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I know of a lot of young Americans who travel. Going to a place so far away such as New Zealand is very expensive so why bother if you can go to Mexico and Central America for much cheaper. And that is based on where I live in the Mid-Atlantic. a large part of our population lives a short and cheap distance away from those country's. I haven't been traveling in over 2 years but up to that time did extensive traveling to Latin American country's such as Costa Rica. I'm sure it's more now but a plane ticket to CR from S. Florida used to cost $200/250. I have even paid less. In that time it was about 400/450 from MD. I also remember cheap flights from Baltimore to Cancun. Again, if you just want to experience someplace exotic it can be done cheaply to some neighboring country's without a super long and expensive plane ride.
Of course there is the vastness of our own country where one can travel extensively and not leave there country as well. Overall, it's a myth that Americans don't travel or have passports. Many do and enjoy traveling out of this country as well as within.
With a brother who runs a backpackers in the North of New Zealand one thing that stands out is the lack of young Americans traveling.
With fifty million Americans with passports one would expect more of them.
<snip>
So if the USA is a rich country why don't your young travel, fear of the unknown?
Currently $$ is the number one reason and as others here have pointed out they are indeed either still attending University and/or paying off student loan debt. Also, as Gentoo has said, the USA is indeed a rich country but our young people are not so well to do, especially in our current economy. From my experience with my own children, they did not fear anything and they travelled to Europe together at the ages of 13 and 17 and excited about it, not fearful or apprehensive in anyway.
[quote=marlinfshr;30905125] I know of a lot of young Americans who travel. Going to a place so far away such as New Zealand is very expensive so why bother if you can go to Mexico and Central America for much cheaper. <snip> Again, if you just want to experience someplace exotic it can be done cheaply to some neighboring country's without a super long and expensive plane ride.
Of course there is the vastness of our own country where one can travel extensively and not leave there country as well. Overall, it's a myth that Americans don't travel or have passports. Many do and enjoy traveling out of this country as well as within. [/quote]
Americans are definitely traveling more than before. Now some are unable to travel, and others may not be interested. But it certainly cannot be said that young Americans do not travel, especially with the numbers that study abroad.
Also there is a significant number of Americans who are recent to this country and tend to travel to their parents' countries and the surrounding areas.
Guess my question for you OP is...where do you generally travel outside of New Zealand?
With a brother who runs a backpackers in the North of New Zealand one thing that stands out is the lack of young Americans traveling.
With fifty million Americans with passports one would expect more of them.
We get lots of Canadians, Germans, Scandinavians,Israelis, and of course our dearly beloved brothers Australians who make their own rules up when we play them in sport.
In sheer numbers we get more Canadians than young Americans yet there is a lot more Americans
So if the USA is a rich country why don't your young travel, fear of the unknown ?
We have a lot of great things to see in our own country so why waste the money to go all the way to New Zealand?
FEAR is the reason Americans of all ages do not travel overseas. Just look at how many threads in these forums are from travelers whose main concerns are safety and health and miscellaneous other fears, like getting onlline. In fact, it often seems that Fear is the only motivating factor that drives nearly all decisions by Americans.
Look at the US forum. People are afraid to drive their car on the interstate through three states, without a cell phone and a GPS, They won't stay in a hotel unless somebody they trust personally vouches for the safety and cleanliness of the hotel and the neighborhood the hotel is in.
Add to that that Americans have no familiarity with any foreign languages, and quite frankly, don't have any idea where any foreign countries are and wouldn't be able to point out more than two of three countries on a map of the world. And are so poor at simple arithmetic in their heads that it would take them years to figure out how much something costs in another country.
So, the reasons are:
1. Fear of crime
2. Fear of personal attack
3. Fear of illness
4. Fear of strange food
5. Fear of terrorists
6. Fear of foreign languages
7. Fear of foreign money
8. Fear of TSA inspectors
8. Fear of losing their cell phone
10. Fear of dirt
11. Fear of missing the 6 oclock news
12. Fear of missing the funeral if a family member dies at home
13. Fear of bedbugs
14. Fear of water tast9ng funny
15. Fear that there is no non-dairy creamer
16, Fear that they have forgotten something
17. Fear of tsunami
18. Fear of sharks
19. Fear of spiders
20. Fear they can't Tweet
Should I go on?
Fear of embarrassment
Fear of getting lost
5, Fear of foreign people
FEAR is the reason Americans of all ages do not travel overseas. Just look at how many threads in these forums are from travelers whose main concerns are safety and health and miscellaneous other fears, like getting onlline. In fact, it often seems that Fear is the only motivating factor that drives nearly all decisions by Americans.
Look at the US forum. People are afraid to drive their car on the interstate through three states, without a cell phone and a GPS, They won't stay in a hotel unless somebody they trust personally vouches for the safety and cleanliness of the hotel and the neighborhood the hotel is in.
Add to that that Americans have no familiarity with any foreign languages, and quite frankly, don't have any idea where any foreign countries are and wouldn't be able to point out more than two of three countries on a map of the world. And are so poor at simple arithmetic in their heads that it would take them years to figure out how much something costs in another country.
So, the reasons are:
1. Fear of crime
2. Fear of personal attack
3. Fear of illness
4. Fear of strange food
5. Fear of terrorists
6. Fear of foreign languages
7. Fear of foreign money
8. Fear of TSA inspectors
8. Fear of losing their cell phone
10. Fear of dirt
11. Fear of missing the 6 oclock news
12. Fear of missing the funeral if a family member dies at home
13. Fear of bedbugs
14. Fear of water tast9ng funny
15. Fear that there is no non-dairy creamer
16, Fear that they have forgotten something
17. Fear of tsunami
18. Fear of sharks
19. Fear of spiders
20. Fear they can't Tweet
Should I go on?
Fear of embarrassment
Fear of getting lost
5, Fear of foreign people
That sounds like generational Americans more than anything. Around 1 in 5 Americans is born abroad or the first generation born in the U.S. Plenty, if not the majority, travel...
FEAR In fact, it often seems that Fear is the only motivating factor that drives nearly all decisions by Americans.
That right there pretty much sums it all up.
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