Travel guides

Long-form answers to the questions that come up when you start counting countries: what actually counts as a visit, and how many countries there are to count.

• What counts as visiting a country?

  Does a layover count? An overnight? The conventions travelers actually use, and why there is no official answer.

• How many countries are there in the world?

  Why credible sources say 193, 195, 197, 206, 211 and 249, and which number belongs in a travel counter.

• The Schengen 90/180 rule, explained

  The rolling window explained, a worked example, and the five misconceptions that cause most overstays.

• What is ETIAS, and who needs it?

  Not a visa, and not a change to the 90/180 rule. What it is, who needs it, and why the start date keeps moving.

• Do I need a transit visa?

  Staying airside is not always an option, and four ordinary things about your itinerary can force you through immigration.

Plan the whole trip on Aviozo

Mark where you have been and where you want to go, check visa rules for your passport (and your group), and find cheap flights from your home airport.

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