Layovers and Driving Throughs Don’t Count as Visiting Utah and Other States

What is the rule for saying you have been to another state? In a conversation where someone says they grew up somewhere, do you say you have been there if you stopped at the airport in that state on a layover? There are actually rules for claiming places you’ve been. 

The Club for People Who Have Visited All the States 

The All Fifty States Club is a group where you can get a membership if you have been to every one of the states that make up the union. They give some guidelines on what counts as a visit. 

Originally, they said stepping on the ground in the state and breathing the air would work. This would not count a layover at the airport as you wouldn’t be on the ground. Walking on the tarmac didn’t fit under this definition. 

Now they have upped what visiting a state should look like. What counts is if you stayed long enough to make a lasting memory.  This makes sense as if you are going to say you visited all the states. Visiting usually isn’t just driving through. 

You Can Make Up Your Own Rules for Visiting States 

In a discussion online, most of the responders felt like you could decide what visiting a state looks like. However, if someone says they are from Atlanta and you try to relate by describing the inside of the airport, it is not going to impress them. 

That doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of time in the state. I have driven through Kansas a few times and I definitely count it. It was a long boring experience and it is easy to relate to when someone has lived there. 

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I think it is cool if you have visited all 50 states even if you didn’t stay in each one. But, if you really want to impress me, visit all the counties in the United States. That would be an accomplishment, and you could start your own club.