The spirit of roaming the earth has been passed down from age-old explorers like Christopher Columbus and Vasco de Gama to modern-day globetrotters better known as NYU Abu Dhabi students. Like these pioneers, we seek to engrave our footprints in the untouched sand of countries and continents that feature in our dreams. We want to understand others, we want to be propelled into the unknown and more recently, we want Instagram pictures that elicit praise and envy. In addition to documenting travels through pictures, it has become common to add a numerical qualifier to traveling by recording the number of countries that one has visited. This practice, approved by some and condemned by others, has many complexities that need to be considered before anyone can neatly classify them as being either good or bad.

Counting countries can no doubt redefine the purpose of traveling as a competition. However, it is necessary to consider whether there is a true and single purpose of traveling. Exposure to travel shows and travel blogs suggests that authentic traveling involves some sort of profound experience with the host country, a sort of revelation about the culture or customs that completely alters your preconceptions. It also emphasizes the need to engage with the country from the perspective of a local rather than a tourist because tourist vacations are superficial, fickle and fail to accurately represent the country and its people. Counting countries would thus focus more on the quantity rather the quality of experiences.

While this ideal of traveling is elegant and sophisticated, it is not realistic. In order to get to know a country on that level, even a stay of four weeks would be insufficient. For example, some NYUAD freshmen who have been in the UAE for almost two months still feel as if they do not truly know Abu Dhabi let alone the entire country. They now know more about the place and its customs, but traversing beyond that primary level is not a matter of the amount of time that passes — rather, it is achieved by a determined zeal to uncover and engage with the parts of Abu Dhabi and the UAE that are hidden from the naked eye.

Therefore, the concern that counting countries threatens the ethos of travel and inhibits deep exploration is not as pertinent as one might think. Where this concern might be most applicable is when people start including layovers in airports as a visit to the country. Until duty-free stores and chain restaurants become cultural identifiers, doing this will always be seen as using country counting as a way to boast of one’s reputation as a prolific traveler.

Another reason to condemn counting countries is its effect on others. We live in a heavily interconnected and social world that comes with certain responsibilities. Our actions and words impact people around us. Country counting can become a currency that defines a new system of social classes that are based on travel. Those who have traveled a lot bond over their vast experiences that can intentionally or unintentionally exclude those who love traveling but haven’t had the opportunities to do so.

An app called Country Counter allows its users to document the number of countries they have visited by using a colorful map that highlights them. This app intensifies the gap between those who have traveled a lot and those who haven’t as it provides a striking visual of the countries visited. However, consider this: Has a person who has traveled throughout Russia done less traveling than someone who has done a trip in Europe? A flaw of Country Counter is that it emphasizes the number of countries visited, not the geographic area of the country visited. This demonstrates that Country Counter, and counting countries in general, can unfairly create a traveling underclass based on arbitrary and unrevealing criteria.

Taking a more optimistic perspective, it is possible that country counting can be used for good. People who have a high country count can inspire others to embark on a travel adventure themselves. A travel blogger named Oneika Raymond emphasizes that inspiring others is her main reason for counting the countries she visits, and the reel of comments from her followers does seem to indicate that her travels have this effect. The country counts of ordinary travel bloggers who travel to extraordinary places demonstrate that where there’s a will to travel, there’s a way.

The debate around counting countries shall continue and I would expect nothing less. However, no consensus can dictate how you should travel because traveling is a personal endeavor. Only you know what kind of traveling experience you want, and if it involves counting countries without malicious intent, then so be it.