Why more Americans don't travel abroad

Interestingly enough the only people who are REAL travellers were americans, I met some who travelled for years. But i wonder how they came up with the money. :-) They did not work for like two years. Originally Posted by ninasastri

They probably did it the old-fashioned way: They inherited it.

Or they were already retired.

They probably did it the old-fashioned way: They inherited it. Originally Posted by SR Only

no, one of them was really poor. No rich family. He told me he worked construction to be able to afford his trip. I think i have to work construction too :-) That is what i like about the USA when you work really hard you can also save up some money.

oh and in times of couchsurfing travelling is not so expensive anymore. I am a passionate couchsurfer . I met my lovers that way (he he he)

I am a mix of Yankee and Cajun...no wonder I am such a biaaatch. Originally Posted by London Rayne

Is that even allowed?

I really don't think so he he. He moved her here!

I have traveled overseas with the military (no passport needed) and I do have a passport. There are many beautiful countries (many not so beautiful) to see and from the ones I have seen, would not want to go back to many because there is no place like the good old USA. Can travel here forever and see so many different things.

Biggest factor against overseas travel for Americans these days is the risk factor because so many people in so many countries greatly dislike us. Also, the terriorists factor is so great because most Americans overseas look like Americans and tourists and that is like walking around with a bullseye on your back.

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I understand the cost issue...What I just have trouble understanding is people who have no interest of ever leaving their local town/state/country?....Passports aren't that expensive, I think it would be a good idea to at least have one.... Originally Posted by Valerie

I wasn't so much referring to the cost of the passport, but the cost of the travel. I live in a town where the median household income is about $24,900. That's basically husband and wife both making minimum wage before taxes. (And don't give me that shit that they don't pay taxes. They don't pay Federal Income Taxes, but they pay SS, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) And remember this is the median. That means half make less than $24,900.

These types of folks have no more chance of traveling abroad than I do of playing in the NBA even if you gave them a passport.

I wasn't so much referring to the cost of the passport, but the cost of the travel. I live in a town where the median household income is about $24,900. That's basically husband and wife both making minimum wage before taxes. (And don't give me that shit that they don't pay taxes. They don't pay Federal Income Taxes, but they pay SS, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) And remember this is the median. That means half make less than $24,900.

These types of folks have no more chance of traveling abroad than I do of playing in the NBA even if you gave them a passport. Originally Posted by TexTushHog

Either way...It's never a bad idea to have a passport...ya never know what could happen

Either way...It's never a bad idea to have a passport...ya never know what could happen Originally Posted by Valerie

I am too busy working and playing hard here in Japan to fully participate in this excellent thread, so I will stick to just a couple of the subtopics, first that of the relative risks of being a victim of violence in the US vs abroad:

WTF, I think that we have read Amanda differently. She said

As a single female traveling alone in an underground industry, I can assure everyone I felt safer in every country I visited (with one exception) than I do walking the streets in American buying groceries. America has many great things about it and many freedoms, it is also incredibly dangerous for women. American women might be pleasantly surprised as they travel abroad. Originally Posted by texasgoldengirl

and you appear to have interpreted it as a claim that the US is somehow particularly dangerous for women but, by implication, not so much for men. I also don't know of any evidence to support that claim, nor do I think it plausible (for one thing, about 3 times more men are murdered in the US each year than women).

However, when I read her post I did not understand it to be saying anything about the relative danger to women vs men. I thought that she was merely "speaking for herself", i.e., making an assertion based on her particular perspective and personal knowledge/experience, and thus, "As a single female traveling alone in an underground industry...".

In that sense, the statistics I posted do support her, and my, claim that the danger of being a violent crime victim in the US is higher than in most other countries (whether you are a man or a woman). The numbers are pretty dramatic. Look through the table I posted and notice how many countries have homicide rates below 4.44 per 100,000 population per year, i.e., less than *half* that in the US. That factor of two allows for lots of issues, biases and inaccuracies in the individual numbers. Also, check out which countries have rates higher than the 4.44 value and notice that they are not prosperous First World countries like the US; we are way way out of line in that sense too.

Moreover, these numbers *understate* the difference between the US and many other countries for the chance of being murdered "on the street", i.e., as a random innocent victim going about your daily life (or visiting) with no particular risk factors. This is because the totals in the table I posted include both organized crime related murders and domestic violence murders. For the countries with rates down around 1 or 2 or less, these two categories completely dominate the totals and leave virtually no "street violence" murder rate. Japan is an example with which I am relatively familiar. If you can resist the temptation to join the Yakuza (or of going out of your way to give them major grief in some way) and are not one of those unlucky souls with a murderous spouse or family member, you can pretty much forget about the chance that someone will kill you. Compared to the US, you are around 100 times safer in Japan wrt "random" violent crimes.

Anyway, I'd be interested to see any support/evidence for your claim/guess that

I really doubt that the USA is where women have the most to be fearful, quite the opposite I would guess Originally Posted by WTF

You, of course, identify it as a guess, but why is that your guess...given the very well known and documented high violent crime rate in the US vs other countries?

All this said, I very much agree with you (WTF) that fear of violence is not really justified in a rational or statistical sense, either in the US or the vast majority of other places in the world. People are afraid of whatever dangers get the most media attention, leading to amazing statements like this:

Biggest factor against overseas travel for Americans these days is the risk factor because so many people in so many countries greatly dislike us. Also, the terriorists factor is so great because most Americans overseas look like Americans and tourists and that is like walking around with a bullseye on your back. Originally Posted by topsgt38801

In reality I'm sure that both terrorism and all other forms of intentional violence are extremely minor risks compared to, say, accidents and illnesses in all but maybe a few of the most violent places on the planet. Fear of violence may keep people from traveling (or foreigners from visiting the US), but it a quite bogus concern when it comes to the actual facts, imo.

-Ww

The other point I'd like to address is the claim, posted by a few, that the US alone offers travelers so much that there is no real justification to go elsewhere.

If your sole or main motivation for travel were sightseeing, just having a look at or experiencing natural and manmade wonders, I suppose you could make a case for it. You are still giving up places like the Norwegian fjords, the Red Center (of Australia), Tierra del Fuego, Bora Bora, the Great Wall, the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, Burj Khalifa etc that really outshine anything similar in the US, but I do agree that the US has riches aplenty in such categories, enough to fill a lifetime for this sort of travel motivation.

However imo, what is a far more profound and interesting aspect of travel that you cannot experience without leaving the US is the vast diversity of human cultures... Close encounters of the third kind with a culture very different from one's own is where the real transformative power of travel lies, not in the mere scenery.

In fact, I'd take an even more extreme position and say that you really need to get out of Europe and the Americas (i.e., out of the regions of the world dominated by Western Culture, broadly conceived) to seriously sample what the world has to offer in this realm. Easier said than done for sure, but richly rewarding indeed if you can manage it.

-Ww

In that sense, the statistics I posted do support her, and my, claim that the danger of being a violent crime victim in the US is higher than in most other countries Originally Posted by Wwanderer

Agreed. I did state that the places I 'guessed' her to be were not third world, thus your facts even more true. That said, I think you are correct, I sensed that Amanda was talking more to the point that she felt safer in her profession. That also would make sense because of the different LE models.

You, of course, identify it as a guess, but why is that your guess...given the very well known and documented high violent crime rate in the US vs other countries?


Originally Posted by Wwanderer

I was saying that vs her 'world' statement. Compared to the rest of the world I think the stats would not support that but compared to western Euorpe or Japan, then I can see her point. I was wanting to clairfiy that.

All this said, I very much agree with you (WTF) that fear of violence is not really justified in a rational or statistical sense, either in the US or the vast majority of other places in the world. People are afraid of whatever dangers get the most media attention, leading to amazing statements like this: Originally Posted by Wwanderer

You are a wise one Ww, you are able to cut to the crux of the matter. Fear, or in this case of travel, irrational fear of violence.

WE had people in this country fearful of being killed by a terrorist when the facts were they were more likely to die by a snake bite or lightening strike, that fear was exploited into a huge transfer of wealth but that is for another thread.

Biggest factor against overseas travel for Americans these days is the risk factor because so many people in so many countries greatly dislike us.

Top Originally Posted by topsgt38801

I think this statement is true, but it has been true for other countries also. I think, in general, that the ruling global power of the age always gets this kind of "dislike." Prior to the US, the sun never set on the British Empire, and it was vilified. So was the Spanish Main. So was the Holy Roman Empire. So was Charlemagne. As was Genghis Khan. I could go on, but you get the idea. The main problem with the US is that we are the global power right now and that makes us an easy target.

I think this statement is true, but it has been true for other countries also. I think, in general, that the ruling global power of the age always gets this kind of "dislike." Prior to the US, the sun never set on the British Empire, and it was vilified. So was the Spanish Main. So was the Holy Roman Empire. So was Charlemagne. As was Genghis Khan. I could go on, but you get the idea. The main problem with the US is that we are the global power right now and that makes us an easy target. Originally Posted by charlestudor2005

You are correct that the primary reason we are hated and targets is we are the envy of so many countries and we are the great evil one because of our wealth and democratic freedoms. I am not sure we are not headed the way of the Roman Empire and will not be at the top in the future. Hope I am wrong!

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I went to Yosemite Natl Park in August and was amazed at the lack of Americans there. By my estimation 50% of the tourists were foreigners. The Sequoia tour had pre-recorded voice overs in 8 languages other than English and people were asking for others. The percentage of Americans on the long trails fell almost to zero.

At Glacier Point I was looking at Half Dome Rock thinking to myself what a shame it was that so few Americans enjoyed this part of their country. My and others serenity of the moment was broken by a couple of ghetto chicks who where bellyaching about somebodies situation. Many people turned to glare at them but they kept yakking loudly.

Another factor as to why Americans don't have a passport and travel abroad other than money is television/movies. If they want to see other people and lands they can just watch the Discovery Channel or go see a James Bond movie. I know this is a poor substitute and the equivalent to Europeans watching Baywatch but its much cheaper and convenient.