Comments on: Why Americans STILL Don’t Travel Overseas http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-americans-still-dont-travel-overseas/ Nomadic Matt's Travel Site Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:31:26 +0000 hourly 1 By: caroline http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-americans-still-dont-travel-overseas/#comment-35580 caroline Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:23:22 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3087#comment-35580 The last point you hit on rings the truest for me. With only two weeks of vacation time a year, I had to make sure I didn't take a single day off for the past year and a half in order to have time for my India trip. This required a lot of advance planning, and in order to feel less guilty about it I planned my trip over the holidays, when flights are most expensive but work is also less busy. I can certainly see why people prefer to take shorter, more frequent vacations to locales that are closer to home. The last point you hit on rings the truest for me. With only two weeks of vacation time a year, I had to make sure I didn’t take a single day off for the past year and a half in order to have time for my India trip. This required a lot of advance planning, and in order to feel less guilty about it I planned my trip over the holidays, when flights are most expensive but work is also less busy. I can certainly see why people prefer to take shorter, more frequent vacations to locales that are closer to home.

]]> By: Ski vacation http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-americans-still-dont-travel-overseas/#comment-32237 Ski vacation Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:18:32 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3087#comment-32237 Take a vacation form your overburdening routine and spend time in the lap of nature. This is really rejuvenating! Plan in such a way that you will not spend too much. Take a vacation form your overburdening routine and spend time in the lap of nature. This is really rejuvenating! Plan in such a way that you will not spend too much.

]]> By: frank reed http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-americans-still-dont-travel-overseas/#comment-31001 frank reed Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:24:13 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3087#comment-31001 Your article was spot on. I would rather run into drunken Brits than an American uber patriot who 5 minutes into the conversation begins to tell me that his country is the best in the world, based on assumptions from about 1970. Your article was spot on.
I would rather run into drunken Brits than an American uber patriot who 5 minutes into the conversation begins to tell me that his country is the best in the world, based on assumptions from about 1970.

]]> By: abprosper http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-americans-still-dont-travel-overseas/#comment-29870 abprosper Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:30:41 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3087#comment-29870 We don't stand up to the man for several reasons #1 Many people think this is the way it should be and would have no idea what to do with a 4 weeks vacation or a year off. In fact we are so work addicted that if people aren't working for any length of time, people in this country get angry enough to be violent. Witness ammunition sales #2 We can and will be easily laid off or replaced and are one paycheck from ruin anyway. The US has some shreds of a social welfare system but is not a Social Democracy #3 The "man" owns our government, all parties, most media and almost all candidates. This makes normal political action useless. Protests are ignored and votes are stolen #4 We have little in common with each other anyway and that makes it hard to agree on anything . Outside the work sphere life and values are so radically different sphere that this might as well be five or six countries. We don’t stand up to the man for several reasons

#1 Many people think this is the way it should be and would have no idea what to do with a 4 weeks vacation or a year off. In fact we are so work addicted that if people aren’t working for any length of time, people in this country get angry enough to be violent. Witness ammunition sales

#2 We can and will be easily laid off or replaced and are one paycheck from ruin anyway. The US has some shreds of a social welfare system but is not a Social Democracy

#3 The “man” owns our government, all parties, most media and almost all candidates. This makes normal political action useless. Protests are ignored and votes are stolen

#4 We have little in common with each other anyway and that makes it hard to agree on anything . Outside the work sphere life and values are so radically different sphere that this might as well be five or six countries.

]]> By: NomadicMatt http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-americans-still-dont-travel-overseas/#comment-28934 NomadicMatt Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:59:34 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3087#comment-28934 Everyone should have a gap year! Everyone should have a gap year!

]]> By: Will http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-americans-still-dont-travel-overseas/#comment-28565 Will Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:47:25 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3087#comment-28565 another small point....In the U.S. there is no such thing as a "gap year" and I think that's tragic....no gap year = no gap year travel. another small point….In the U.S. there is no such thing as a “gap year” and I think that’s tragic….no gap year = no gap year travel.

]]> By: Lucas http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-americans-still-dont-travel-overseas/#comment-28239 Lucas Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:57:29 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3087#comment-28239 I read this post a few weeks ago, and I loved it. I love to travel and have lived all over the place (right now I'm in China). I sent this post to my parents to read, who are conservative Americans that, in my head, fit pretty well into the category of Americans who don't want to leave the country. My dad's never left the country. My mom's a little more open minded and has been around Europe a bit for travel. However, they added one thing to the debate that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet: Some people just don't like to travel! Some people don't like to travel? I told this to another foreigner in the city I'm in, and we both just laughed at the ridiculousness of it. Who doesn't like to travel?? BUT, while I think it is no excuse for cultural ignorance (which America is full of), I think it IS true that some people just like where they are so much that they don't ever want to go anywhere. My brother for example has traveled to several different places. He has been to Europe and he has been to Central America as well as around the US. He now is only 24, but I will be surprised if he ever leaves the West Coast of the US again because he just likes where he is. While I find it hard to accept, I think some people just don't like the shock and uncomfort that comes with moving around the world. AGAIN, this is no excuse for cultural ignorance, so I hope to god these people read a lot and aren't hooked on FOX. But I don't think anyone has really expressed this idea on in these comments... I read this post a few weeks ago, and I loved it. I love to travel and have lived all over the place (right now I’m in China). I sent this post to my parents to read, who are conservative Americans that, in my head, fit pretty well into the category of Americans who don’t want to leave the country. My dad’s never left the country. My mom’s a little more open minded and has been around Europe a bit for travel.

However, they added one thing to the debate that I don’t think anyone has mentioned yet: Some people just don’t like to travel!

Some people don’t like to travel? I told this to another foreigner in the city I’m in, and we both just laughed at the ridiculousness of it. Who doesn’t like to travel?? BUT, while I think it is no excuse for cultural ignorance (which America is full of), I think it IS true that some people just like where they are so much that they don’t ever want to go anywhere. My brother for example has traveled to several different places. He has been to Europe and he has been to Central America as well as around the US. He now is only 24, but I will be surprised if he ever leaves the West Coast of the US again because he just likes where he is.

While I find it hard to accept, I think some people just don’t like the shock and uncomfort that comes with moving around the world. AGAIN, this is no excuse for cultural ignorance, so I hope to god these people read a lot and aren’t hooked on FOX.

But I don’t think anyone has really expressed this idea on in these comments…

]]> By: Charles http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-americans-still-dont-travel-overseas/#comment-27807 Charles Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:18:28 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3087#comment-27807 Uhhhmmmmmm, it's all about cost to me. Have you checked out the currency converter lately? 1 dollar = .66 euro. Conversion rates even poorer once overseas. I've traveled to Europe before and LOVED it - would love to travel again; unfortunately, can't afford at this time. All this blah blah blah about culture differences and fear are nonsense. If the currency rates were closer (pre-2003) then Americans would flood to Europe. Uhhhmmmmmm, it’s all about cost to me. Have you checked out the currency converter lately? 1 dollar = .66 euro. Conversion rates even poorer once overseas. I’ve traveled to Europe before and LOVED it – would love to travel again; unfortunately, can’t afford at this time.

All this blah blah blah about culture differences and fear are nonsense.

If the currency rates were closer (pre-2003) then Americans would flood to Europe.

]]> By: Anne http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-americans-still-dont-travel-overseas/#comment-27782 Anne Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:37:14 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3087#comment-27782 I have to disagree with your analysis of Americans being "culturally ignorant". I’m an American who was in the military for a long time (I also traveled overseas prior to that time) and have traveled (and also lived) in a number of countries, much of which was paid for by myself once I was stationed overseas (i.e. going to China while being stationed in Japan, etc). In fact, one of the reasons why I joined the military was to have the opportunity to travel. Now that I am out of the military and live in the U.S., although I am “very” inclined to travel overseas and have on several occasions to Russia, North Africa, England, and France, a number of factors persuade me to think otherwise and cost is the numero uno of them all. For instance, in my case, I a few years ago I wouldn't of thought twice about going into debt to go on a big trip. But now, I think that it is too expensive to travel overseas and a trip to Moscow over Christmas that I was very interested in would cost me approximately $3,000.00 or more once all of the costs get factored in. This also goes for many other destinations in Europe and elsewhere overseas. It’s even a big expense to travel within the borders of the United States. Tonight, I priced a trip to Seattle, Washington and it was in the neighborhood of what it would cost for me to travel to Amsterdam. Here, we don’t have Ryanair for a pound a trip that Europeans have. We also don’t have the close geographic country borders found on most continents except for the ones in the south bordering Mexico and in the North bordering Canada and those borders are a loooooooooong way away from most states in the U.S. I have British cousins who go all over the UK and the continent by bus--that's how close many countries are. I also feel that spending so much money for a diversion really makes me feel guilty when I see so many people around me, many of whom have recently gone bankrupt due to the bad economy. In my mind, it’s just not the right thing for me to do at the moment. In addition, there are also other factors which I take into account as well such as attacks on Americans and other westerners in foreign countries such as the fairly recent one in Mombay at a very elite hotel with a lot of security in which some people died in "Al Quada style". When I looked up what that meant, the manner in which they died really quenched some of my desire to travel overseas. And believe me, “many” people do not like Americans abroad and I’ve met and worked with many of them. In fact, some of them have posted here. You can also peruse the U.S. State Department website in order to read the travel advisories for many foreign countries where Americans are urged not to go for fear of their safety. Contrary to previous posts, Bill O'Reilly wasn't the original author of this stream of thought. So who needs the stress of that when you want to take a break from work and relax? Another issue is the current state of airline travel such as overbookings with resulting missed flights, long delays, multiple layovers spaced so close together, that the whole trip is filled with anxiety, etc, which I have been subjected to in the past couple of years, and frankly I’m tired of. The list could go on and on, but hopefully, people can get the picture: a staycation here in the U.S. such as a day or two in New York City to see the Christmas lights has become my preferred type of travel with the most stressful aspect being walking down the street to the Amtrak station. And, oh, another advantage is that I also don't have to listen to how "culturally ignorant" I am. I have to disagree with your analysis of Americans being “culturally ignorant”. I’m an American who was in the military for a long time (I also traveled overseas prior to that time) and have traveled (and also lived) in a number of countries, much of which was paid for by myself once I was stationed overseas (i.e. going to China while being stationed in Japan, etc). In fact, one of the reasons why I joined the military was to have the opportunity to travel. Now that I am out of the military and live in the U.S., although I am “very” inclined to travel overseas and have on several occasions to Russia, North Africa, England, and France, a number of factors persuade me to think otherwise and cost is the numero uno of them all. For instance, in my case, I a few years ago I wouldn’t of thought twice about going into debt to go on a big trip. But now, I think that it is too expensive to travel overseas and a trip to Moscow over Christmas that I was very interested in would cost me approximately $3,000.00 or more once all of the costs get factored in. This also goes for many other destinations in Europe and elsewhere overseas. It’s even a big expense to travel within the borders of the United States. Tonight, I priced a trip to Seattle, Washington and it was in the neighborhood of what it would cost for me to travel to Amsterdam. Here, we don’t have Ryanair for a pound a trip that Europeans have. We also don’t have the close geographic country borders found on most continents except for the ones in the south bordering Mexico and in the North bordering Canada and those borders are a loooooooooong way away from most states in the U.S. I have British cousins who go all over the UK and the continent by bus–that’s how close many countries are. I also feel that spending so much money for a diversion really makes me feel guilty when I see so many people around me, many of whom have recently gone bankrupt due to the bad economy. In my mind, it’s just not the right thing for me to do at the moment. In addition, there are also other factors which I take into account as well such as attacks on Americans and other westerners in foreign countries such as the fairly recent one in Mombay at a very elite hotel with a lot of security in which some people died in “Al Quada style”. When I looked up what that meant, the manner in which they died really quenched some of my desire to travel overseas. And believe me, “many” people do not like Americans abroad and I’ve met and worked with many of them. In fact, some of them have posted here. You can also peruse the U.S. State Department website in order to read the travel advisories for many foreign countries where Americans are urged not to go for fear of their safety. Contrary to previous posts, Bill O’Reilly wasn’t the original author of this stream of thought. So who needs the stress of that when you want to take a break from work and relax? Another issue is the current state of airline travel such as overbookings with resulting missed flights, long delays, multiple layovers spaced so close together, that the whole trip is filled with anxiety, etc, which I have been subjected to in the past couple of years, and frankly I’m tired of. The list could go on and on, but hopefully, people can get the picture: a staycation here in the U.S. such as a day or two in New York City to see the Christmas lights has become my preferred type of travel with the most stressful aspect being walking down the street to the Amtrak station. And, oh, another advantage is that I also don’t have to listen to how “culturally ignorant” I am.

]]> By: olliereed http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-americans-still-dont-travel-overseas/#comment-25225 olliereed Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:38:24 +0000 http://www.nomadicmatt.com/?p=3087#comment-25225 Brilliant topic..are you still taking comments ?? I have a milion, especially at the Americans (not the ones from the blue states )seeming lack of intellectuall curiosity and incorrect assumptions about others. Frank Brilliant topic..are you still taking comments ?? I have a milion, especially at the Americans (not the ones from the blue states )seeming lack of intellectuall curiosity and incorrect assumptions about others.
Frank

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