Why don't Americans travel

[waking_orange]

Yeah in poor countries in Asia and South America they don't give a shit who you are all they want is your money. Going through Europe I have experienced plenty of American bashing.

 

[TheLoveBandit]

Yeah in poor countries in Asia and South America they don't give a shit who you are all they want is your money. Going through Europe I have experienced plenty of American bashing.

One doesn't need to travel to experience American bashing, we've plenty of forums capable of the same experience without the expense


I'll admit pleasant surprise this thread has experienced little to no ass-raping, and everyone has offered their own take on the subject fairly well with few exceptions. Though, I discount personal experiences as being one off and unique, and not representative of the American population overall. Still, it wouldn't be in the Lounge without a few one liners:


Our parole officers hate it when we take off our anklets and escape the "house arrest" order.


We don't have to travel, we have a gnome who does it for us.

Build a Disney World and we'll visit your culture...as long as it isn't in France or Japan.

And, well, that's about all the humour I can muster at this point. So on to the real topic. I'd agree with most of the statements made thus far, but there are truths sprinkled about the thread that are somewhat less obvious. Yes, we have nearly everything we want right here - especially in terms of terrain, and 'safe' experiences of other cultures (venturing 6 blocks into Chinatown, knowing we can generally make it out alive without a passport, without armed escorts, where we can still use our cell phone to call mom and dad if we get in trouble, etc). We can experience a 'taste' of another culture for minimal expense (compared to actual transoceanic travel), and immerse ourselves as deep as we choose to within the 'Americanized' version of whichever culture we choose - all while being able to sleep in our own bed that night.

I've long held to the loathsome 2 wk vacation we Americans get as being a part of the problem - but the counter-point raised by some of you, to use between job breaks as travel time is valid. It is a choice we make, to look for more stability, a next job, rather than live on our savings and start back at zero upon our return. We choose to not use 2-3 days vacation, make a long weekend, and spend a bunch of money on airfare, hotels, etc....unless we're late in our career and our other financial obligations have been met, such as educating our children or paying for our big car or home - again, a choice we make.

Let me try another approach, seeing as it is fundamentally a cultural mentality being exposed here. In Europe or Asia you are close to other countries. Especially in Europe you grow up in an environment that has centuries of ingrained understanding that there are others nearby who are different - by language, custom, philosophy, etc. Even if you don't appreciate the cultures nearby, you are aware of them and recognize they are different from your own, for better or worse. In America, we are raised with the understanding that the only places nearby are Mexico (seen as poor, dirty, cheap, and unworthy = usual stereotype or image) and Canada (seen as American wannabe's and an appendage of America we just don't need to concern ourselves with). Our real exposure of 'Other Cultures' is either the ethnic foods our family tries out once a month, or what we learn of other countries in our grade school courses on world history. At this point, Big Ben and a double decker bus is as relevant as Atilla the Hun or the Egyptian pyramids - pictures in a book, frames in a film, narrations of something we can imagine if we try....but we have little reason to try, what's in it for us?

And that is the root of a lot of American attitudes - "Whats in it for me?" We're raised on the American dream, that you can have everything you're willing to work for. So, we make the choice to work for it....and work for it...and work...and work....and work. But what is that dream we're working for? The big house, usually filled with children who WILL go to college, and two or more cars (that, if you can swing it, will be at least a little bit bigger or shinier or at least more expensive than your neighbors). We live by the phrase of "Keeping up with the Joneses" which is a never win situation, but the imagined happiness we are taught to pursue from our youth. We don't know differently - that's what we're supposed to go after, and by GOD we are! Our history books teach us we're the best, we have the best of everything (again, why go to lesser countries) so we generally believe we have to work hard so we get our personal share of 'the best' - whether that's the house, the car, or the job title (which, btw, requires the long hours and skipped vacations and long term employment that others have referred to...somewhat counter-productive to adopt the carefree lifestyle of backpacking on savings for a few weeks or months between jobs).

In Europe, you can spend under $50 on airfare and be in another country in under 30 minutes. In America, we can't fly anywhere under $50....and nearly any flight you do book for under $150 will land you in the same country you started from. In Europe, you could ride the rail, or drive for 3 hours and have crossed into two or three countries. In America, you can drive for three days and STILL be in TEXAS! So there is the inescapable significance of the size of land containing a culture and how close 'different' cultures live to you. This argument also holds for our Aussie's and NZ'ers to a degree, but they don't have the same 'Get Mine' mentality driving them in a commercial culture. Then again, I can't speak to them too much, as I haven't actually been there.

For most Americans there is also the ingrained belief that the priority in life is possessions, not experiences. A few of us can run against that belief, but you are in a tiny minority, and virtually non-existent in the eyes of your countrymen because you aren't playing the game the way they are, the only way they've been taught to believe the game to be played. Even those who accept a lower paying job ('for the love of the work' or whatever) are generally looked down upon in some degree, as they aren't working harder striving to earn more to buy more to be more. The heroes of our children, the persons they want to be - doctors, lawyers, and even more so today are the multi-million dollar athletes - are admired for their money and possessions. You don't hear a kid say "I want to be a lawyer and help the poor" or "I want to play NBA with the athleticism of Kevin Garnett", you hear them say "I want to drive that kind of car and live in that kind of house".

To return to the concept of travel, and how Americans view it, I'll make another point. Travel for business can be a requirement, and if it brings you to other cultures, you can take that as a personal bonus and get what you can out of it or hide in the hotel until you can get back to the relative safety, security, and sameness of your home. Travel for personal reasons is rare, to be treated as a special occasion , generally accompanied by a blow out of your bank account in the effort to have the biggest and best (American philosophy, remember?) vacation possible. If you've got the money to leave the country, it is generally to end up within the borders of a relatively safe, secure, and same-as-home location like a resort that caters to Americans or a touristy city known to be good for photo shoots (souvenirs from that biggest and bestest vacation to show your jealous friends at home). If you don't have the money, you stay in the States, travel as far as your money will take you for the short amount of time you are willing to be away from your job without fear of becoming unemployed and losing your spot on the corporate ladder or your progress towards that great American dream.

Am I cynical of the "American Dream"? I think you can tell by my tone that I am. However, I live it everyday, continuing to choose to spend my money on the house, the home, the big tv (both to impress my friends, and to give me a tour of other cultures from the safety of my home...where I spend so much time....). Sometimes, I don't like it, but I don't have the courage to step outside of the American way, and so I remain a slave to it - telling myself I'm happy because of what I own, and that the experiences I'm missing out on (backpacking other countries, living in other languages) just aren't as good as billed, aren't as good as what I've got here....yeah, I'm not missing out, I'm an American, I live in the best country in the world.