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Good point especially because there are now posts here that have proved this assumption to be incorrect. I think the OP is doing what many people like to do on public websites; post stereotypical statements without ever checking out the validity of those statements. Sometimes they do it just to provoke, sometimes they do it just to observe what the replies will be, sometimes they just have nothing better to do and can't think of anything else intelligent to ask.
In every case though, the result they are certain to gain is the exposure of their own ignorance about the subject.
Agreed. And I have found that threads entitled "Why do/don't" are generally biased from the get-go.
1) America is a diverse country within itself geographically and culturally. Im a Northerner with zero interest in conservative states, but its still interesting to visit and see the differences.
2) Student loan debt. Most young people come out of college saddled with 25-30k of loan debt on average, which is much more than any average European youth. Youre not going to be traveling unless you studied abroad.
3) Weak American dollar.
4) Not nearly as much vacation time as our European counterparts. Two weeks vs six weeks? Come on.
I have my passport and know a ton of people who have lived/traveled overseas. I have severe wanderlust, but cant get overseas any time soon because of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. In fact, I can leave for Korea tomorrow if I wanted to because my brother is teaching English out there (I almost did) and I have a free place to stay, but once again, $$$$$$$$$$$$$ issues.
Ive had my passport for four years now with only trips to Canada on it, which ive been doing since I was 5 (from Upstate NY).
It all comes down to money. Americans are saddled with way more debt of all kinds. They simply dont have the time to travel. No time, no money.
The interest is certainly there, but money allows.
Americans should avoid overseas travel simply to minimize their possibilities of encountering someone like the OP of this thread (and I myself have, by the way, traveled overseas)
I traveled to China, Western Europe and South Africa when I was a dependent. Since I moved out of the house, I haven't had the means to go overseas because of $$$ plus when I do get time off from work I use it to visit my family and friends who live in other parts of the country.
I think you have to realise that US is a very large country to see in a lifetime really. Also there is the hangover form two world wars where americans did not want to see europe and much of the world again and that created the summer road trips vacation. It still is a very popular.Then one has to realise that maercans to the bommers often serve and lived in mnay foreign palces i large numbers and still do with our military bases beig so common.The so called ignaorance is a ignorant statement when ou look at trhe influenece in foreign places that has brought on so many american lifestyle spread around the world. I find it funny that euroepan think they have traveled much of the US when they perhaps came one or two timesto one or two regions.
I am a European myself and have travelled widely (too widely, according to my mother) and have been all over the US. Americans on this and other forums say that going from State to State is like going from country to country - let me tell you it isn't.
Let me tell you this - Americans mean that only in the sense of TIME and SPACE. Of course we don't mean that we think that Norway is like France, or whatever. What we mean is that Europeans can drive through five countries in one day in some areas - while it can take all day long for someone to drive across Texas. Some of the states in the US are larger than many European countries. In the same time it takes me to drive through NC, SC, GA, AL and MS, I can drive through the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg and into Germany. So I could say "Wow, I've been to five foreign countries today!"
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Whether I am in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle or Florida, it looks like the US and functions like the US with the same language, currency, food, signs, TV etc etc etc.
True, and that's one of the many things that makes traveling to the various regions of the US pretty user friendly. It's the REGIONS that vary widely. And please don't even try to tell me that you don't find, say, Seattle Washington MUCH different from New Orleans, Louisiana - weather, food, architecture, culture, history, etc. Miama not much different from Boston? Minneapolis not much different from Dallas? Please.
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When Europeans travel from country to country, they see the differences.
And so do Americans. What shows me that your own perceptions are skewered is that apparently YOU don't see the differences between, say, Memphis and Chicago. Americans do, however.
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Albania bares zero resemblance to Norway and Estonia bears zero resemblance to Greece.
Say it ain't so!
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The United States of America are just the same country and everything is the same.
Oh, the humanity...
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Yes, of course, the Grand Canyon is only in Arizona, but there is a larger canyon in Peru. Yes, there are beaches in Florida, but they are ugly compared with those in Thailand.
Most Europeans won't visit Thailand and Peru any more than most Americans would. And hey, guess what - the Rockies and the Appalachian mountain ranges are a lot longer than the Alps. So what?
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Of course, the US is multicultural, but you can't experience foreign cultures there.
You really need to get out more.
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The same goes for Thai, Vietnamese and all other ethnic food.
LOL, apparently you haven't spent much time in Houston!
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Of course, there are Buddhists in the US, but there is no Angkor Watt there. You must go to Cambodia to experience that amazing construction. I have never seen a tut-tuk or songthaew in the US. You can only see those in Asia. There are no ancient pyramids in the US, you must go to Egypt or some Central American countries to see those. I have never seen signs only written in foreign scripts in the US. I have never seen squat toilets in the US. Need I go on forever...
I guess if you want to continue showcasing your odd way of thinking, I guess you can go on. As an American, if I want to go see some squat toilets or a tuk tuk, I guess I'll go to some Third World country to do so...but don't hold your breath. I'm not particularly interested in seeing some things.
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I have never seen a real temple or mosque in the US.
Really? I bet the people who attend religious services in the "fake" temples or mosques in the US would be surprised to hear that their houses of worship aren't "real."
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We all know in our hearts why Americans don't travel and it is simply confirmed by US respondents on this and other forums, plus thsoe you meet in the USA.
Also, as others have pointed out - we live in the fourth largest country in the world. We have a lot of exploring to do on our own turf - and it's a lot less expensive to do so. Here's where I went "exploring" last year:
Ziplining in Tennessee
Beach combing in Virginia
Christmas in the Hill Country of Texas
Exploring the mountains and folk music culture of the Appalachians in North Carolina
Night life/live theater/cuisine of New Orleans
Memphis/Nashville, TN - best BBQ in the world
Oh, and we also went to England.
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Americans believe the US is so big even though it is so miniscule compared with Russia - yet Russians like to travel.
When I was living in China, my Chinese girlfriend and I visited Cambodia together and she was very curious about America. So, she asked the guesthouse owner whether many Americans came to stay at the guesthouse to which he replied "no". Then he started to name the main nationalities who did stay there : Europeans, Australians, New Zealanders, Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese, Chinese, Thai, Malaysians, Singaporeans etc. Even when I work with American colleagues outside the US (it was in China), they didn't go travelling during vacation times even though we got about 10 weeks a year in our jobs. I couldn't really see the point of them going all that way to see nothing. Canadians were nearly as bad. British, Irish, Australian, New Zealand, Siangaporean, Malaysian, Indian and Philippino colleagues always went away somewhere.
Personal anecdotes are interesting, but they really prove nothing.
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Are you US respondents saying Australia and India are not large countries?
Ummm, no. Did anyone say that?
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Even the news on US television carries no international news. I went to the US once at the same time as a large earthquake had occurred in Haiti, I knew nothjing about it until somebody mentioned "that earthquake" to me on the bus back from the airport to home. I felt such a fool knowing nothing about it since it was like the number one news story around the world.
Errrrr, maybe you didn't catch this story because you were ON VACATION. It was all over the news here.
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So, due to this, Americans know nothing or next to nothing about the outside world. The news they do get only covers wars in which Americans are players like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pulease. Do you realize how closed minded and full of stereotypes your post sounds?
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A respondent here says "half the world is in turmoil". This is the typical American perverted view of the world. 99% of the world is at peace with itself and the outside world. In my travels, I have never been in a war zone or any unrest. The most dangerous place I ever went to was the USA.
War zones or areas of unrest aren't typically popular tourist destinations. However, my husband, who has traveled all over the world, has been to MANY war zones and areas of unrest - Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Gabon, El Salvador, Venezuela in 2002, and he was in Saudi Arabia on 9/11. These are just a few of the unstable areas of unrest he's been to over the past thirty years. He's had to sleep under Kevlar blankets. He's been pulled over by paramilitary personnel in the jungle at 2 am. He's had to pay off airport and security personnel just to leave countries several times.
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I always view Americans as a people living on a small island in the middle of an enormous ocean since they are so very parochial.
Well, aren't you special. This American doesn't "always view" ANY population of people or any nationality in any sort of narrow way.
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Their disinterest in overseas travel has nothing to do with cost or lack of vacation.
Uhhhh, yes it does. Most Americans don't have much more than 2 weeks of paid vacation a year. Our paid holidays vary widely - many of us only get 6 - 10 paid holidays off, and those often fall in the middle of a work week, or at the most give us a 3 day weekend. That's enough time to shoot off down to Panama City but it doesn't give us enough time tour Europe or Asia or Africa very often.
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The problem is the Americans' own way of thinking and their brainwashing by American government propaganda about the outside world that enstills this fear in them of leaving their comfort zone.
I think I know who's been listening to propaganda.
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All Americans are brought up to believe that China is an authoritarian country where rules are strictly enforced and you must watch out. In fact, China is a lawless society where anything goes and no laws are observed. However, it is safe. Nobody will shoot you, not like in America.
However, the street food and water may just about kill you.
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The only thing I can say is : You don't know what you're missing. I will continue to enjoy the wonders of the world. You can see the same thing forever if you like. It is up to you. You only live once. You should make the most of it, in my opinion.
You should quit stereotyping and preaching at people you don't understand, in my opinion.
By the way, this American has traveled all over Europe and to many parts of Asia. My husband, another American, has been to at least 35 countries.
Americans do travel overseas. But one thing that may sway the choice to domestic travel is we're a highly mobile society. Our friends and family disperse to create lives in other parts of the country, generally not overseas! So time and budget restrictions being equal, what do I usually decide? To go abroad and make cultural observations that I might think are penetrating but are likely superficial--just being honest with myself--or to reconnect with people I really care about knowing the visit will be deep and lasting?
they dont travel bek they read the news, the world is a less safe place to be. even those who do travel, are far more cautious now than 40 years ago.
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Since I moved out of the house, I haven't had the means to go overseas because of $$$ plus when I do get time off from work I use it to visit my family and friends who live in other parts of the country.
