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.
Only about 1/3 of Americans hold a passport, so that's a pretty good indication that about 2/3's of Americans have never traveled outside the country.
Is that 1/3 of Americans, people who currently hold a valid passport, or who have ever had a valid passport?
I know quite a few people--myself and my husband included--whose passports are long expired. We just haven't had the chance to travel outside the US for more than 10 years. We certainly have traveled in the past; I had been to Guatemala, Japan, France, Spain and Germany before I was 18 years old; my husband went to Brazil twice. We also went to Canada twice before passports were required.
Our passports are now expired, but it would be quite unfair to put us in the category of "doesn't have a passport; has never left the USA." I actually know quite a few other people--family members, friends--who are in the same situation.
Again, I understand that all of these are legitimate reasons and not just for Americans. However, people can say that this is why they don't travel abroad. Why do they have to say that there's no need to go anywhere since you can find everything you want in the U.S.?
Need vs want. There really is no 'need' as most people can find plenty of new things to experience for years, right here in their own country. And if they know that is all they will ever be able to do because of time or money constraints there is no point in wanting or wishing for what they can't have.
OTOH if you told the typical family of 4 that they could vacation on the Riveria for the same amount of money, time and hassle that they could vacation in Destin I bet they would 'want' to do it in a heartbeat.
My question was really directed at what I perceive to be a common view that travel abroad is somehow better than spending your time here in America. I find that bias to be inherent in the original question you posed. Many Americans only visit a small portion of their own country over the course of their lives, and that to me is more remarkable.
Dave
At no time did I imply that travelling abroad is better than travelling within the U.S. Every country offers different experiences. I don't know if the following analogy is relevant. Let's say I live in Vermont and I am an avid skier (btw, I don't ski). Yes, there are ski resorts in my state. However, many skiers like to go to other resorts because the experience is different, e.g. terrain. I can go to Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming or California, or across the border to B.C. (Whistler is one of the most popular skiing areas in the world) or Austria. Well, someone from Vermont might say: "Why would you spend time and money flying across the country to ski when there's a ski resort 30 minutes from your house?" Again, me going to the Rockies doesn't mean that I don't like skiing in Vermont. I guess you can say the same about mountain climbing, scuba diving, sailing, etc.
BTW your airport theory is great and you should try it then post your experience.
I've always lived within about 1.5 hrs. drive to an international airport. So yes, perhaps I'm not the best person to comment on this. But even if you live within the same driving distance from a regional airport, from which it can take you about an hour to fly to a major hub like ATL, O'Hare or LAX, and from there connect to a direct flight abroad, it's not that time-consuming. Again, we're not talking about cost or number of vacation days. To the poster who talked about going to Guam. Well, you're right that it's a hassle to get there unless you live in the Far East.
Last edited by Marissa23; 07-23-2015 at 12:39 PM..
Reason: add info
Before international travel most people usually try to hit up places within their own country first, USA being such a large country there is a lot to see.
Cost, domestic travel is way cheaper.
Isolation, USA is pretty far from Europe and Asia.
Many people do not want to go outside their comfort zone, and there is nothing wrong with that.
And no i do not believe these people are brainwashed because they don't share the same traveling interest as me.
Again, I understand that all of these are legitimate reasons and not just for Americans. However, people can say that this is why they don't travel abroad. Why do they have to say that there's no need to go anywhere since you can find everything you want in the U.S.?
The people who say that to you have different interests than you, everything that interests them can be found with in the USA.
I looked at the nomadic matt link. Wasn't very impressed. It doesn't seem to sink in that if the economy gets worse, fewer and fewer people will be traveling.
Last edited by Tim Randal Walker; 07-23-2015 at 01:14 PM..
Is that 1/3 of Americans, people who currently hold a valid passport, or who have ever had a valid passport?
I know quite a few people--myself and my husband included--whose passports are long expired. We just haven't had the chance to travel outside the US for more than 10 years. We certainly have traveled in the past; I had been to Guatemala, Japan, France, Spain and Germany before I was 18 years old; my husband went to Brazil twice. We also went to Canada twice before passports were required.
Our passports are now expired, but it would be quite unfair to put us in the category of "doesn't have a passport; has never left the USA." I actually know quite a few other people--family members, friends--who are in the same situation.
I realize that statistic isn't perfect. There is also the other factor mentioned that there was a time when you didn't need a passport to visit certain nearby countries. However, I think it gives a good sense of what the likely reality is. If you can find better data, feel free to let us know.
At no time did I imply that travelling abroad is better than travelling within the U.S.
I wasn't only reacting to your first post, but more to a general view that I think is prevalent in some gourps that Americans should travel abroad more than they do, and that they are somehow less well off by not traveling abroad.
That said, I do sense an implication in your post that you agree with that perspective. You do go on and on singing the praises of Europeans who apparently have all visited numerous countries across multiple continents.
Dave
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.
