Vacations versus Touring
 

Europeans select a vacation location and spend their weeks there, Americans rush headlong from site to site using up their time 'in transit'. True or False?

Probably because many Americans equate a Europe vacation with "trip of a lifetime" and feel they must warrant the large expense with as much exposure to the variety Europe offers as possible in the time-constraints allowed by most businesses.

True or False?

Quite untrue.

Drive along any major European road (like the French A6) during peak holiday periods and it's chocker with foreign-registered cars (by definition, cars registered in other European countries), touring.

Go to any US resort and it's equally chocker with locals (ie other Americans) who've flown to the resort, don't leave it and will fly home again.

Lots of people tour Europe, the overwhelming majority of them other Europeans. Lots of Americans sit round resorts. The only significant difference is that Americans' obsession with looking busy means they don't take proper holidays so Americans sit round resorts for shorter periods than many Europeans sit round their Tuscan or Dordogne villas.

Many Americans get only 2 weeks of vacation a year - hence the desire by some to do as much as possible in that timeframe - remembering that this may be the only chance.

We had this mentality when we moved overseas. Our first trip to London was 5 days of non-stop sightseeing. It was exhausting.

We have since learned! For each vacation/destination, we make a "must see/do" list then a "it would be nice to see/do" list. So, we mix the "must" list with down-time (relaxing by the pool, shopping, just hanging out). THen whatever we get to on the "it would be nice" list is great. And if we don't get to it all - we don't sweat it!

As Americans we take both kinds of vacations. We tour Europe with relaxing breaks between sites. We also take vacations which are strictly for total relaxation.
I think the Europeans do some of the same. I've spoken to many Europeans about their travels to the US and find that they do a lot of touring from site to site.

I know it can't always be true but it mostly seems that way to me, just from reading this forum. During a 2 or 3 week holiday I generally visit 2 or 3 places for a week each. And one week will be doing nothing, just lying on a beach/next to a pool enjoying the views, reading, swimming, sleeping, eating & drinking. No Americans who post here ever seem to do that.

I would do the same in the Caribbean (actually I'd do even less in the Caribbean) so it's not the distance.

I've assumed it iss mainly because most Americans don't get as many holidays as Europeans. Not so sure about expense - it seems to me that flights from the US are often comparable to what we have to pay from Scotland !! Our flights to & from Italy this summer = a little over £500 so nearly $1000 for 2 :-(

For Americans who want to take vacations in one location and stay put, there are many closer and less expensive places to go than to Europe. Millions of Americans vacation around lake or mountain retreats, beach resorts, ski areas and theme parks in the US and Caribbean.

When we go to Europe, however, many Americans want to see more, as it is farther away from home and we are not likely to get there as often as we do to the cottage on the lake.

Reading this message board, I also see that there are many Americans who go to a city in Europe and stay put for a week at a time on a regular basis. These people tend not to be first time visitors to Europe, however.

If you don't speak the language, have never been to the countries before, don't have a lot of time, and want to see as much as possible, a tour is good.

A lot of American's only have two weeks for vacation, they just got their passport, so they are not seasoned travelers.

I don't get all this running around sightseeing trying to "do" Europe in 2 weeks, spending 10 mins in each country.

I wouldn't try to "do" a few small US states in 2 weeks. It's madness, relax, chill out, see a few things....plan to come back.

You have so little holidays, why not stop to enjoy them a bit.

I have access to a beautiful beach home to which I go to relax, sun, snooze, read and eat well for a couple of weeks or lots of weekends, if I choose.
When I have been lucky enough to go to Europe...sure, I have been known to rush around.
But my first trip was on a self-driven barge trip through Burdundy.
Reading, sunning, snoozing, eating well...
mmmmmm....a pattern?

If you check out the US board there are plenty of questions from Europeans who are coming to the US and seem to be rushing everywhere. 2nights in NY, 2 nights in Boston etc. They just want to get as much in on their vacation as possible. Airfare is expensive and so you want to make the most of it. Perfectly understandable.

There are millions of Americans whose only desire for a vacation is to go to one place and vegetate. We have lakes, ponds, mountains, oceans to do all that. We have easy access to the Caribbean, Bermuda and Hawaii. We dozens of cruise ships full of people doing nothing. Most people I know hate the idea of rushing here and there on a vacation.

Sorry, but <b>I</b> don't get this notion that everybody should travel in the exact same way or that there is one way to travel which is &quot;the best&quot; or that I'm not enjoying myself when I &quot;run around from place to place.&quot;

You didn't have any trouble with all the running around when we were in bed last night.