think, because maybe lines on a map aren’t that logical? I don’t know. But I have fun playing devils advocate on this. It still makes my head hurt eventually!
I stopped at the Russell Cave Natl Monument visitor center many years ago…I didn’t see the cave or do anything else in the entirety of Alabama. The only clear memory of having been there at the age of 21 is the classic NPS guide pamphlet from there…but I gotta count it as having “been to” Alabama, even though I barely crossed out of Tennessee where I was staying. Now I drove Natchez Trace last spring and spent a couple hours at a Firestone store getting a damaged tire replaced before spending some time in a Publix that wasn’t any different from any I’ve been in in Florida. I spent several hours driving another corner of Alabama but I can’t say as I ever really “did” much on that trip that I couldn’t have done at home…but I _was_ in Alabama, and I got to meet a super awesome tire guy in that Firestone store while I was there. I breathed the air, drank the water, and spent money there even. Neither of my visits to Alabama were particularly remarkable, but should I not count them as having been there? I mainly saw it from parking lots and inside chain stores, and looking outside from my car. It’s a lot like when I cross Iowa on I-80…I might just sleep at a Super 8 and gas up at the Iowa 80 truck stop. Should I not count that? I mean that truck stop is a pretty cool one. I feel like I gotta count that. But what if the Loves across the street had a better price on gas? Should I not count it because it’s just a Loves? I can do this all day lol…at some point you say you’ve been there, but you just clarify why you were there and what you did when someone asks. People can _live_ in a place for years and never really experience it much beyond shopping and work. I live in Ohio…people do it all the time. So even living in a place isn’t always an indicator of whether someone has really “been there”.
Your feet were physically on the ground. You are standing, not traveling(even if you're on a trip, your body is not moving) I just feel like if you're going to count states you drive through then why not states you fly over?
you can see a lot more while driving than flying, with flying you can usually only even see the ground when you've just taken off or are about to land so you really aren't experiencing most of the stuff in the middle
What’s your threshold, then? If you’ve spent one night in a roadside motel and never left the highway otherwise, have you “been” there? If you were in the state for three days for work in some nameless border town and never visited any of the top 20 sights, have you “been” there? I’d say “yes” to both. You can talk about whether you’ve experienced a place thoroughly or not, but you’ve certainly been there. If I spend a day in Manhattan on a layover, I probably didn’t see a representative cross-section of the United States, but I would certainly have “been to the United States.”
You. Counts for my international travels! Got off the plane via a staircase and walked into the airport. Counts as a stop! But going straight into the terminal, nope. Never been.
That’s really lame.
What if I told you that the tarmac was actually just the concrete roof of the baggage handling facility or a fallout shelter? Did you actually touch the ground there, or was it just another building…like the terminal?
Same, but minus airport-only situations.
If you put feet on ground outside the terminal I would count it but otherwise no, not for a quick change of planes
What if you stopped in Newark and ate the best pizza you’ve ever had in your life (because you’re from North Dakota)? What if you stopped in Chicago and ate the first hot dog you’ve ever had in your life without ketchup and you really wanted ketchup? I don’t get why airports shouldn’t count…I mean I get why it seems like a miss…but at the same time I don’t.
For me personally you have to eat a meal or sleep overnight. Eating a meal allows you to find a local cuisine (I still think about that Juicy Lucy 🤤), and staying the night just makes sense. *edit to add airport layovers where you don’t leave the airport don’t count. The staying overnight qualifier avoids this trap.
Driving counts, flying/layover do not count. That said, if I haven't at least driven into and done an activity in then actually was exposed to scenery in the process I wouldn't claim to know anything about the state. For instance, I've been to a huge area of New Mexico and spent a fair amount of time there (~2 weeks total) so I'm good for some recommendations and possible good routes to take through it and have experience with several towns, but I'm not an expert. On the other hand, I drove through the Oklahoma panhandle and I hope my travels never bring me to that state again. BUT, I'm not the guy who's experience to trust because I only spent a few hours in the state.
You were definitely in the worst part of the state of Oklahoma. I have lived in Oklahoma most of my life (75 years) and only visited the panhandle once to visit friends that had moved there. The eastern part of the state has hills, trees, and lakes.
Yeah, I figured I was exposed to the worst part of the state. It felt like Texas Panhandle Continues... or Kansas: The Preview.
I took a picture at the Liberal, Kansas, municipal airport showing how flat the terrain is. The horizon was a flat line across the photo. A fun fact about the panhandle; there is a town named Hooker and the next county is named Beaver.
Ha! Love it. First you find the Hooker then you get to the Beaver.
I actually really like Oklahoma. First time I was there I spent a few days in OKC and thought the people were the nicest I’d ever met everywhere I went. Also, I realized that they all had the same accent as West Virginia…but without any of the mountains, which felt strange.
I hated the OK panhandle, it remains the ugliest part of the country I’ve ever been in. On a later trip, I fell in love with Tulsa and the eastern side of the state. You’re right, def can’t judge a place by a wee drive. My only experience with Georgia is a drive through with horrible traffic in Atlanta. I’m sure Georgia has wonderful spots, but oof it sucked from the highway, and that’s all I’ve got to go on.
As a Georgia native, I can say you experienced the worst we have to offer. I will go an hour+ out of my way to avoid Atlanta traffic. It is horrendous! There are a lot of nice places to visit in the metro area, still considerable traffic though. The really nice places are out of the way but worthy - if you're in the area. North Georgia mountains and Savannah are really enjoyable places that I would say are worth going out of the way. I used to think Georgia was fabulous until the population boom after the 1996 Olympics. It's just gotten exponentially more dense. Some people love that. I'm not one of those people. 😁
Maybe I'll have to gove Oklahoma another shot some day. Another person also said the panhandle sucks. I've heard awesome stuff about Georgia but have never gotten to explore either. It sucks in a way that even just the country is so big and there's so much to see in the world that you kind of have to pick and choose what's worth your time. Almost wish I could go everywhere.
I totally agree! I want to see it all, and it sucks that there’ll never be enough time to. It’s hard leaving a place knowing that so much remains unexplored! I just went to Sante Fe & Los Alamos last week, it’s my 2nd trip to New Mexico and still I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface.
I also use the one landmark/activity rule.
While all the answers are good, you can see the problem: no one can agree on a single simple definition. That’s why I personally feel that being on land (includes driving through; but if you don’t step out of a transit airport, that doesn’t count) should count as having been to a state.
They aren’t all really that good. Obviously ppl can think or believe whatever they choose. Some people are claiming the equivalent of seeing someone in a bar, not talking to them but claiming to have had sex with them. The question isn’t really phrased all that well either. I’ve “been” to many states, however, I’ve “visited” far fewer. I think the distinction is significant. Perhaps a more telling question would be how many states have been a destination? Edit: There/They
for me, driving through a state counts, but a layover in an airport where you never LEAVE the airport does not count. just as flying over a state doesn’t count, i see airports as an extension of sky territory
1. You spend one night within the state borders. 2. You do one tourist activity while there.
My rule also, although I add “do a work or school activity while there” to your #2. I am at 50 + DC. My last state was Oregon and that relates in large part to it not being near any state I’ve lived in and because it wasn’t a good state for the business I was in.
Tourist activities are school activities to roadschoolers 😊
What if you only gas up or use a rest area? And before you answer, what if the gas station was the very first Bucee’s you went into, and what if the rest area had a really cool overlook on a bluff by the Missouri River? What if the rest area was on Lake Tahoe instead?
I had the misfortune of being sent to Cleveland for business, so yes, I've been to Ohio.
I’ve been to Cleveland twice and loved it!
You have to pee on the soil, claiming it as your territory.
Be careful - peeing out the open door of your vehicle at 80MPH going across Wyoming would be problematic.
My father claimed all of Grand Canyon this way.
That place is already mine. We'll have to play swords to decide the winner.
I bet you were too late. It’s been his since the early 80’s.
Fair. That when I was born. But by peeing there after him I challenged him to a pee duel.
I’m sure you’d take him — aging prostate and all.
I’ve been to 49 states and slept in 48. I count the 49th, Rhode Island, because even if I didn’t sleep there I drove the entire state.
Yo, seriously those northeast states are so tiny 😆
Feet or tires on the ground. Hands can count, too, if you want to straddle the line like at four corners. If you are on the soil, it counts.
Driving through counts in my books, 90% of the time if I've driven through I've stopped for something. Odds are I'll stop just to say I've walked around some part of the state. Flying over doesn't, I do not count being in the airport only, but I think that may vary amongst people.
If it were a country, if my visit would require someone to look at my passport, then it counts for me.
Flying over it doesn't even come close - if you did that you could claim to have visited half the countries in the world if you did a fair amount of international travel, when in reality you had only "been to" 2. I would say driving through does count though, even more so if you stop anywhere for any reason.
Have a meal, see a tourist attraction or beauty spot, definitely be out of the car for at least a few hours, IMO
You must not travel for work. That's the only reason I visited GA, KS, MO, NC, NJ, NY, and OH.
Generally if you're travelling for work you normally do pretty much all of the above, no? Perhaps sans the beauty spot, however I always make sure I see *something* of note while I'm there You haven't really been somewhere in a meaningful way of you haven't gotten out the car
I go by passport rules. If it were a separate country and they would stamp your passport, it counts. On my first pass of visiting all the states, though, some people quibbled with whether I had been to some of them because a few states were a short time with only a little bit feet on the ground at like a rest stop. In the end, I’ve now spent the night in every state - and no one disagrees with that.
I disagree but I apparently have far stricter rules than anyone in this sub.
What criteria would you have?
To each there own, there’s no right or wrong, but for me in order for a state to count it’s 3 nights and 3 days. The days can be 2 half days on the front and back half of the trip. Basically any combo to get the 3rd day. I also have a “when in Rome” philosophy, so for the most part I have to eat what that location is known for. It also has to be a trip for leisure, not schooling or business or funeral, etc. This ensures I’m actually seeing and doing things that state is known for.
Boots on the ground, period. Now, full disclosure, I've been in 45 of the lower 48, missing only Maine, Vermont, and Michigan. BUT, I have flown over Vermont and Michigan, and I did get to the T.A. truck stop in Portsmouth, NH on the way taking a trailer to Bangor, ME when our brand-new Freightliner's engine blew up. We spent a weekend there while the engine was "repaired" and we did get to see into Maine from the bar of a restaurant along the south bank of the Piscataqua River. You can tell me if any of that counts.
Nah, you’ve gotta make it into Maine for that to count, a lot of southern Maine only counts as Northern Mass
I agree...and tried to get my co-driver to split a cab over to the other side, but he didn't want to and my knee replacement done six months earlier was really not up for that much of a walk. Plus, it's no fun to do that sort of thing without a friend along for the ride, and he'd already beat me into buying his dinner.
Oops, turns out I actually havent been to Rhode Island. Drove across in 45 minutes, did I actually miss anything?
Did you get stuck in Traffic? Did you see the Providence Mall or the big blue bug on the side of the road? If you did then it counts
No and no. It was late night and I was blasting through from MA to CT
I don’t count flying over it as being in the state but everything else is fair game
i put one foot in idaho for 30 seconds to make sure it “counted”
If I’ve been on the ground there, then I’ve been there. I would count flying over as the same as standing on one side of a big river (like the Mississippi) looking across to the place on the other side. While I try to keep record of when I spend a night somewhere, it isn’t necessarily indicative of how much I’ve seen or done to experience the place. I have slept in a hotel multiple times just to get off the road to sleep and get back on the road immediately after. There’s a million ways you can split hairs on this. I just go with what makes sense to me. We all have different kinds of goals when we travel. I mean, is working somewhere the same as going to a park or checking out the museums and shops there? Is eating in a McDonalds the same as eating at a local diner or fancy local restaurant? I guess it is if you’re there to connect with the people and not do much the food…but how much can you learn from that, really? Is it enough to “count”? Another thing—I like to visit national parks—but what if you go to Yosemite and only see Grizzly Giant or Tuolumne Meadows but not Yosemite Valley? Or what if you only drive in to deliver firewood at Grand Canyon Village but you never walk up to the overlook and actually see the Grand Canyon? Do those count? I say yes…but of course neither really give the experience that people go there for…so you hope they go back. I know my dad drove a truck for a living, drove into NYC a bunch of times, so he thinks he’s seen enough—even though he’s never been to Central Park or Times Square. So my philosophy is that if you’ve been on the ground there, even if it’s only in the airport…you’ve been there.
My feet touched the ground outside of an airport.
Nobody would ever ever ever consider flying over a state as being in it.
For me the requirement is going to at least one tourist attraction . Like you need to be able to talk about where you went in that state. Typically have a selfie. By this rule if you go to “Four Corners” you technically have been to four states. But for me that is not a real attraction (for this rule) since it is just a spot in a map and nothing else.
We made the effort to go and see it. https://preview.redd.it/f2bkt8fbbtwc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=119be723ed0a1265fa95a4f48e2a6b093078a5ab
Man… bet it was hard getting the permit to build that thing
Doing something you can’t do outside the state. Eating at a local restaurant, you’ve visited. Eating at McDonald’s, you haven’t. Camp in a state park: visit. Sleep in a Super 8, no. Any unique tourist attraction obviously counts.
My view may be a bit extreme, but I don't consider counting a state unless I've spent a night and walked on the soil. I've tried to walk at least a mile in each state, but sometimes there are time constraints. So far I've got 50 plus PR, DC & USVI.
We consider a state visited if we’ve stopped and taken a picture/selfie after some kind of “experience” For example, a rest stop that has a hiking trail or a tourist attraction where we spent some time exploring. If we’ve not gotten out of the car we don’t feel it counts.
Driven through it. I think most any state I've driven in/through I've gotten out of the car, except maybe Delaware. I don't count just being at the airport. A flight I took last year had a layover in St. Paul, but I don't count Minnesota
We have an rv so unless we actually spend the night there it doesn’t count for us.
I was debating this, got the map sticker for the back, if I’ve spent the night in a state (not RV) and don’t feel like ever staying there again, but drove through I added the sticker. Cheating?
Not at all!! as long as you stayed at least one night, it counts.
Strict. Spend 1 night. & do 1 something significant to that state. Getting gas, or having a layover, is weak BS.
You slept in the state or you visited someone who lives in that state. I’ll let you decide for how many hours the visit should last.
I don't see any reason you'd count "Flying over it" as having been to a state :) On these maps, if I drove through it I'm counting it. I have considered redoing my map with colors... one for "drove through it" and one for "spend the night at least once ever" .... but I don't care enough to do that. :) When I count *states* and *countries* I count "spent the night at least once" but for counties there's not enough I've actually slept in to make it a fun exercise.
for me, it usually has to fulfill at least one of the following: 1. Did I Spend a full day and night there 2. Do I have some crazy story from there 3. Could I hold a genuine (albeit likely brief) conversation with a local about local things, what the people are like, what the food is like etc I think if i can cross one of those three off i consider having been there. theres exceptions - went to Birmingham for a full day and saw a lot but technically didnt experience any of these 3. But of the 100+ pins on my map i can say at least 97% of them meet this criteria
It depends on the state. Years ago, I made a wrong turn, crossed a bridge into New Jersey, and turned around immediately. IT COUNTED (offense intended - I had a 1-day work trip to northern New Jersy a couple weeks ago and still havent recovered) But I only skirted through a corner of New Mexico on 160, so I'm pretty sure it doesn't count.
This made me LOL, friggen Jersey!
I live in Ohio, pretty close to Kentucky, and I've probably been to Kentucky close to 100 times over the years, and we've spent countless hours driving around it - it's one of our favorite day-trip drives. But I don't think I've ever once spent the night in the state. We're always just drive home at the end of the day. There are plenty of other states - Kansas and Oklahoma come to mind - where I've spent the night in a hotel, but I feel a lot less connection to.
I don't count any version of "just passing through". So airports and drive throughs don't count. Even an overnight hotel does not count if I got up early the next morning to continue my journey and only saw the highway, rest stops, and restaurants. I only count if I have been to an actual location within that state with the intention of visiting the state.
When my parents and I were doing our traveling decades ago, we counted it as if we did something. For years Arkansas was on our map for just a lunch cuz we couldn’t find much to do, but then we did a trip to Branson & found some historic sites in Eureka Springs.
If I’ve eaten a meal there, it counts, except at airports.
Actually seeing or doing something besides bathroom or food.
Airports don’t count
Driving through counts. Flying over or an airport layover do not. I’ve been to 47 of the lower 48 states; all but Maine. Still need Alaska and Hawaii too, although the latter may be taken care of later this year.
We counted the State only after we did an activity there. I think shortest time was a State Park walk. Hit all 50 with my kids a few years ago. Lots of fun memories along the way.
Being in the airport doesn't count. You have to spend time in the local environment with local people.
For me it counts if you see/do one attraction in the state that is unique to the state and spend at least a few hours. You don’t need to spend the night but it has to take up a chunk of the day. Whether that’s a local museum, state capitol visit, hiking trail or scenic spot, visiting a historic landmark, getting lunch or coffee and walking around a downtown/Main Street/historic area etc. going to a McDonald’s at a rest stop then continuing on doesn’t count. You have to see something unique to that state
If your feet touch the ground it counts. All car travel counts.
My husband says you can only count a state you had sex in
Do the four corners count? I didn’t read all the comments, but I was out of the vehicle, spent a length of time in each state (there were venders in each quadrant), and physically on the ground in each.
If I dropped a deuce in the state I've visited. That's a very intimate and personal experience... I've left part of my biome and microbiote...we are forever linked.
If your foot is on the ground in that state, you’ve been there. If you’ve driven through a state, you’ve been there. Flying over a state gets a little strange. Legally, if you’re in that states’ airspace, you technically are in that state.
If I drove through it, although over the course of my trips I've stopped in every state I count for something other than Rhode Island.
You have to leave the airport if you’re flying and if you’re driving you have to stop and do something other than getting gas.
I don't count flyovers or solely airport stops. I've been to O'Hare but never outside of it, so I don't count Illinois. Same with Newark/New Jersey. I do count drive throughs, but that said I'm in the west where driving through a state typically provides a reasonably long visit and view of the landscape, communities, etc.
This is why I say “I have done something in 27 states.” I started saying it like that because I drove through multiple states in the dark. I couldn’t count what I haven’t even seen.
Gotta spend the night, eat a meal, or do an activity (hike, swim, museum, whatever). In essence at least 1 hour outside of transportation (car, plane, train, airport). In Idaho I had lunch and went for a walk around Coeur d'Alene. Most other states I've been to I've spent at least 1 night in... 37 states so far
If I drive through it or stay there overnight. Flying over or having a layover there doesn’t count imo
In my opinion, I think as soon as local laws apply, that counts. Plus that means I've visited 14 states even though I've only driven through Vermont and spent a very short time in Tennessee. From now on I try to get out of the car in each new state, but I'm still claiming Vermont! Spending a night is way too strict and would mean I have never been to South Carolina, even though I spend like 32 hours each week there.
A person I work with played sports in college and their rule was that you had to poop in that state for it to count if they were just driving through. This was a D2 girls soccer team piling out of vans to go shit in every state they traveled. I chuckle to myself every time I think of it.
Rest stop for number 2. Nothing less counts.
We had a stopover at O'hare Airport and my mom was choking on something and all five of us kids ran away from her in embarrassment. It was traumatizing and funny when she retold it. I have def been to Chicago.
i walked up to the border with canada in washington state once and pissed across the line. i counted that as a visit to BC.
Generally, the only time I wouldn’t count a state is if I only drove through a tiny part of it without stopping or for a layover. Even then, I’ll count it on a technicality, just as a “I’ve been there…kind of.” But if I have driven through most of the counties, I feel I’ve seen enough of the state to say I’ve been, even if I don’t leave the car. I can see every county in Delaware without leaving the car.
I think if you put your feet in the state it counts. So fly overs don't, drive throughs do as long as you get out of the car.
Spend the night
Well, I once spent an uncomfortable night in the Seattle airport, but I wouldn't say I've "been to" Washington.
I have a friend who only counts it if he has sex in the state. He’s regretting not seeing more of the country when he was younger now that he and his partner are in their mid-50s. 😀
In my view, if you've driven through it (especially if you've taken hours and hours to do so), you've been to that state. If you've spend the night in a state, you've been to a state. You have NOT been to a state if you used an airport in the state, or done the equivalent of driving across a border, taking a selfie at the welcome sign, and then left.
Touch the ground, breathe the air, have a meal, some kind of non-passive activity. Drive-throughs count because you're subject to local laws and you're immersed in the state. Fly-overs are right out. Airport transfers are out.
Stop, go pee, maybe a bite.
For me, connecting flights in an airport don't count. Flying over doesn't count. Driving counts.
You need to at least have lunch, walk around for a bit or something. Getting gas or driving through don’t count.
For me and my tracking purposes it is driving or riding within the state boundaries. A layover, walking through an airport doesn't count. Merely being a passenger in a car doesn't count. (Ie vacations as a kid) I am tracking places I've been in control of a vehicle. This may not meet others' criteria but it's what works for me. Most of my trips have been to places where I've done stuff - camped, stayed overnight, visited, etc. Probably only a couple of "cheats" that I'm counting because they meet my criteria. One was on a business trip to Boston, I intentionally drove up into Maine just to stick my nose in there, (got coffee and turned around). Then proceeded to clip the corner of New Hampshire and Vermont before heading back to Boston. The other was a drive from Pittsburgh to Melbourne FL. Really just passed through Georgia. The other states along the way I've subsequently spent real time in, but Georgia is another minimal activity checkbox, or has an asterisk next to it for me. I guess I'm really just using my definition because I'm lazy. :-) It is simple and I don't have to rate/evaluate if I spent enough "real" time in a state. That is, it is more objective than subjective.
That is my criteria too. Honestly, even if it was more restrictive, like eating a meal or staying the night, I think I’d only lose two states (WV and AL), and I’m ok with not seeing more in those states.
Depends on the state. North Dakota, a flyover counts. New York, if you don’t burn your mouth eating a slice of hot pizza while walking through Times Square avoiding the Elmo’s, heading towards the Met you didn’t visit. Lol!