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I think it's because Americans often show up in numbers due to the popularity of group travel/cruises among Americans going overseas. People are more likely to notice/be bothered by a large group of outsiders that is let loose on a location at the same time. Comparisons may range from an invading army to a plague of locusts. It also makes it more likely that out of the dozens or even hundreds of tourists there's a couple of misbehaving people and, whether it's fair or not, that's where 'guilt by association' comes into play.
That's not necessarily a nationality thing either, locals here in the D.C. area also sometimes complain about the at times overwhelming presence of tour groups (almost always American in origin) in the summer especially. If you sit in a quiet restaurant and suddenly 40 middle schoolers emerge, well yeah it's probably not going to enhance your experience.
I'd hope that mature people anywhere can separate an individual American
from the violence perpetrated by the US government. If there was any country in the world
that has reason to resent Americans, it would be Vietnam. And yet when I read accounts
of American tourists who've gone there, they say they were made welcome.
The Vietnamese distinguished between everyday people and the deeds of rulers.
This is so true.
Whenever I see someone posting about how hated Americans are abroad I know immediately they don't actually travel much.
I think American psyches are imprinted with the idea that foreign travel is an expensive luxury done as a life-time dream event. And for most, it is. A plane ticket US to Europe has typically been $500-1,000'' At the same time, Europeans could visit exotic and culturally different countries for ten bucks on the train.
Also, most Americans limited their exotic travel to Mexico which had a terrible travel reputation. Travel abroad had sickness or crime as the consequence. After retirement, my parents went to almost every state, but wouldn't have dreamed of spending a minute in Mexico. Why would they think France or Germany would be any different from Mexico?
As for anti-American sentiment, I've never seen it -- not once I can recall. Now if asked where I'm from, I laugh and say "America, Texas". The usual response is a huge smile and a finger pantomime of six-shooters and big hats. They love cowboy films. Best place in the world to be from, Texas.
I accrue 3 weeks of vacation each year, but mostly use it to give myself 4-day weekends
Quote:
Originally Posted by arr430
I think American psyches are imprinted with the idea that foreign travel is an expensive luxury done as a life-time dream event. And for most, it is. A plane ticket US to Europe has typically been $500-1,000''
Aside from the strictly monetary cost, it's a real luxury for most Americans to be able to step away from work for much longer than a week. While the fully-employed get a free guilt trip with every extended stretch away from work, the self-employed don't have the luxury of "paid vacation".
With limited sequential vacation time, who wants to burn a day at each end of your trip just getting off our continent and across an ocean?
Quote:
Originally Posted by arr430
At the same time, Europeans could visit exotic and culturally different countries for ten bucks on the train.
I used to be able to "visit exotic and culturally different" states (and Canada!) for about ten bucks of gasoline.
I think American psyches are imprinted with the idea that foreign travel is an expensive luxury done as a life-time dream event. And for most, it is. A plane ticket US to Europe has typically been $500-1,000'' At the same time, Europeans could visit exotic and culturally different countries for ten bucks on the train.
.
Those plane tickets are what a credit card that earns frequent flyer miles is for.
And outside of London, which is a hard travel nut to crack, hotel prices in so much of Europe can be significantly cheaper than in the US for what I’d call a mid-level sort of property. We had a lovely time at a hotel in the Bernese Oberland in the Swiss Alps in 2019, one of the most beautiful places in the world, for less than 200 CHF/USD with buffet breakfast included in the rate. Something comparable in Yosemite or Springdale/Zion can run way more than that without the included breakfast.
And outside of London, which is a hard travel nut to crack, hotel prices in so much of Europe can be significantly cheaper than in the US for what I’d call a mid-level sort of property. We had a lovely time at a hotel in the Bernese Oberland in the Swiss Alps in 2019, one of the most beautiful places in the world, for less than 200 CHF/USD with buffet breakfast included in the rate. Something comparable in Yosemite or Springdale/Zion can run way more than that without the included breakfast.
I suspect hotel prices in Swiss cities like Zurich and Geneva are on average relatively high compared to most US cities.
Others that come to mind are cities like Paris, Reykjavik, and Edinburgh. Dublin can be pretty pricey too.
Those plane tickets are what a credit card that earns frequent flyer miles is for.
And outside of London, which is a hard travel nut to crack, hotel prices in so much of Europe can be significantly cheaper than in the US for what I’d call a mid-level sort of property. We had a lovely time at a hotel in the Bernese Oberland in the Swiss Alps in 2019, one of the most beautiful places in the world, for less than 200 CHF/USD with buffet breakfast included in the rate. Something comparable in Yosemite or Springdale/Zion can run way more than that without the included breakfast.
There are a variety of factors that go into going abroad. I disagree with the person complaining that Mexico is terrible. The last trip I took there was wonderful and I did some driving around there.
I think the main limitations are plane tickets- for a family of 4, $1k per plane ticket can easily make up more than a person’s travel budget for the year, and the fact that you usually need a full day to get to/from these destinations unless you live at a major hub. With people getting only two weeks off per year, it doesn’t make spending 2 of those days in a plane very appealing. For a place like Zion, you fly to Vegas- which usually has a lot of cheap/direct flights, rent a car, and are still going to be way ahead of where you would be flying to Europe. I recently went to Zion and stayed at a glampground on the other side of Zion that was huge and reasonably priced with cabins and other sort of glamping facilities that held 5 people and had included breakfast. Going abroad, it’s difficult (if not impossible) to find rooms that will hold 5 people comfortably. Our room sizes are typically bigger. In Europe, rooms typically hold 2 people, while in the US you can get 5 in with a rollaway.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roodd279
Good luck getting a USA - to - Euro ticket for $1000 right now. One way, maybe.
Booked r/t flight to Brussels for $625 in Finnair and Iberia from Boston late last week. Doesn't seem to be a problem.
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I accrue 3 weeks of vacation each year, but mostly use it to give myself 4-day weekends
