Standards For Visits

For the purposes of this website, a visit shall be as follows:

1.Across borders where immigration is regulated, official entry must be made through immigration/passport control.

2.Across borders where passport control does not exist or is unregulated, such as between states within a country, or between countries under a common border agreement, such as the EU, the traveler must stand with both feet on land fully within those borders. This includes landing on islands. Sailing through territorial waters alone does not count, nor does flying through territorial airspace.

3.In the case of islands where landing is prohibited by law due to wildlife concerns or other natural heritage status, it is acceptable to touch a portion of the island above the waterline (whether while swimming or from a boat) in lieu of landing.

Note: There is no minimum time requirement for a visit. Once a visit has been achieved according to rules 1-3 above, no further qualitative criteria is required (although establishment of proof is necessary if a claim of travel will be made).

Proof of Visits

Some form of proof of travel is necessary to prevent fraudulent claims. Although there is no single type of proof which covers each type of visit, there are several ways in which a traveler can sufficiently demonstrate that he has been to a country or territory.

The categories of proof below can be used in combination (or, occasionally, alone) as proof of a visit. Travelers should keep in mind the general rule: “The more proof, the better.”

In descending order of sufficiency,

1.Passport entry stamp (required where offered, either within passport, or on separate paper, as in cases of Israel, North Korea, etc.). A visa which supports the entry stamp should be present where required. Note: A visa without accompanying entry stamp is not proof of travel. A visa alone is only proof of purchasing a visa.

2.Airline, rail, or boat ticket stubs showing travel both to and from the target.

3.Credit card records showing meals or lodging within the target.

4.Signed Affidavit or Certificate of Travel from a ship Captain or other authority.

5.Signed and Witnessed Affidavit of Travel from the traveler himself.

6.Photograph of traveler within the territory, including local sign or icon where possible. E.g. “Welcome to Tristan da Cunha,” “Geographic South Pole,” “Republic of Abkhazia”

Note: Photographic evidence is not acceptable alone; it must be accompanied by other supporting proof.

Note: In cases of incomplete proof due to fire, theft, etc., an oral interview administered by an interviewer with travel experience in the claimed region may suffice.

Background

What defines a travel ‘visit’ has been the subject of much debate.

The Travelers Century Club has the loosest definition of a visit, accepting airplane fuel stops, airport transits, and surreptitious or illegal border crossings. Such arrivals are problematic for several reasons.

First and foremost, from a legal standpoint, they are not valid. Without passing through immigration, across borders where passport control exists, a person has not legally arrived in a country. Even if someone were to enjoy an extended time in a country via illegal entry, acceptance of this as a standard would be an encouragement of illegal behavior, something this club is unwilling to do.

Second, airport transits without immigration entry and surreptitious border crossings are difficult to prove. For example, photography at border areas, customs control areas, on airport tarmacs and within airports is often illegal. Airport transits offer no entry stamp and require no visa. Airline ticket stubs do not show stopovers en route to a final destination. Border areas often have neutral zones without clear markings in between.

Thirdly, time spent in an airport transit lounge, or furtively dashing across a remote border area and back again, does not meet the common sense test for visits. While such actions may involve great planning and effort, in the end they cannot be construed as a proper visit in the spirit of international discovery and brotherhood.