---
title: "How to track and count the countries you have visited"
source_url: "https://backtracktrips.com/en/guides/track-countries-visited/"
language: "en"
updated: "2026-10-01"
---

# How to track and count the countries you have visited

By [Gustavo Kenzo](<https://backtracktrips.com/en/about/>) · Updated October 1, 2026

List trips by year, city and country. Then collect country names without repeating places visited more than once. Use photos to check dates and locations, and decide whether to include layovers and territories. Keep the list in a note, spreadsheet or manually marked map.

A note or spreadsheet is enough for the manual method. Photos help verify the list; trips without pictures can count too. The Photos menu below is for iOS 26.

## Count without repeating the same country

1. **Write your trip history**

   Record year, city and country, one visit per row. Start with recent visits and add older ones. If you cannot remember a year, leave it open rather than inventing a date.

2. **Check places in photos**

   Search Photos for a city or open an image and read its information. Place and date help confirm a visit. An airport-connection photo needs a different decision from a stay with sightseeing.

   Reference: [Photo date and location](<https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iph0edb9c18f/26/ios/26>)

3. **Define what visited means**

   You might count only places where you left the airport. Record your criterion and apply it to every trip. Do not change the rule just to include one layover.

4. **Separate countries and territories**

   Add a place-type column if you want to record both. You can then present separate totals and compare lists that use the same definition.

5. **Count a list of unique names**

   Portugal in 2019 and 2023 is two visits but one country. Copy each country once into a second list and count its names. Keep the history to see how often you returned.

6. **Mark the list on a map if you want**

   Use a paper world map or an image you can annotate. Color only countries in your list and use another color for territories if you count them separately. Add visits to the history; the country total increases only for a new country.

## Example: four trips, three countries

In this illustrative list, Lisbon and Porto are two visits to the same country. Argentina and Spain add two more. Four trips and three unique countries are correct answers to different questions.

| Year | City | Country |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2019 | Lisbon | Portugal |
| 2023 | Porto | Portugal |
| 2024 | Buenos Aires | Argentina |
| 2025 | Barcelona | Spain |

Unique list: Portugal, Argentina and Spain. Replace the CSV examples with your records. It contains no formulas and sends no information to the website.

[Download the trip and country CSV template](<https://backtracktrips.com/downloads/trips-countries-en.csv>)

## Why two totals may differ

**Repeat visits**

Unique names give the country total. History rows record visits; a single trip may cross more than one country.

**Layovers and territories**

Review your criterion and the map list. Compare numbers only after understanding what each includes.

**A country has no photos**

Keep it in your manual list if the visit is known. An image-only catalog cannot represent every trip in your life.

## To count from trips saved in your photos

Backtrack counts countries from saved trips and creates cards and flags in Achievements. You avoid marking those records by hand. A visit without geotagged photos may be missing; keep a manual list to include those trips too.

Backtrack uses geotagged photos on iPhone with iOS 26 or later. Free download with optional Premium. See the plans and limits.

1. **Add your city**

   In Backtrack, save your city in Where I live. It is what separates trips from everyday life.

2. **Find your trips**

   Tap Automatic trip discovery to let the app look for periods away from home. The free plan reveals one trip automatically and you can create the others by choosing dates; with Premium they all appear on their own.

3. **Open Achievements**

   The Your world card shows how many of the 195 countries and 7 continents you have visited. Tap View countries and continents for the full list, and see the flag collection further down.

4. **Share**

   Every achievement has a share button and becomes a 9:16, 3:4 or 1:1 image for Stories, the feed or messages.

![Backtrack Achievements tab: 17 days traveled from 2023 to 2025 and six countries visited.](<https://backtracktrips.com/assets/optimized/screen-world-600.webp>)

Backtrack screenshot with a demo trip and public-domain photos. The interface shown is in Portuguese.

[Download on the App Store](<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/backtrack-mapa-de-viagem/id6816491454>)[See plans and limits](<https://backtracktrips.com/en/#questions>)

## Questions about this guide

### Does a layover count?

Choose a personal criterion and state it. If you count only visits outside the airport, apply that rule to all trips and compare maps using the same definition.

### Is a two-country trip two trips?

Each country enters the unique list once. One trip period can include both. Trip and country totals do not need to match.

### Can I mark a country without photos in Backtrack?

Its count comes from saved trips with geotagged photos. For places without that material, use the list or a manual map; do not assume the app represents all visits.

## Sources and verification

Edited by Gustavo Kenzo, creator of Backtrack. Menu paths follow the Apple guides cited in each section. Illustrative examples; Backtrack screenshots use demo trips. Reviewed October 1, 2026.

[Photo date and location](<https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iph0edb9c18f/26/ios/26>) · [Photos on a map](<https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iph390138909/26/ios/26>)