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Does anyone know where to find the raw stats for passport holders and breakdowns of which generation of immigrants they are? I'm guessing the percentages for US citizens who are third or more generation immigrants and hold US passports is significantly lower than for first and second gen.
I love to travel (I am a travel agent) and most of our friends do as well. We are not rich, but we are lucky because my husband's job has excellent benefits. They pay all of our medical, dental and vision. He has 2 weeks vacation and 7 PTO day that can be used for vacation. We can go away for 3 weeks and 1 or 2 long weekends because we are healthy and rarely get sick. If I add on to weeks with a holiday, I could eek even more time out (he gets 10 paid holidays.) Because of his schedule, he gets out early (4pm) several days a week and goes in late 11am one day a week. We schedule doctor or dentist visits on those days. Next year he will have 3 weeks vacation + 7 PTO days. After 9 years he will get another week (4 weeks + 7 PTO days.) When they get to 3+ weeks vacation at his job, they are required to take 2 of those weeks together! They manage well and schedule well so he rarely has to work over 40 hours. I work for myself so I can take any time as long as I am not busy with a group or something. It pays for me to travel a lot. We moved from a place we loved (FL) because of the benefits at this job.
Travel is a priority for us. I think it is very important to see different places and cultures. I would much rather spend money on experiences than things. We have an old car and do not spend a ton on clothing or electronics. When I got into selling travel, I was shocked at how many people came into our office that had never even been on a plane. Many people have never been to Boston, NYC or Canada and we are 1/2 an HOUR drive from Boston!!! 4 hours to NYC and 4-5 to Canada. My parents hate to travel-I do not get it.
When we Americans watch movies like Hostel and Taken where Americans are kidnapped and sold, it kind of sticks in some peoples mind that the rest of the world is really like that when we know that it more than likely isn't.
Most Americans don't travel overseas because it costs too much. For many, it is saved as a once in a lifetime retirement trip.
I'm lucky that I went when I was young. I also saved and went to England a few times years later but I stayed with relatives or split the cost with other people. I want to go back but it's almost impossible to save up that amount of money now and the exchange rate is negative.
Why are we still responding to this? The OP has only one post - this one, and there has been no comment since. I don't feel the need for any kind of explanation.....what was/is the point?
Why don't Americans travel overseas? Because most can't afford to travel overseas and/or get enough paid time off of work to make it worth their while.
From March 12-April 27 last year....I was travelling across much of Western Europe and I did not meet much Americans over there.
And when I do see them, it was obvious with their sandals, shorts, and bloated bellies.
But from my other observations: they complain frequently how the lifestyle is different and cannot speak the language. I cannot either but I make an attempt to know some phrases and try to know a bit of the history of the places I have visited and came with an open mind.
And Americans tend to visit very briefly because they rather stay at mid-priced or expensive hotels not knowing much or caring for budget lodgings like hostels and thus make it seem like it is a one time luxury time only and discourages most Americans to even consider travelling abroad.
During the average day, I spent only about 50-60 Euros including hostel lodgings. Though on certain days, I spent well over 200-300 Euros because I did shopping (but the latter is optional).
I am not rich, I had to save my money for months to get there and it was worth every penny.
I got to experience a nearly 2 month vacation away from the bubble suburban life in the States, and meet different people and experience different cultures and rode great high speed railway trains connecting most of Western Europe (I had the Eurail Pass so I got to ride them with only a small reservation fee).
I am saving my money again to go for this summer to experience the Mediterrean beach and possibly visit Portugal, as well!
I'm a German who has been living in the U.S. for the past year and a half, and I've met so many people here who have never been outside of the U.S. I researched the topic a bit, and only about 30% of Americans actually hold a passport. Why are so many Americans not interested in overseas travel? Back in Europe, travel is a big part of the lifestyle and is a very high priority for most. I understand how vast and diverse the U.S. is and that there are a lot of cultural differences from region to region, but it still doesn't have the same effect on personal growth and cultural awareness that travel abroad has. Americans on average are no more or no less well off than the average European, so I don't think it is necessarily a money issue. In fact, quite a few Americans I met who don't travel own quite nice homes and expensive cars. Obviously the U.S. isn't as close to other countries as European countries are, but Aussies, Kiwis, and Canadians are even more isolated yet they tend to travel more.
A lot of Europeans perceive Americans to be culturally ignorant because of their lack of travel and feel that Americans have no interest in learning about anyone but themselves. After living here, I do think Americans in general are a bit more culturally ignorant than Europeans due to a lack of cultural immersion. By this, I don't mean to say that Americans are close-minded, but that they just don't know much about the outside world. I actually find Americans to be extremely open-minded towards foreigners in the U.S. and they tend to ask a lot of questions to learn more about others which is truly wonderful. To be honest, Americans are actually much less xenophobic towards visitors and immigrants than Europeans are. I've noticed this in all parts of the U.S. that I've visited, so clearly Americans do have an interest in learning about foreign cultures which makes it even harder to understand why travel is not a priority.
The Americans I've seen post on this forum tend to be well-traveled individuals, so I'd like hear your opinions on why you think many of your fellow countrymen tend to not be interested in overseas travel.
By the way, I'm not trying to be disrespectful towards Americans in any way. I really like Americans and in many ways they remind me of people back home in Germany. I also really enjoy life in the beautiful Bay Area and have really loved exploring your wonderful country so far.
Everything that rest of the world has is here. Why do you think so many people choose to visit us?
I got to experience a nearly 2 month vacation away from the bubble suburban life in the States, and meet different people and experience different cultures and rode great high speed railway trains connecting most of Western Europe (I had the Eurail Pass so I got to ride them with only a small reservation fee).
I am saving my money again to go for this summer to experience the Mediterrean beach and possibly visit Portugal, as well!
That sounds excellent, but of course many of us don't have two weeks of vacation time, let alone two months.
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My parents hate to travel-I do not get it.
