Back in early 2006 I took a trip to the state of Texas. I toured the state. The family that I stayed with lives withing a 20 minute drive to Reynosa, Mexico. When I went there, I went I walked around Downtown Reynosa,went on a drive around the poor neighborhoods in Reynosa, and ate lunch in Reynosa. I would say I got a good tour of the city. I went there for the day and then went back to Mcallen, Texas. Would you count Mexico as a visited country.

If you've set foot in Mexico you can say you've visited there; you might want to devote a little more time on your next visit.

No, but you might. I don't get people counting the countries they have visited.

its a common thing for people to count the countries they have been to. In my opinion transfering planes in airports dont count. but you all be the judge on that.

Of course you can count Mexico.

It's fun to count countries I've visited. It's just a personal thing. That's all. My own goal is that the number of countries I've visited always exceed my age in years. I'm still there, but it's getting more difficult as I get older.

My rule... as long as you've seen more than the inside of the airport, you can count it.

even an airport, you can count it, imo, for what it's worth!

I travelled all across Europe with my parents when I was a baby, too young to remember anything but I guess I can count all those countries, since that's probably as good as stopping in an airport! LOL

Not to be facetious but who is counting, and why? Is this a poll or something?

So I guess my 4 hour layover in Reykjavik "counts", but towards what end?

Everyone has their own rules, and I personally do NOT count airport stops (its just ridiculous), but while you can certainly "say" you've been to Mexico, you have not seen any of the most interesting parts of Mexico.

If, instead, you had been in Mexico and visited a Texas border town, went for a drive in its poorer neighborhoods and had lunch, would you say you had visited the United States?

In that case you can say you havisted the u.s. However if I would want to devot more time in order to see as much as I can from the U.S. I plan on going back there to see Mexico City

So, then, you have a very low standard for "minimal contact" upon which you can say you have been to a country. There's no brightline rule -- and you are free to be as liberal or demanding as you like.

But, at least you have actually been within Mexico. I find those who visit an airport and claim to have visited a country to be much sillier -- the point of travel, at least to me, goes beyond duty free shops and check-in counters, and if you're willing to count an airport visit, why not county flying through a nation's airspace?

agree that airport visits certaintly dont count.

Hey, you crossed over the Rio Grande River, you went through customs (at least on your return to McAllen), your walked and drove around Reynosa so why wouldn't you think that you were in another country? And hopefully you found the environment of Reynosa a world apart from that of my hometown.