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It's expensive, dude! Usually the middle class will go off to Europe once in their lifetime...but if you talk about flying to the other side of the world, that's expensive. I have a few penpals in Southeast Asia. Sometimes I look at visiting them. In one case, to fly to her island in the Philippines, including the hotel stay, was $1400!!! And that's if I wanted to fly uncomfortably, in coach/economy class! 1st class was several thousand dollars. Three days in London is $900 including airfare, if flying coach and staying at a decent hotel.
In the future when I get a better job I'd like to travel. But right now my monthly take-home pay is around $2000 so you can see why I would hesitate to spend $1400. I'm going to spend that going down to San Diego this summer for Gay Pride 2019, and it took a year to save up the money for that.
Lodging in the Philippines is very reasonable compared to a lot of other places. Best to look for a deal on the air fare to keep the costs lower.
It's expensive, dude! Usually the middle class will go off to Europe once in their lifetime...but if you talk about flying to the other side of the world, that's expensive. I have a few penpals in Southeast Asia. Sometimes I look at visiting them. In one case, to fly to her island in the Philippines, including the hotel stay, was $1400!!! And that's if I wanted to fly uncomfortably, in coach/economy class! 1st class was several thousand dollars. Three days in London is $900 including airfare, if flying coach and staying at a decent hotel.
In the future when I get a better job I'd like to travel. But right now my monthly take-home pay is around $2000 so you can see why I would hesitate to spend $1400. I'm going to spend that going down to San Diego this summer for Gay Pride 2019, and it took a year to save up the money for that.
London is among the most expensive cities in Europe. There's no dearth of affordable destinations in Europe.
One cultural difference between the US and Australia is the the majority of Aussies from the cities (most of us) live at home with their parents while completing their first degrees and attend a university in their own city. Thus when they have finished they and their parents are often pretty happy for them to get away and do some travelling.
Secondly we have far more overseas born population who will generally have some ties to other countries. At least half our population were born overseas or have a parent born overseas. So there is a pull to visit and to experience their heritage.
Also, we get four weeks annual live as a norm plus public holidays. As well as Long Service Leave, which is additional leave accrued after working for the one employer for ten years or more. So I retired with perhaps twenty weeks of paid accrued leave, which I could take on half pay thus reducing the tax oayable. This makes long trips possible.
I recently returned from a 6 week adventure travel trip to Laos and Cambodia. I traveled by bus, boat and motorcycle. It was the experience of a lifetime. I was very struck by how few Americans I encountered - practically none! The tourists/travelers were overwhelmingly Euros, Aussies, Kiwis and Canadians. These were not wealthy people, just regular working folks with the curiosity and will to see the world, eat new food and push outside their comfort zone. Americans, it seems, are interested mostly in inclusive resorts and Disneyland.
Why is this? Please don't respond that you've personally been where ever. That may well be. But I'm speaking of the extreme scarcity of Americans getting out and seeing something different and exotic. It's undeniable. What's wrong with us? Fear? Lack of education? Lack of curiosity? Spending money on fancy cars, houses, whatever, and that's it?
Probably because Laos is one the only very few countries where cannibalism is still practiced in some remote regions?
I recently returned from a 6 week adventure travel trip to Laos and Cambodia. I traveled by bus, boat and motorcycle. It was the experience of a lifetime. I was very struck by how few Americans I encountered - practically none! The tourists/travelers were overwhelmingly Euros, Aussies, Kiwis and Canadians. These were not wealthy people, just regular working folks with the curiosity and will to see the world, eat new food and push outside their comfort zone. Americans, it seems, are interested mostly in inclusive resorts and Disneyland.
Why is this? Please don't respond that you've personally been where ever. That may well be. But I'm speaking of the extreme scarcity of Americans getting out and seeing something different and exotic. It's undeniable. What's wrong with us? Fear? Lack of education? Lack of curiosity? Spending money on fancy cars, houses, whatever, and that's it?
Stats suggest that Americans do indeed travel overseas. As to where they go, my guess is:
-they’ll go someplace closer by given the choice (Mexico, Canada, Caribbean, Europe). Cost and time of travel likely dictate this.
-they’ll likely choose someplace where English is a first language (Canada, several Caribbean countries, UK, Ireland).
-they’ll likely choose a country that’s more “first world” (where you can drink the water or sanitation is good, for example).
-the US is large and has lots of great travel destinations of its own, which provides an excellent alternative.
Your examples of Laos and Cambodia don’t have these attributes. And while I’m sure Americans go to these countries, am thinking they’re more likely to choose someplace less “challenging.”
I recently returned from a 6 week adventure travel trip to Laos and Cambodia. I traveled by bus, boat and motorcycle. It was the experience of a lifetime. I was very struck by how few Americans I encountered - practically none! The tourists/travelers were overwhelmingly Euros, Aussies, Kiwis and Canadians. These were not wealthy people, just regular working folks with the curiosity and will to see the world, eat new food and push outside their comfort zone. Americans, it seems, are interested mostly in inclusive resorts and Disneyland.
Why is this? Please don't respond that you've personally been where ever. That may well be. But I'm speaking of the extreme scarcity of Americans getting out and seeing something different and exotic. It's undeniable. What's wrong with us? Fear? Lack of education? Lack of curiosity? Spending money on fancy cars, houses, whatever, and that's it?
1. Not enough time off
2. It's expensive.
3. Some watch Fox News too much and are scared.
4. Some only travel to visit family. Lots of people assume that's all I do.
5. Some need constant entertainment and simulation so places like resorts, Disney, or Vegas are all that appeal to them. I've traveled overseas and get my dreaded question, "What did you go to _________ for?"
Some good reasons and some dumb reasons. The second reason is why I don't go overseas as much as I'd like.
Personally, there is so much in the US that I want to explore before I die.
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