Who's been to more countries? Compare and find out

The quick answer

Add a friend in Gan, open the compare view, and pick them. Gan sorts every country into three groups and shows who is ahead.

Comparing, friends and the leaderboard are part of the £4.99 a year plan. The map itself is free.

What you need first

You each need a map with your countries on it. You also need to be friends in the app.

Agree one rule for what counts before you start. Otherwise you will be comparing different things.

• Same rule for layovers and day trips
• Same setting for territories: on for both or off for both
• Same view of the UK: Gan counts England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland separately

What the compare view shows

Pick a friend and Gan sorts the world into three groups.

• Both of you have been
• Only one of you has
• Neither of you has

Compare more than one friend

You can compare yourself against several friends at once. Gan shows a summary of your total against each person.

You also get a breakdown by continent, so you can see where each of you is strongest.

Turn the losing into a plan

The countries neither of you has visited make a ready-made shortlist. They are listed by continent.

Tap the star on any of them to add it to your wishlist. Then book something.

The friends leaderboard

Gan can rank you and your friends by places visited, with the highest total at the top.

Friends can already see each other's maps, so privacy settings don't hide anyone from this list.

It counts countries, or countries and territories, depending on your setting.

The public leaderboard

There is also a leaderboard of the most-travelled people on Gan. Private maps count too, showing only your name and country count.

Your map itself is private unless you turn on the public map setting in your account.

You can switch the public map on or off at any time.

Privacy controls, plainly

You decide who sees what. Here is how the controls fit together.

• Friends can view your map. They can never edit it
• Public map: off unless you switch it on. It lets anyone see your map
• Trip photos: shared with friends only if you turn that on, and off by default
• Family profiles: private by default, with a child lock that stops them going public
• You choose which friends can view each family profile

Play fair

Keep it friendly. Total countries is one way to win. Others are more fun.

Try the most continents, the rarest country, or the most places in a single year.

A note on averages

Gan doesn't publish figures like the average number of countries visited. There isn't enough data yet to do that fairly.

If that changes, it will be anonymous and clearly explained.

Questions

How do I compare my travel map with a friend?

Add them as a friend in Gan, open the compare view and pick them. Gan shows where you've both been, where only one of you has, and where neither has.

Can my friends edit my map?

No. Friends can only view your map, never edit it.

Will I be on the leaderboard automatically?

Yes. Everyone is ranked, private maps included, but only your name and country count show. Your map stays private unless you switch on the public map setting.

Can strangers see my children's maps?

No. Family profiles are private by default and have a child lock that stops them being made public. You choose which friends can view them.

Do I need to pay to compare maps?

Comparing and friends are part of the £4.99 a year plan. The map itself is free.