Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This is a dumb thread.
What percentage of europeans (who live REALLY effin' close to MANY different countries) have been to the U.S.?
It's super easy to be 'international' when your country is five miles wide and sitting right next to ten other countries.
Gimme a break.
(p.s. In case anyone thinks I am posting this because I am not a traveler, I had been to over 20 different countries (asian, european, and north america) before I was 10 years old. Sure was easy when I lived SMACK DAB in the middle of them!)
That's great if you live in one of those cities, but the fact is, most of us do not. We still have to get there and that's not always cheap or easy. Even though I live in a city with a major airport, I still have to fly to Houston, Dallas or Chicago to leave the country. That adds several hours of travel time in itself. Any so many people have to go a long distance just to get to a place with an airport. It all eats away at your travel time and your money.
Exactly why many of us wouldn't ever live outside a major metro. Having an airport with lots of connections is a HUGE part of it. If you travel a lot, you'll save money by living in a major metro overtime. Other lifestyle things can go down as well. It isn't always living in a big city mean your costs go up, sometimes they go down depending on what you do.
As Ronnie said, that works great if you happen to be a top-level applicant who's got multiple companies vying for them... if you're an average worker who's just trying to get a job in our rebounding but still-not-quite-there-yet economy, demanding three times the vacation offered, you can kiss the job offer goodbye. The next guy or gal who walks through the door will be happy to take one week vacation just to have a job, and chances are good that you would rather take the money to keep your rent or mortgage paid and food on your table, maybe catch up on the debt piled on while unemployed, than look forward to a three-week, pan-Australasian vacation next year!
A lot of jobs I see now don't let you take vacation for the entire first year.
It depends where you are from. New York City, for example, is now one of the most popular destinations for Norwegians.
Most people I know have been to the U.S. Three of my co-workers are going to Florida and New York City this year. I might travel to Louisiana and Florida myself in August.
Traveling overseas is not cheap. I guess a family of four spends at least $10,000 on a three-week trip.
This is the main reason why I vowed to never work a regular job again. I may have made more money before with more security, but I can travel when I want now and have more time, which is far more important to me than money. I don't own a television or have cable, I have a prepaid cell phone, I have a relatively crap 90s model car I bought for under 2000 bucks in cash, and it gets about 40mpg, while most people need to drop 25k on a prius to think they are "saving" and I don't have much space in my place, all my furniture was either free or cheap off craigslist, I get my haircuts by students for cheap, and many other *frugal* things. People always ask *how do you travel and afford it so much*... well there is your answer, I don't live like you. I'm also an atheist, which seems taboo in much of America still, while in Europe it's much more acceptable. I only mention this, as I think this stance would make people want to live life and explore the world more, instead of waiting around for some after life.
I am a stringer journalist and occasionally handle web design as well. I have other aspirations, but they aren't the *career* type jobs most americans covet.
And what if you get sick? Oh wait, we don't have national health insurance in this country either...
So, yeah, no time off, no money, and that famous American insularity. Plus geography does play a role--we're stuck between 2 oceans after all.
The country is rich. The average people, not so much. They've got everyone brainwashed into confusing Swedish-style socialism with Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany. Heck, they tried to finally get national health care and look what happened.
This is the main reason why I vowed to never work a regular job again. I may have made more money before with more security, but I can travel when I want now and have more time, which is far more important to me than money. I don't own a television or have cable, I have a prepaid cell phone, I have a relatively crap 90s model car I bought for under 2000 bucks in cash, and it gets about 40mpg, while most people need to drop 25k on a prius to think they are "saving" and I don't have much space in my place, all my furniture was either free or cheap off craigslist, I get my haircuts by students for cheap, and many other *frugal* things. People always ask *how do you travel and afford it so much*... well there is your answer, I don't live like you. I'm also an atheist, which seems taboo in much of America still, while in Europe it's much more acceptable. I only mention this, as I think this stance would make people want to live life and explore the world more, instead of waiting around for some after life.
I am a stringer journalist and occasionally handle web design as well. I have other aspirations, but they aren't the *career* type jobs most americans covet.
And what if you get sick? Oh wait, we don't have national health insurance in this country either...
So, yeah, no time off, no money, and that famous American insularity. Plus geography does play a role--we're stuck between 2 oceans after all.
The country is rich. The average people, not so much. They've got everyone brainwashed into confusing Swedish-style socialism with Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany. Heck, they tried to finally get national health care and look what happened.
The tie in for health insurance to jobs is also pretty horrible, I agree. Most people can't do what I do, it takes sacrifice like not having a family and living below my means so... I am willing to give it all up though as I like travel that much.
1. It's expensive - What other people forget is that Americans have to worry about stuff expensive health insurance, car insurance, and all kinds of stuff that people in countries that have more socially democratic countries don't have to worry about.
For a family in America, somebody getting sick immediately can take you out of 20,000 - 50,000 dollars even if you have insurance, so you constantly have to worry about money, even if you're currently healthy, because if you don't, you'll lose your house, car, job, and everything you worked for VERY easily, so traveling almost seems like something that is for "rich" people and for people without responsibilities like kids and working class jobs.
2. We get far less vacation than everyone else - It's funny to hear certain politicians make us working class joes out to just be "lazy", because it seems that we work harder than any country that isn't a 3rd world crap hole, in terms of hours. And we get anywhere from a week to a month off every year.
3. America has everything already - We have arctic climates, deserts, tropical climates, Las Vegas, New York City, Hollywood, South Beach, Chicago, every sport known to man (except soccer), movie stars, famous athletes, etc. . . Hell, you could probably find elements of all of those things in California alone.
4. Americans are insecure - Our politicians and corporations have created a people who are literally scared to leave out of our front door. Our news is all about violence, death, and threats from everywhere. We're afraid of the inner-city, we're afraid of terrorism, we're afraid of European socialism, we're afraid of Mexicans, and we're afraid that the rest of the world is plotting against us because that's what Fox News and the corporate news papers tell us.
A lot of Americans do indeed think the rest of the world hates us. This is the fault of the left and right in this country. The right tells us that they hate us because we're soooo free and soooo lucky to live in a country run by large conglomerates and military defense contractors, and the left tells us that they world hates us because we're sooo fat and terrible and we don't read enough and we're religious and we only speak one language (most of us) and we don't like soccer.
That above all else I believe keeps Americans from traveling. That insecurity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alberta_Man
I see people saying Americans don't get much vacation time.
You can't depend on the government to force your employer to give you more vacation time. You have to take things into your own hands. Next time you're negotiating terms for a new job, insist your employer gives you at least 3 weeks per year, and that you can take more than 1 week at a time.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Good luck with that guy.
In a world where we make 1/2 what our fathers did to work the same job with worst hours and less benefits and way less vacation time. And then there's 100 guys there to take our jobs for even less.
Exactly why many of us wouldn't ever live outside a major metro. Having an airport with lots of connections is a HUGE part of it. If you travel a lot, you'll save money by living in a major metro overtime. Other lifestyle things can go down as well. It isn't always living in a big city mean your costs go up, sometimes they go down depending on what you do.
Some people care about living AWAY from a major metro more than we care about flying overseas.
There are places in the world I would love to see. Like it or not, money and time are real issues. I get 3 weeks vacation a year, which is more than I have ever received at any of my other jobs. I wouldn't take 2 or 3 weeks at a time. I am someone who needs to get away periodically so working nonstop all year just to have a 3 week chunk off doesn't work for me. All of my family and friends are 500+ miles away. I'd rather spend my time off visiting them and/or places I haven't seen in the US, and there are many.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
