This is the 14832nd most frequent Russian word.
побывали
"Побывали" means "visited" or "have been."
The word 'побывали' here means 'visited' and implies that the action was completed in the past.
Мы побывали в Москве прошлым летом.
We visited Moscow last summer.
The term 'побывали' is used to indicate a temporary visit to these locations during their journey.
До того, как они вернулись домой, они побывали в двух странах.
Before they returned home, they visited two countries.
Here, 'побывал' is used in a conditional mood to express a hypothetical situation of having visited a place.