What's the shortest trip you've ever taken abroad from your home country?

[KostasKouvalis]

Where did you go? Why? And what were you there for?

Mine was back in 2002. I think I was either 8 or 9. It was just a couple months before we moved from San Diego to Northern California, and we took a day trip to a Mexican border town by train. The wait for the train and the ride was longer than the amount of time spent in Mexico, but it worth it.

[DaveJord]

Shortest as in distance or time?

Well once upon a time I was in the Army and we were assisting the border patrol... we were out in the desert of Arizona and I ran across the border about 5 feet into Mexico for less than 1 minute. So I traveled about 5 feet outside my home country for about 30 seconds... that was shortest distance and time I spent on a trip outside of my home country. If I was caught it would of been an international incident, because I was in uniform and violated about 6 different laws to do it, but it was on a dare and I could not back down. :)

Again in the Army I was stationed in Germany and Italy for a combined 12 years, so since Army bases in Germany are considered United States Territory I left the United States daily to go to Germany about every day of my life for 6 years.

In Italy the bases belonged to Italy, so they do not count as United States Territory... so my longest trip out side my home country was for 6 years I lived in Italy.

[KostasKouvalis]

Amount of time spent in the destination.

Yeah, I was gonna say, I think that's illegal. lol You would've been court marshalled if caught.

Oh I was wondering about that, so do you have to show your passport if you leave the base? I know in Kyrgyzstan and Guantanamo for instance, you're not allowed to leave the base, so it doesn't count as being in Kyrgyzstan, because you technically never entered the country. But it still counts as being on the Asian continent.

I never knew that about the bases in Italy, but I know people who've been stationed in Europe, and they seem much more relaxed over there. My friend was stationed in Vicenza, and him and his buddies would leave base several times a week and go to the strip club, and even sight seeing around Italy and neighboring countries. He went to a Katy Perry concert even

[DaveJord]

No passport your military ID is your passport... and I was stationed in Vicenza, SKY SOLIDERS!!!

[DaveJord]

I was in Kyrgyzstan as well on my into Afghanistan. But never left base.

[KostasKouvalis]

OH! So in Germany, they actually had EU border guards outside the base?

[KostasKouvalis]

Yeah, the one in Kyrgyzstan doesn't allow it.
I never knew the base was considered U. S. territory, until one of my teachers told me, you can run for president if you were born on a US military base.

[KostasKouvalis]

And I think embassies operate the same way. That's why Assange wasn't leaving the Ecuadorian embassy

[DaveJord]

No just military MPs SOFA Agreement protected us... Germany bases were taken by the United States as part of the terms of unconditional surrender after WW2 so we owned them. Germany was a conquered country.

Italy never surrender but was liberated, because flipped sides on the Nazi's. So the bases belong to Italians and the United States leases them, but we do not own the land the Italians have all the land rights.

[KostasKouvalis]

What about Guantanamo?

[DaveJord]

No you can't go off base in Cuba... not sure how the United States kept that base, it dates back to the Spanish American War.

[KostasKouvalis]

Yes yes. My history teacher told me once, but I forgot.

[bolverk]

North West UK to France 1997, two days for an employee shares meeting with the aerospace company I worked for, It was drive to airport John Lennon Liverpool (took longer than the flight) Flight to Charles de Gaul France, taxi to meeting venue (took longer than the flight) stayed overnight, had meeting (6 hours ) taxi back Charles de Gaul airport, stayed at hotel overnight, flew back following morning.

[Aerissa_Jade]

Tijuana for a day and back. Went there to check out the strip clubs, heard they were kind of unique there.

[KostasKouvalis]

North Baja is a popular one. And... what did you find? :p

[Aerissa_Jade]

That it was mostly white girls and mostly Mexican men staring at them. They weren't really dancing either.

[KostasKouvalis]

For some reason I'm not surprised.

[jeemm]

Crossed over to Sweden for a couple of hours and then came back to Finland.

[DuskEmbrace_X]

I went on a brief vacation to the US with a friend and her family once. We went from Southern Alberta to Great Falls, Montana and camped there for a couple days. I got to see Glacier National Park and it was STUNNING.

[MTC29]

There was a time when I lived in SoCal I'd drive (or ride) down to Mexico and spend an hour or two.

The line and the wait to get back over the border became so long that such trips were no longer worth taking

[Guy13]

Hills of West Virginia and Los Angeles

[Guy13]

Definitely foreign lands

[zagor]

Day trips to TJ in Mexico.