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When I've traveled over seas an item I see quite often is older American men getting into arguments with tour guides regarding their version of history. The tour guides are giving the version of events from their countries perspective. We don't often come out viewed the same as we view ourselves. I'm kind of surprised more of them don't get arrested or kicked out of the country. I've also seen them many times being verbally abusive to locals and sometimes threatening physical abuse. It's easy to blame the visited country but there were other people on that tour that didn't get detained. Clearly one could visit them safely. But this guy didn't. And we don't know why because they aren't telling us what really happened. It is easy to blame North Korea but an 85 yr old war veteran could have easily brought this on himself. Fact is you can safely visit alot of places but you have to respect their ways and behave yourself as a guest.
mic111....good of you to have the guts to say this...I agree...Americans can
be rude anywhere and I know for a fact from other travelers abroad are not
thought of with a lot of respect.
And if I was a tourist I would think twice about
coming to "cowboy and guns America."
I wouldn't be afraid of the government, but of it's citizens.
They get that a lot from our TV, but the US is a scary place.
Depends on your behavior when in another country. I have found people everywhere to be wonderfully helpful and kind - but then you have to respectful of their country and ways. "American Exceptionalism" is a myth that Americans like to tell themselves exist, in order to not feel so bad when they are found so ignorant of the world.
mic111....good of you to have the guts to say this...I agree...Americans can
be rude anywhere and I know for a fact from other travelers abroad are not
thought of with a lot of respect.
And if I was a tourist I would think twice about
coming to "cowboy and guns America."
I wouldn't be afraid of the government, but of it's citizens.
They get that a lot from our TV, but the US is a scary place.
Guts? On the contrary, you are giving in to stereotypes and misperceptions. We were voted worlds worst tourists in one poll (among many) done last year, but when you look at the fine print 4,000 or 5,000 voters were...yup, Americans. American's have a terrible self-perception.
Better polls of hotelers and tourist representatives worldwide showed more accurate results. The poll below shows French as the worst traveler, followed by Indians and Chinese. The US was actually ranked 11th in best tourist. Suprisingly, the US ranked #1 in at least attempting foreign language skills, and also tops in tipping and spending.
I travel a lot, and I don't see a lot of American's misbehaving compared to other nationalities. I would personally say eastern Europeans are the worst - cheap, often drunk, badly dressed, etc. But that is only my opinion. Misbehavior is certainly not limited to one nationality.
In spite of your perceived fear, the US is the #1 top travel destination for tourists by far. Stop being so down on your own country. Ironically I would attribute that thinking from you and the other guy to isolation and LACK of travel. Get out more.
Yes, misbehavior comes from anyone, anywhere, anytime.
It took guts for that post because he probably knew there would be those
that disagreed with him, strongly.
I seriously doubt that. Neither myself or any of my friends have ever expressed a desire to "visit" Iraq or Afghanistan.
I'd never seen an Afghan before Afghanistan and quite frankly don't care if I ever see one again.
Why this man wanted to go back there is a mystery. I can understand Germany, Japan or Italy but North Korea?
My dad was in Iraq in 06-07 and doesn't want to go back either. But: different conflicts, different generations, totally different wars against totally different forces. Of course, plenty of WW2 and Korean vets had no desire to ever go back, whether it was Korea or Japan or France or Germany; this vet abducted in NK obviously was not one of those guys.
While no one knows the precise number of returning vets, most experts put the figure in the tens of thousands. Vietnam Battlefield Tours, just one of dozens of groups that organize trips for former soldiers, estimates it has taken more than 1,000 veterans to the country since the group's founding in 2005. The Vietnamese government says that in recent years more than 400,000 Americans – many of them former military – have visited the country annually.
...
American veterans have a long tradition of making pilgrimages to their old battlefields. The journeys serve to memorialize the war and to honor those that lost their lives in battle. Vietnam veterans return to the Southeast Asian country for these reasons, too, but also because they have a need to make sense of a war that remains controversial.
My dad was in Iraq in 06-07 and doesn't want to go back either. But: different conflicts, different generations, totally different wars against totally different forces. Of course, plenty of WW2 and Korean vets had no desire to ever go back, whether it was Korea or Japan or France or Germany; this vet abducted in NK obviously was not one of those guys.
Some one needs to tell that dude there is a free South Korea which is very easy to visit (which my father, likewise a Korean War veteran, visited) and which many battles were fought over. Heck he can go up to the DMZ if he wants and stare across the border.
I just don't get it, it's nothing like going to democratic Germany or Japan, or even the now much more open Vietnam (heck, cruise ships go there now, they love tourist dollars). Even if you can go through the red tape to get the visa to N. Korea, you can only go to the limited places that the government allows you to see. You are controlled during every moment of your trip, and you can't take a crap without the government knowing about it. I can't imagine it's a good or enlightening travel experience at all. Then there is that little government abduction thing to worry about....
I wouldn't go to China if you paid me. Although I do know Americans who have taught English there, one cannot convince me that it is safe for Americans to travel to. That and I don't like Chinese food.
Are you serious? China, at least in the east and the south, is a modern country. You would be as safe there as anywhere else. It can be hard to get around if you are not with someone who can speak or read Chinese, but other than that it is fine. I've been there several times. Biggest safety issue is traffic. Roads are crowded and people drive like maniacs with little regard to traffic laws. Other than that you will be fine. I would be more hesitant to travel to the western part of the country, but the urbanized areas are fine.
How stupid to travel any long distance at age 85 with a bad heart also with enough meds just to last for the tour .
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