I haven’t traveled as much yet, but I have visited some European countries and have seen a lot of Germany already. I have not yet visited only one (Bremen) of three city-states (Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin) in Germany.

As for what counts: If I simply passed through in a car, it doesn’t count. If I was only there at an airport for a layover, it doesn’t count. Everything else counts.

Countries I have visited:

• England
• Scotland
• Denmark
• Netherlands
• Switzerland
• France
• Spain
• Poland
• Czech Republic
• Slovakia
• Austria
• Italy
• United States (Massachusetts, New Hampshire)

Islands I have visited:

• Madeira (Portugal)
• Teneriffa (Spain)
• Mallorca (Spain)

I’ve been to 15 out of 16 states and city-states in Germany: (I put the German pronunciation in brackets in case it differs from the English version).

• Hamburg
• Berlin
• Schleswig-Holstein
• Mecklenburg–West Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)
• Brandenburg
• Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt - my homeland)
• Saxony (Sachsen)
• Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen)
• North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
• Hesse (Hessen)
• Thuringia (Thüringen)
• Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz)
• Saarland
• Baden-Wuerttemberg (Baden-Württemberg)
• Bavaria (Bayern)

What holds me back from long-distance travel is mainly the need to board an airplane. I have a significant amount of respect for flying, and I avoid it if possible. I only use an airplane when absolutely necessary. When we flew to Madeira, the landing at the short runway was quite exciting. I was relieved when I had both feet back on the ground. I didn’t want to leave Madeira behind, but not only because of the flying. We simply found it very beautiful there.