Th
e Travelers Century Club
(CC) is an organization of seasoned world travelers who have visited at least
100 nations and or territories based upon a specific list they have compiled of
more than 324 destinations (at January 2014). The Century Club’s list
is categorized by geographical areas such as Europe, the Indian Ocean, Africa, Antarctica,
and Central America.
http://travelerscenturyclub.org/
My goal is to become a member. To date, I have visited 77 nations.
How does the century
club define a nation?
Most of the world
recognizes a separate nation based upon the following definition: a people
politically organized into a sovereign state with a defined territory.
Currently, the United States State department recognizes 195 nations and
Taiwan.
The Century Club
includes these areas and more. Although some of its destinations are not
countries, they are regions that are different from their governing country
either geographically, politically, or ethnologically. Each destination
must have a population of at least 100,000 people. For example, although
the island of Madeira is part of Portugal, it is considered a separate nation
by the century club because it is geographically separated by more than 200
miles from continental Portugal.
Some destinations are
included because they have a "disputed status" such as Kosovo and Trans-Dniester.
What I find most
interesting is that based upon this definition some countries include several
nations for example: the island of Saint Maarten in the Caribbean has the
French side of Saint Martin and the Dutch side of Saint Maarten. The island of
Cyprus has the Turkish section and the Greek section. Although they are US
states, both Alaska and the Hawaiian islands are considered to be separate
nations or territories. Finally, they include five separate nations in the
country of Indonesia including Java, Bali /the Lesser Sunda Islands,
Moluka, Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan), and Sulawesi. Each nation has a unique
set of traditions and values that separated from other areas in Indonesia.
Of note, Bali is the only Hindu nation within the larger Muslim
Indonesia.
I also find it
interesting that they combine the Balearic Islands of Mallorca and Minorca,
they combine all of the Greek Islands, and they combine all of the Hawaiian Islands. (I
had originally given myself credit for visiting three Canary Islands and two
Hawaiian Islands.).
Here is a letter that I
wrote to the century club in August 2015, about my future membership.
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| Pyramids of Giza, Egypt |
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| St Petersburg, Russia |
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| Venice, Italy |
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| Tunis, Tunisia |
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| Copenhagen, Denmark |
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| Pisa, Italy |
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| Taj Mahal-Agra, India |
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| Rome, Italy |
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| Istanbul, Turkey |
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| Athens, Greece |
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| Oia, Santorini, Greece |
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| Copenhagen, Denmark |
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| Katakalon, Turkey |
Dear Century Club,
I have been following
your group (online) for several years now. I am a fellow world traveler who is
passionate about exploring other nations, and I have visited them mostly
solo. I have lived, studied, conducted business, and played tourist a la cart,
on land tours, and most recently on cruises. Based upon your official
list, I have visited 77 nations. Attached are a few photos. Although I qualify for provisional membership
now, I will wait until I reach the century mark to officially apply.
Of note, I have
travelled to some destinations such as France, Italy, Spain, and Greece, many
many times. In the USA, I have travelled to hundreds of cities and 45 states.
In the meantime, I'd
like to make you aware of who I am and to let you know how enthusiastic I am
about joining the century club in the future.
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| Great Wall of China |
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| Rock of Gibraltar |
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| Halong Bay, Viet Nam |
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| Cho Praya River, Thailand |
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| Panama Canal |
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| Suez Canal |
By the way, in the fall,
I will travel to Asia where I will add Hong Kong, Singapore, North Borneo, the
Philippines, Taiwan, Macau, and Brunei. I am excited about moving closer
to the century mark.
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| Western Wall, Jerusalem, Israel |
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| Amalfi Coast, Italy |
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| Argentina Penguin Rookery |
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| Bay of Kotor, Montenegro |
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| Helsinki, Finland |
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| Burj Khalifa-Dubai |
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| I Love Paris!! |
Thank you for giving me
this opportunity to introduce myself.
Yours truly, Karla Scott
in Miami
(Born and raised in
Chicago, and lived in New York, Dallas, St Louis, Atlanta, Paris, and
Madrid.)
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| Blarney Castle, Ireland |
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| Berlin, Germany |
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| Amsterdam, Netherlands |
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