Why more Americans don't travel abroad

I love to travel. My travels have given me enormous insights into other cultures. I was in Paris where I enjoyed being despised by a French bus driver. I was touring Italy where I was mistaken as being German. I enjoyed the fact that I was not immediately identified as “the ugly American.” It was years later that I heard that Italians tolerate Germans even less than they tolerate Americans. My bubble was burst! LOL Originally Posted by I B Hankering

@ (purple print)-Exactly why I wish more people traveled...

I once went into a bar in Amsterdam with a group of friends on NYE, only to encounter an older Dutch man cursing me out in Dutch on the barstool beside me (they only had like 4 barstools in the place so nowhere really to move). I tried talking to him but he persisted that he did not speak English and was obviously cursing at me.

I just kept laughing at him, and finally I began to curse HIM out in Spanish...this went on for a bit, me stoned and drunk and him just drunk I guess cursing at each other in different languages - until finally we both just broke out laughing and he finally started speaking English. I asked him why he thought a girl from Texas should speak Dutch instead of Spanish, and we went on to have a great conversation.

Great memories....

Haha I know americans that won't even leave their home state talk less of their country.

I love to travel and have had a passport for as long as I can remember. Only thing that really stops me is that 9-12 hour plane ride with no cigarette! Last time I had to put a patch on and take two zan bars so I could pass out lol.

It's also harder with a child. I would never feel safe taking my daughter out of the country alone, but would go if I had a man with me. I simply see too many things that are allowed to go on and it scares the hell out of me. "Hostile" comes to mind lol.

I'm not surprised.



Indeed. Very ignorant. The thing is.. Americans THINK they have it all LOL!

Most of the black americans I have spoken with have no plans of leaving this country anytime soon.
They are completely ignorant when it comes to other countries. Being a young nigerian "girl" living in the states I am open to traveling to and learning about other countries and different cultures. I know one thing america doesn't have...

No comment! Originally Posted by Naomi4u

well i know many americans who travel abroad. i think as a european its easier to travel "abroad" because almost everything is "abroad" given the size of the countries (hehe) but USA is rather big. But that said i could not live without travelling. It changes peoples opinions and minds.

travelling is also expensive and the dollar is low. Well that said - is Miami already "abroad"? I hear only spanish speaking people live there, when i was there no one would speak english. i heard an american joke with me that Miami is so cool because its so "close" to the US . :-) lol

In all fairness though, I will say it is a lot easier to travel different places in Europe...You can get pretty much anywhere by train, and the flights inside Europe are so bloody cheap....Which makes me wonder why flights inside the states are so expensive?

I've flown from London to Madrid, Amsterdam, Nice,Paris on easyjet for 35-60 GBP.....

When I fly in the states it seems the lowest round trip I can ever find is minimum of 250 USD...Once I tried to book a flight from Nashville to Greenville,SC and it was going to me almost 900 USD!!!....So just out of curiosity I check to see how much a flight to London was, and it was 670 USD...I'm sorry but that is just fucked up...

I have travelled Europe,Asia,North Africa...But,prefer the USA.

There are 2 things,which give me comfort,and are not allowed abroad.

1) The Bill of Rights
2) Colt .45 Automatic

Call me a rube...that's OK ;>)))

So I was reading this article on CNN, seems there's only 30% of Americans that have passports!!??...That is insane to me...Was just wondering how many of you all have passports and have traveled abroad, and for those of you who haven't, I'm interested to know why....

I know there are the obvious reasons why some don't travel abroad ( airfare, lodging too expensive)...But there was one bit of this article where someone said, "America has it all: "From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans, white with foam,".....To me, this statement just seems ignorant. This country is very young, there are so many things abroad that America doesn't have, I know I am a bit biased because of my love for history and travel in general, and I know not everyone enjoys that sort of thing, I just have a difficult time understanding why some people have absolutely no interest in ever leaving their country to explore other cultures? Learn more languages? There is so much beauty to be seen in the world, so I was just curious to know everyone's sentiments on this topic....

Btw-if you want to read the article here's the link http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/02/04....html?hpt=Sbin Originally Posted by Valerie

I would imagine a lot of people do not travel because of the money involved. Not everyone has the ability to pay for traveling (and costs associated with it). I am sure it has more to do with that than anything else. The gap between the "haves" and the "have not's" is getting bigger and bigger in this country.

Very true! If I were not actually making money while I travel, no way I could do it as much. When I grew up we had 4 family vacations a year...that's it, but they were quality times.

2) Colt .45 Automatic

Call me a rube...that's OK ;>))) Originally Posted by RichardGozenya

I do hate not being able to have a pistol in London!

I do hate not being able to have a pistol in London! Originally Posted by Valerie

You girls and your pistols! Carrying one alone scares me. I'm quicker/very skilled with knives. <<<Just kidding! LOL!

I love my country. I appreciate what I have. I have traveled all over the USA. Do I want to get out of here and see the world? Fuck yes I do. I am saving up for a passport and plane ticket to Europe. For me, it is more about being scared of the unknown than a "I am better than you" attitude. That is what holds me back..being a pussy. Once I get a taste of over seas travel, my next destination is a month long excursion to Japan.
I absolutely love to travel. It is such an inspiration for me. I keep an art journal when I when I do it. It amazes me how many people I know around here have no desire to even see the rest of Louisiana. That is crazy to me.

You girls and your pistols! Carrying one alone scares me. I'm quicker/very skilled with knives.. LOL! Originally Posted by Naomi4u

Well I keep a knife in my flat in London, I know it's naughty over there, but I simply don't feel safe without having something to defend myself with,( even though if I ever did have to use it, they would tote me off to jail.)

I definitely see more of the upper crust type traveling internationally - most people are lucky if they get to go camping somewhere nice on their vacations...some of us are just in the backyard in the wade pool with our feet hanging over the side and the sprinkler runnin on our heads....which can also be pure bliss with the right sort of meditative state of mind accomplished...

I would imagine a lot of people do not travel because of the money involved. Not everyone has the ability to pay for traveling (and costs associated with it). I am sure it has more to do with that than anything else. The gap between the "haves" and the "have not's" is getting bigger and bigger in this country. Originally Posted by Bebe Le Strange

Generally speaking Americans don't need passports.Remember the United States is a collection of fifty sovereign states.If each state required you to provide a passport to enter,I suspect more Americans would have a passport.Remember the continent of Europe is roughly the size of the north American continent but contains over 70 separate nations.So of course more Europeans have passports.As for some of you saying you know people who basically never leave their home towns,I have quite the opposite story.Every one I know travels on a regular basis for work or otherwise.