Visits

Visits refer to the act of going to see a person or place, or the period spent there. The term comes from the Latin visitare and is used across social, professional, and institutional contexts.

Common types include personal visits, such as meetings with family or friends; official visits between governments or organizations; medical visits for routine checkups, consultations, or urgent care; field visits for inspections, audits, or research; and virtual visits that rely on telepresence or online communication. In digital contexts, a website visit (or session) denotes a user’s activity on a site during a continuous period.

Measurement and significance vary by context. In daily life, visits indicate social contact, hospitality, or support. In health care, the number and nature of visits affect access to care and scheduling. In website analytics, a visit is a session, with metrics such as duration, pages viewed, and return visits used to assess engagement and behavior.

Etiquette and planning also differ by culture but commonly emphasize privacy, timing, and respect for the host’s routine. Announced visits are often preferred in many settings, with agendas and, for official visits, security considerations.

Impact and history. Visits enable social bonding, care delivery, diplomacy, tourism, and commerce. They have been governed by etiquette, law, and institutional policy for centuries, shaping how people interact in private life and within organizations.

See also: visitation rights, house call, official visit, virtual visit, website session.