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I am Assuming they are jealous that a couple of foreigners are talking how cheap it is to travel in the US compared to their home country since they buy into the notion that since the US is the richest country in the world by GDP, then it should be expensive for foreigners or at least moderate....not cheap like a third world country.
Likewise, most Americans think travelling abroad is for the rich and privileged, and when I (American) told them all the international places I have been, they gave me a similar reaction!
Europe has gotten pretty cheap at the moment with the euro being this low so now might be a good time to visit. The US has gotten expensive for us on the other hand. Besides money, I think one of the biggest problems for Americans is that they only have 10 days per year off from work so there hardly is any opportunity to travel abroad. Indeed, travelling abroad seems for the rich and privileged who don't have to ask for time off from their employers. Europeans have up to 6-8 weeks off per year so there is plenty of opportunity to travel abroad. I never saw many American travellers here in Europe while there are plenty of Europeans visiting the US. If any, they were mostly either students studying here or elderly retired tourists.
I am Assuming they are jealous that a couple of foreigners are talking how cheap it is to travel in the US compared to their home country since they buy into the notion that since the US is the richest country in the world by GDP, then it should be expensive for foreigners or at least moderate....not cheap like a third world country.
Likewise, most Americans think travelling abroad is for the rich and privileged, and when I (American) told them all the international places I have been, they gave me a similar reaction!
Now, I just say very little as possible and with the way I dress, they assume I am a European/Asian tourist and do not say anything to me LOL!
I hate to break it to you, but I doubt very seriously that most Americans assume you're a European or Asian tourist.
But it's not surprising to me that you think they do, since you also assume that travel to the US for Europeans is as cheap as traveling to a third world country, and that Americans are automatically jealous of European travelers when they come here on vacation.
I'm an American who has traveled internationally extensively and when I talk about the interesting places I've been, I usually find that my American friends and acquaintances have been to many of those same places themselves. In fact, just the other day, my husband and I had lunch at a very busy local deli and ended up sharing a table with another couple (you know, like they do so often in Europe) and come to find out, they are on their way to London in a few weeks and so we exchanged email addresses so I could send them some info about the hotel we liked so much in Westminster.
Europeans have up to 6-8 weeks off per year so there is plenty of opportunity to travel abroad. I never saw many American travellers here in Europe while there are plenty of Europeans visiting the US. If any, they were mostly either students studying here or elderly retired tourists.
I actually see American tourists everywhere, from Western Europe to East Asia, and no, they are not all students or retirees.
I hate to break it to you, but I doubt very seriously that most Americans assume you're a European or Asian tourist.
But it's not surprising to me that you think they do, since you also assume that travel to the US for Europeans is as cheap as traveling to a third world country, and that Americans are automatically jealous of European travelers when they come here on vacation.
I'm an American who has traveled internationally extensively and when I talk about the interesting places I've been, I usually find that my American friends and acquaintances have been to many of those same places themselves. In fact, just the other day, my husband and I had lunch at a very busy local deli and ended up sharing a table with another couple (you know, like they do so often in Europe) and come to find out, they are on their way to London in a few weeks and so we exchanged email addresses so I could send them some info about the hotel we liked so much in Westminster.
This has more to do with the people you hang out with, since the majority of Americans don't have passports.
It's the same for me. The people I know are very well travelled ( even my American friends ). I guess people with similar interests attract one another?
Passports though don't tell the whole story. It's so much easier for a European to consider themselves " well travelled " when you can travel easily to many countries within the EU.
I hate to break it to you, but I doubt very seriously that most Americans assume you're a European or Asian tourist.
But it's not surprising to me that you think they do, since you also assume that travel to the US for Europeans is as cheap as traveling to a third world country, and that Americans are automatically jealous of European travelers when they come here on vacation.
I'm an American who has traveled internationally extensively and when I talk about the interesting places I've been, I usually find that my American friends and acquaintances have been to many of those same places themselves. In fact, just the other day, my husband and I had lunch at a very busy local deli and ended up sharing a table with another couple (you know, like they do so often in Europe) and come to find out, they are on their way to London in a few weeks and so we exchanged email addresses so I could send them some info about the hotel we liked so much in Westminster.
ROFL no we don't. Maybe that happens in the south, but Europe is very diverse
I think the "weird" is you posting about this years later.
Hehe
Anyway, it is an interesting topic.
I think the culture shock depends on which region meets which region. Someone from Denmark will find Mississippi much more of a culture shock than Iowa. For most on both sides of the Atlantic I think there is no cultures shock at all, though. We are still relatively similar compared to the rest of the world. China, Nigeria, India, etc., those are places where both Americans and Europeans experience a culture shock, and the same one at that.
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