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(Inadvertent) New Country Day: Bosnia and Herzegovina

June 10, 2012 By James Clark 3 Comments

Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Date: 24 May 2012

Here at Nomadic Notes I like to keep track of when I visit a country for the first time, which I celebrate as New Country Day. I’ve been back to lots of countries, but you can never reclaim the same experience of entering a country for the first time.

There have been some occasions when I have questioned whether I can say I’ve been to a country. For example, my first trip to Turkey was a day trip to the tourist resort town of Marmaris. Technically I had been to Turkey, but I would never claim it in passing conversation. Now I have another day where I’ve had to make the decision if I have been to a country: Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Welcome to Bosnia and Herzegovina
[Welcome to Bosnia and Herzegovina? Huh, really?]

I didn’t even know I was going to Bosnia and Herzegovina on this day. I was in Croatia on the bus from Split to Dubrovnik. I don’t usually travel with a guide book in Europe and I didn’t look at a map so I had no idea of the geography. The bus takes about 5 hours and around an hour out of Dubrovnik we arrived at a border checkpoint. I wondered if I had nodded off and missed my stop, but no, there is a little bit of B&H that protrudes from Croatia and touches the coast.

Map of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
[Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina]

Our passports were given a cursory glance but there was no stamp. I figured I might let this slide and not count it as a new country, like changing planes at a hub airport, but the bus made a stop at the town of Neum for a 30 minute refreshment break.

Neum - Bosnia and Herzegovina
[Neum – Bosnia and Herzegovina’s little sliver of coastline]

I stepped out of the bus and trod on Bosnian and Herzegovinian soil, bought refreshments, and went to the toilet, so I’m calling it as visited. I have technically been to Bosnia and Herzegovina. I do plan to visit more of the Balkans on another trip, which will include at least a few nights in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Would you count this as a new country?

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: bosnia and herzegovina, neum

About James Clark

James Clark is the founder of Nomadic Notes. He has been a digital nomad since 2003, and Nomadic Notes features trip reports, train travel articles, and where to stay guides. He writes about transport and urban development at Future Southeast Asia. Subscribe to the weekly travel newsletter.

Comments

  1. Elize says

    June 12, 2012 at 11:38 am

    Yes 🙂 you were not in an airport, you bought something in a different country, and maybe even pick up a souvenier 😉 

    I would consider it a new country

    Reply
  2. Brian Hill says

    March 13, 2013 at 8:53 pm

    If you spend a day and a night in a country I would consider it a new country day. Remember a day includes the night time also.

    Reply
    • James Clark says

      March 16, 2013 at 4:58 am

      Yes, I think staying a night in a country is a good way of counting it.

      Reply

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