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Pretty much cost and financial pragmatism/personal situation for me -- I do honestly wonder how many young people my age have the time and money to go so many places.
I actually would really like to see the Old World and have long been interested in many things that I could only see there and not in North America, such as ancient history etc.
I'm Canadian and most 20 to 30 year-olds I know among former classmates/friends/colleagues have been to Europe or else overseas (so much that it's like a rite of passage) and before, when I kept in touch online, got flooded with travel photos every day from them -- it's actually only a small minority that haven't, and I feel kind of odd. I don't know how many of them do it, presumably since I know a lot of them don't come out of university/college or school earning a lot? They take loans or have parental support I guess and options that aren't open to me.
When I do ever get to afford to travel though, I know I'll be not the kind that just goes around and takes pics to show off to people, or check things off lists.
Last edited by Stumbler.; 03-07-2012 at 11:11 AM..
You live in Bellingham, WA and you've never been to Canada? You could practically walk there from Bellingham.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lamplight
No passport currently, though I do plan to get one and when I do I'll definitely visit Vancouver.
I can't remember when it was exactly when the passport was a requirement but you didn't need one several years back I think (kind of took it for granted then).
I can almost remember the days when Canada-US border travel was so easy more than a decade ago in the 90s (it was like they only asked you a couple of questions or so and you'd be off in a minute) but that was of course before when 9-11 happened, when I was a young teen.
That's actually been the case with every full-time job I've ever had: no vacation time for the first year. After the first year, you'd get five days of vacation. After two years, ten days, then you didn't get 15 days until you'd been there five years or more. At my last job, you weren't offered 15 days of vacation until you'd been there for ten years, and the business hadn't even been around that long, so no one had that much vacation time. Granted, the owner took week-long vacations multiple times throughout the year, but everyone else would go for a week and no more. And 99% of the time they'd just go to Florida.
Which just means you live in a well-to-do community in CT where the lawns are always nicely manicured.
Not really "well to do". It's more middle class (for CT) than anything. And I meet people from all over - nearly all of whom have been to [at least] Europe.
I can say with all sincerity that, with the exception of Paris, I have no real desire to see Western or Northern Europe. Not anxious to see Asia, either, but I feel like I might be shunned for admitting that.
1.) ...only about 30% of Americans actually hold a passport.
2.) Back in Europe, travel is a big part of the lifestyle.
1.) 30% is 100 million people. That's not a small number.
2.) America is the land of the road trip. Think about how many Americans travel from their home state to California, Fla. and NYC every year.
A German going to Amsterdam for the weekend is the same thing as someone from Iowa going to Chicago for the weekend.
An Irishman going to a sunny beach in Spain for a winter get-away is the same as someone from Illinois going to Florida.
If you look at it in that light, Americans travel as often as anyone. If not more.
And if you want to talk about different cultures, try going from New Orleans to Boston to L.A. to Miami. They're more different from each other than Berlin is from Amsterdam.
Other than western Europe, it often takes about 24+ solid hours of traveling on planes to get anywhere in the eastern hemisphere. On top of that, one has to cope with 8-12 hours of jet lag, which can often take as many days to recover from. Except for students (who have no money), most Americans simply don't have the opportunity to commit that kind of time to travel, unless it's for work. Most travel in Asia and Africa isn't amenable to "if it's Tuesday it must be Belgium"-type itineraries either -- so one must commit 2-3 weeks minimum to really make a trip overseas worthwhile.
Of course, travel in our hemisphere doesn't have that problem, but violence in Mexico has all but closed off travel to the border regions in that country or trips by car headed south. Americans can travel north (to Canada) easily enough, and travel to Canada IS pretty common.
1.) 30% is 100 million people. That's not a small number.
It is still only 30% though, a low percentage compared to many other countries..
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Originally Posted by Dport7674
A German going to Amsterdam for the weekend is the same thing as someone from Iowa going to Chicago for the weekend.
Not really. The distance might fit, but the experience is totally different because a German going to Amsterdam will be exposed to a different language, culture, architecture.. the only thing an Iowan is going experience when going to Chicago is a long drive and some big city live. Period. Not saying this is a bad thing, but it is definitely not the same thing as going from Munich to Amsterdam.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dport7674
And if you want to talk about different cultures, try going from New Orleans to Boston to L.A. to Miami. They're more different from each other than Berlin is from Amsterdam.
Sure they are. You base that on what exactly? I agree that New Orleans, Boston, L.A., and Miami are different from each other, but so are Madrid, Berlin, Rome, Paris, London, Dublin, Prague, Amsterdam, and Stockholm. Since all of those cities are in different countries with distinct cultures and languages I might be tempted to speculate that they are more different from each other than those American cities.
Sure they are. You base that on what exactly? I agree that New Orleans, Boston, L.A., and Miami are different from each other, but so are Madrid, Berlin, Rome, Paris, London, Dublin, Prague, Amsterdam, and Stockholm. Since all of those cities are in different countries with distinct cultures and languages I might be tempted to speculate that they are more different from each other than those American cities.
I would say that would be a logical conclusion.
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You base that on what exactly? I agree that New Orleans, Boston, L.A., and Miami are different from each other, but so are Madrid, Berlin, Rome, Paris, London, Dublin, Prague, Amsterdam, and Stockholm. Since all of those cities are in different countries with distinct cultures and languages I might be tempted to speculate that they are more different from each other than those American cities.
