Why don't Americans travel

waking_orange

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Messages
47
Why don't American's travel outside the country. I read an article saying that less than 10 percent of Americans have a passport. I have traveled around the world and I meet people from around the world except American's. Is our society so individualistic that we don't give a shit about any other place except our own.
 
the short answer is yes. it's probably also because foreign countries are demonized by american government and media, and because many americans know pathetically little about geography, annnnnnd I guess also because americans are unwelcome in most civilized destinations where kissing yank butt to get an american dollar is less of a convenience than scowling at them. Also, ten percent of the U.S. population is almost as many people as there are in Canada... so there are plenty of people travelling nevertheless :p
 
Why travel? I got everything and everyone I need and love within a 100 mile radius. I wander between NJ and NY and Im content with that.
 
Uh, EXCUSE ME, but FUCK YOU. You are talking straight out your ass.

Pardon the French, but seriously, "foreign countries are demonized by the government and media"???? 8( 8)

And my grandmother has traveled the world, the *entire* world, and she has never been met with anything but hospitality. Why is it you think everyone is so full of hate?


Most Americans don't travel because it's WAY more expensive for us than for a lot of people. If you're in Europe, you can take a train to a completely different country. Or you can easily make connecting flights to anywhere in Europe, Asia, or Africa. When you're in America, you have to make at least one 8-hour non-stop flight to get to most major foreign cities, and that gets expensive.

I travel all the time, but taking a trip to the East or West coast alone is a big trip. Getting to Mexico is a haul. I can't exactly afford the price (or the vacation time) to go anywhere else. That's another thing too - Americans get FAR less vacation time than just about anywhere else in the world. I have a whopping 5 days per year. I can't leave the country for vacation because there simply wouldn't be enough time. My whole extended family is going on a cruise this year, but I can't come along because I can't get off of work.
 
kittyinthedark said:
Uh, EXCUSE ME, but FUCK YOU. You are talking straight out your ass.

Pardon the French, but seriously, "foreign countries are demonized by the government and media"???? 8( 8)

And my grandmother has traveled the world, the *entire* world, and she has never been met with anything but hospitality. Why is it you think everyone is so full of hate?


Most Americans don't travel because it's WAY more expensive for us than for a lot of people. If you're in Europe, you can take a train to a completely different country. Or you can easily make connecting flights to anywhere in Europe, Asia, or Africa. When you're in America, you have to make at least one 8-hour non-stop flight to get to most major foreign cities, and that gets expensive.

I travel all the time, but taking a trip to the East or West coast alone is a big trip. Getting to Mexico is a haul. I can't exactly afford the price (or the vacation time) to go anywhere else. That's another thing too - Americans get FAR less vacation time than just about anywhere else in the world. I have a whopping 5 days per year. I can't leave the country for vacation because there simply wouldn't be enough time. My whole extended family is going on a cruise this year, but I can't come along because I can't get off of work.

I would so do you. Your attitude is completely hot.
 
me driving to miami is the distance equivalent of going from London to Rome. America is a bigger place than most europeans realize. Its not our fault america is big, and the only countries around us are dangerous, or like america, only colder.
 
humerical:
Why don't Americans travel?
If they let them outta the country, then they'd probably take over, eh?
 
I used to travel a lot when I was younger...but then...I stopped.
 
Yes, I'm 19, and I used to travel a LOT more when I was younger.

I have wealthy parents...they used to take me all over the place.
 
i am an american currently in india, started in southeast asia, and i can say that this same question arrises in me on an almost daily basis. only 6% of americans have passports to be exact. this is, in a way, a very sorry fact. a fact that perfectly illustraits the mentality of most americans: why leave? america is, after all, the greatest nation on earth! the "fear factor" is also a big part, perhaps the most common in recent years. americans have it in there heads that if they go outside the counrty they are going to be "confronted with hostility". in my own experience this couldnt be farther from the truth. i have spoken to many forign people about their feelings on americans and unanimously the feed back i get is entirely positive.

as a traveler, i am quite delighted to be amongst the few americans ive met. it seems that the ones who make it to developing countries are about the coolest, most intelligent, unique travelers ive come across (of any nationality). personally i am grateful in a selfish way that americans for whatever reason dont see the need to expand their worldy horizons. what myself, and the world at large are left with is a low concentration of highly original, open minded people.

i also want to say that "americans dont travel becasue its too much money" is a complete myth. we have the third highest currency in the world (usually higher). unless you seriously lack in creativity and have an affinity for being pampered, your money can last you 5 times as long in most counties, if not longer. true, you will have to make certain comfort sacrifices, or in other words, experience how the rest of the world lives...on their terms. what a novel idea!
 
I am American and I have been to Australia, Mexico and Bermuda. So, I guess Americans DO travel.
 
I've covered all of eastern Europe and most of western Europe as well as a good deal of North Africa. I've traveled to Russia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, India, Pakistan, Thailand, PI, and quite a few others. I've travel most of northern South America and Brazil. I've missed Central America except Mexico and traveled to Canada. Hell, I've been to Iceland, Greenland, and Antarctica.

However, I was in the military and traveled rather cheaply. Since I've been out it is FAR more expensive to travel. And as many have noted, the US is HUGE. I can drive across it in about four days, at least along the southern border. It took about six doing the Northern route.
 
I think for a lot of people it has more to do with the cost of getting out of the United States, not the cost of actually being in another country. Furthermore, America is huge. Someone in Europe can go to 10 different countries in a land area a fraction the size of the USA. There is a lot to see here. When confronted with passports and flight costs, I think people just tend to take the easy way out and go to the fricken Grand Canyon or something.

I would, of course, like to say that there is a great amount of things to do here. Sierra Nevadas, Rocky Mtns, Moab desert, Appalachian Mtns, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Pacific Northwest, Boundary Waters, ALASKA and HAWAII!!(if we can count the non continental)....Chicago, NYC, Dallas, San Francisco, LA, if you're into cities. Those who travel a lot outside of America often too quickly dismiss the wonder that can be found here.

That being said, it probably all comes down to personal preference. I, personally, aim to strike a balance between the two. America unquestionably has a lot to see, but it certainly does not have the history or culture of other parts of the world.
 
Thunderinacircle makes a good point that their is soooo much to see and do in the US ,Mexico and Canada that their isn't much reason to spend the mega money to go further.

There is also the reality of having to deal with being stereotyped as self absorbed and uptight when traveling to other countries.

Also signifigant is that the travel industry is exactly that, an industry and tourist destinations are basically sterilized of real local culture. I imagine this has to do with the cost of travel or the age of travelers.

If you have the time, you are likely between 18 and 26 and all the tourist destinations end up sterilized of local culture and replaced with partying. If you have the money you are likely older and local culture is replaced with all the conveniences of home. In other words it's difficult to go anywhere that hasn't been very much warped by the industry of travel.

I mean a beach is a beach and if I'm going to end up with an industry set up to exploit my desire for a tropical beach wherever I go, why bother spending the money to go far?
 
I think this argument becomes a little confusing when the line between what the young traveler and the traveling family do becomes lost. A young traveler isn't ( I hope ) going to waste his time in a tourist trap. A family on the move is different; children are a lot to handle, especially when you might not know the local tongue. So, a family might want a tourist trap, unfortunately. This, however, goes back to what Heyoka just said. At that point, why even leave the continent?

This thread should be titled "Why don't PEOPLE travel?" I do not think that the middle class of any nation travels anymore than that of America, if we consider going from Spain to France is like going from Oregon to California.
 
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