Robbie

Dear Sheila O <BR> <BR> The exchange rate for anyones currency will affect their ability to travel. If you save to go on a trip it is hopeful that when the time comes to visit your chosen European destination you will not go broke. I did not assume that a countries currency is 1 for 1 with the U.S. dollar ( I paid the necessary price for the British pound and had an awesome vacation). I think more American's would be willing to travel if they get more favorable prices. It has been very favorable in the past for many Europeans to visit the U.S. as they get more dollars for their pounds, punts etc. I am sure with the overall devaluation of many countries currencies recently that has changed. It makes good consumer sense if possible to travel when exchange rates are more favorable as one has more money to spend enjoying themselves (which in tern boosts the overall economy of the country they are visiting).

elvira

Many Americans don't travel for a variety of reasons:<BR>1) We border two foreign countries, which can be visited without passports. Canada and Mexico offer wonderful sights and experiences.<BR>2) If an Iowan wants to go to the seashore, he can stay in the U.S. A Swiss can't. If an Alabaman wants to snow ski, he can stay in the U.S. A Maltese can't.<BR>3) Americans can visit 50 capitol cities without ever leaving the U.S.<BR>4) Many Americans own second homes - ski chalets in Vermont, beach cottages on Cape Cod, cabins on Lake Winnipesauke, condos in Florida. Whether for economic reasons or convenience, this makes sense to many of us for our vacations (with most Americans having just 2 weeks' vacation, the second home means someplace to go for long weekends; in the summer, Mom and the kids can go to the beach cottage for the season, and Dad can come down for the weekends).<BR>5) Most Americans are dependent upon their cars, and aren't used to public transportation (such as it is in most of the country). They can't imagine that European trains will get them where and when they want to go, but don't think they could manage driving in a foreign country. They don't bother to ask for advice; they assume none of it is possible, so why ask?<BR>6) All Americans aren't of white European descent, so traveling to see "their culture" in Europe may not be valid. Many Americans travel to Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Philippines, Samoa, etc. to visit *their* culture. I just met a woman whose family is from Puerto Rico; she said "oh someday I'd really like to travel", not considering that her twice-a-year trip to Puerto Rico is traveling.<BR>7) We aren't that long off the farm - and farms and ranches that spread for hundreds of acres. Farmers can't take vacations, and there aren't many of us who can go back more than two generations without some attachment to the farm. It takes a couple of generations before that mindset changes.<BR>8) Finally, our disposable income is not all that disposable. Many Americans pay a great deal for healthcare; parents must pay for after-school activities, like sports and music, and save for college educations; we ARE dependent upon our cars (save for the few who live in cities with good public transportation) and the upkeep is expensive (they also must be able to travel r/t 80 miles a day, because if they breakdown, we miss work); a lot of Americans own their own homes - taxes and upkeep take money - and we like single-family homes with BIG yards, which is where we gather for picnics and barbecues. Why else would Habitat for Humanity strike us as such a good idea?<BR><BR>And, culturally, we are new to overseas travel. Up through the 1940's or so, only the wealthy travelled (the Grand Tour, as it was called when the Four Hundred sent their children to Europe), with their steamer trunks and maids and footmen. The average American never thought about it (unless Uncle Sam said "you, put on this helmet and get on that troop ship") as an option; it wasn't until the 1950's when it became available to many Americans, through the arranged tour (don't need maids and footmen if you have a tour guide and a bus driver). <BR> <BR> <BR>

Sjoerd

Thanks to everyone who posted a serious reply. Some additional comments: <BR>1. Some of you took my message as implicit criticism of Americans. It was not. <BR>2. Ofcourse, the US is a big place with many things to see. So is Europe. Many Europeans stay in Europe for their holidays also. That is the reason why we should look at visits to Asia, Africa and South America to compare travel habits between Americans and Europeans. <BR>3. I based my assumption on my personal travel experiences. For instance, on backpacking trips to SE Asia I meet many Brits, Germans, Scandinavians, Dutch, French, Swiss, Italians, Australians, New Zealanders, Japanese, Koreans, Singaporeans, Israelis, Brazilians, Argentinians, South Africans and Canadians, but relatively very few Americans. <BR>4. As many of you have said, the difference in vacation days is THE main explanatory factor between Americans and Europeans. I now have 11 weeks of annual paid vacation and I take them all. In 2001 I will get 12 weeks. <BR>5. Also, perhaps Americans value luxury more than Europeans and I don't meet Americans in the zero- or one-star hotels that I stay in while travelling. Some of the costs of travel (US$ 5,000 for two weeks) that you mentioned seem to be very high. Example: a two-and-a-half week trip to Vietnam earlier this year cost me about US$ 1,400 all-in. (including airfare) <BR>6. The exchange rate between the US$ and European currencies was very advantageous for Europeans during the 1996-1998 period. Visiting the USA was quite cheap for us then. Nowadays, the exchange rate is very advantageous for Americans. An American friend who visited me earlier this year found (continental) Europe to be "very cheap". <BR>Fortunately for us Europeans, this last few weeks the euro has risen again (10% vs. the US$) <BR>7. To the person who said that "This question is very asinine". Thanks for teaching me a new word.

cass

_Brilliant_ response, Elvira! Added valuable and less obvious insights. You could teach the sociologists a thing or two.

Russ

I believe it boils down to materialism. We tend to define ourselves by the things we own, not by the experiences or knowledge we accumulate. We don't go to college to become "educated", but to get a better job. Many of those who do travel go places so that they can buy more stuff. Why waste money going somewhere if you don't come back with something tangible that justifies the expenditure of travel money? <BR> <BR>I don't blame our education system for this lack of enlightenment -- schools do their best to treat our terminal case of possession obsession. The fact is that only a small number of us would prefer to spend our discretionary income on experiences rather than gadgets.

Bill

<BR>Good Lord, Sjoerd. Eleven weeks of vacation a year?! And I felt very privileged to have four! (I work for a state government in the U.S. and essentially trade off my lower-than-private-sector salary for the ability to get more vacation.) But still, there have only been three years in my 25-year working life that I took off work for two whole weeks at a time (and even then I felt a bit guilty about it!) Our trip to Austria this summer will be for 8 days while my sons' boys choir travels in Europe for 17 days (including 4 in Rotterdam, hosted by the families of the Rotterdams Jongens koor... you can see them sing, Sjoerd!).

Ryn

A couple of points to toss back at you, Sjoerd, regarding the price of travel for Americans vs. Europeans. <BR> <BR>For the most part, Americans who travel internationally for pleasure do so when they are older than 60 years of age. Most of them are no longer in prime physical condition, so yes, backpacking and/or staying in places that require climbing 10 flights of stairs tends not to appeal. <BR> <BR>As to airfare, etc., price is mostly a matter of volume. We pay more for intl. airfare in general, because we fly less often (for pleasure, business is another matter entirely). It is cheaper for you precisely because there are so many of you with so much time and inclination to travel. Travel agents, tour operators, and consolidators based in Europe can often negotiate far better prices, because the market is much larger. <BR>

Joe

<BR>Sjoerd, <BR>I think you have hit the nail on the head when you questioned whether Americans would stay in a zero or one star hotel (I personally have never heard of a zero star hotel, maybe they aren't listed in our guidebooks). <BR> <BR>My mother, who's world travels put me to shame, would not be caught dead in anything less than a 3 star hotel (and even then it would be because there were no four or five star hotels available). I can just hear her now, 'you expect me to sleep on THAT? (think Margaret Drysdale). <BR> <BR>

buzy

Most Americans are scared to go abroad becaue they know nothing about foreign countries, and dont know what to expect. Its easier for most people to stay in a place that's more familiar to them...and where there's a McDonalds around the corner. <BR> <BR>In conclusion, igonorence, money woes, and not enough leave for work. <BR>

Bill

<BR>Joe: <BR>Margaret Drysdale!! Now there's a bit of cultural trivia! How about "Lovie" on Gilligan's Island? <BR> <BR>Buzy: <BR>People aren't "scared", they just aren't interested. To each his own...

kavey

Dear Sjoerd <BR> <BR>I am quite envious of your 12 weeks annual leave!!! <BR> <BR>In which country do you live and is this the norm for most people there? <BR> <BR>How do businesses cope with their staff being away for almost a quarter of the year? <BR> <BR>If it weren't for friends and family and tiresome things like that I would seriously consider moving to where you are!!!! <BR> <BR>Kavey <BR>(24 days a year, plus 8 national holidays)

Sjoerd

Dear Kavey, I live in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) Most people here have about 7 weeks of paid annual holidays (8 to 9 weeks if you include national holidays), the company I work for is quite generous. <BR>How do businesses cope with it? Good planning. And hiring more people. The attitude here is that life is too short to spend most of it in the office. "The graveyard is full with people who thought they were the only ones who could do the job" is also a popular expression here. <BR>Dear Bill, if you can post or e-mail me the schedule for the Rotterdams Jongenskoor I will try to go to one of their performances.

mark

Dear FLW - my comments lack sophistication? You compare the Piazza San Marco to Mall of America? You think Chicago is a real city? (Come on, the only true American city is NYC - lol) As for F.L. Wrights works - his furniture is uncomfortable and all of his buidlings are maintience nightmares, constant leaking and shoddy construction. He repeated his design concept over and over - compressed entrance followed by high celing - an architecture parlor trick. He even admitted his buildings would have been different if he hadn't been so short. Architectural Digest? I should have guessed in light of the Mall of America comment (lol). The point of this thread was why don't Americans travel as much as Europeans? I feel that by looking at how American architecture has developed - such as gated communities, NIMBY's (not in my back yard), shopping malls, McDonalds - might add another facet to this thread. As for mentioning grad school - I find too many people on the Internet make statements without much knowledge about what they're talking about.. Do I know it all? No. Nor do you. Your comment regarding how American architecture funtions gives good insight into why Americans dont travel as much - most of American architecture is about consumerism. Other posters have stated that the difference between Americans and Europeans is attitude. I can understand and appreciate why French farmers feel threated by Americanism. "Good things" can't be rushed or done quickly - a caussoulet beats a big mac any day, and anyone who thinks otherwise is extremely deprived.

lele

When I told my fiends I was going to Europe for the first time, they all thought I was loosing it. All I heard was what are you going over there for? Subsequent trips have been ignored. Most of the people I know have a fear a flying and they believe that America is it! I don't share there views and the historical/cultural lessons I learn far out way any fears I have of flying. I just wished more people realized how much the world has to offer. If I had 4 weeks vacation I would be outta control. The airfares would probably be higher in American than they are already, if we had more time off.

lele

Also, I might add I planned my first trip abroad in 6 weeks. If I would not have found fodors.com, I may not have had as great of an experience as I did. This site had helped me more than words can say. I have never taken a tour and probably never will, I like the freedom of exploring on my own.

KT

Maybe I just know a skewed sampling of people, but most of my friends and coworkers *do* travel abroad and most certainly do not criticize me for doing it. Just among the 30 or so people on my floor here at work are 1) one person who spent two years in Africa in the Peace Corps and generally visits Europe once a year and Africa once a year, 2) six people who have spent at least a year living or studying abroad, 3) one person who's been to Vietnam twice within the past three years and has lived in two European countries, 4) three people originally from other countries who go back to visit. These are all different people. And almost all of the remaining people travel as much as time, money, and family obligations allow. And these are my coworkers, not necessarily my friends, so it isn't as if I chose them. I realize this is just anecdotal evidence, but so is a lot of what's being posted here.

mark

Well said Lele. When I travel abroad - I want to "forget " about America and all that's associated with it - McDonalds, Starbucks, Banana Republic, Who Wants to Be a Millionare, etc, etc. I travel so as to immerse myself in another culture. A lot of Americans live solipsistic lives - let them go to Las Vegas or Disney World. Fodor's and its members have helped my trips abroad to be far more robust - thanks.

Michelle

Sjoerd, <BR> <BR>Just a few comments. I am an American now living in Italy, and I've noticed that the mentality about vacation is completely different here. In May, people start asking where you will "spend your vacations this year." Meaning where you will go when you get the month of August off. Because most everyone gets August off here. In the U.S., it is not assumed that you will have a vacation every year, and if someone asks, they may say, "Will you take a vacation this year?" <BR> <BR>As for staying in one-star hotels, and blowing $5,000 on a one-week vacation. I don't think it is necessarily because Americans are spoiled, or that they just want to throw money around. When you only have one week of vacation per year, you want to make the absolute most of it. <BR> <BR>I am no prima donna, but when I work hard 51 weeks of the year, and I'm flying nine hours to go somewhere, I want to at least know that I will have a nice bed and a clean bathroom when I arrive. <BR> <BR>One other thing. I've noticed that most Italians live at home until they get married, whether that be age 21 or age 35. When you live at home with your parents, you are able to save most of your money for traveling. Americans usually leave home around age 18. After paying for my own college, graduate school, an apartment in New York City, etc., I was not able to afford to go to Europe until last year at age 29. I had been dying to go for years and years. <BR> <BR>Now I have an Italian boyfriend and I live here. <BR> <BR>Auguri! <BR> <BR>Michelle

jim

in canada, we have many of the same values as Europeans. generally speaking, we get 4-5 weeks holiday per year and have a shorter work week than Americans. To echo the thoughts of others... life is too short to spend it slaving away in an office.

Jerald

The U.S. is a large diversified nation as has been previously reported. My wife & I have traveled extensively over the last few years from Florida. Two trips to Asia, over 35,000 miles each. Three to Europe since June 1999, I love Paris, London, Rome & others but you Europeans will have to admit that as a rule you can get a very nice motel in the U.S. for $50 & good quality food @ reasonable prices. Most of the 3 star & lower rated European hotels would be condemed here & the rates are sky high! Rates are high in Asia but at least the quality is outstanding! I will continue to travel abroad as I love visiting churches, museums & some hotels that are older than our country.