Never left America, but love to travel, why?

Old Aug 13th, 2003, 09:20 AM
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Never left America, but love to travel, why?

I read somewhere that only 20% of American born adults will ever leave the United States in their life time.

Without making any value judgements about people who do not travel overseas, I am interested in knowing why many people who enjoy traveling do not visit other countries.

I would like to hear from people who enjoy traveling but have never left America. Why have you not traveled overseas? Is it the cost? Is it fear of terror, lack of interest, the length of the trip, concern about lack of English spoken overseas? Why?
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 09:31 AM
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I have done some travelling abroad myself, but think that perhaps the reason people dont leave US for travel is because they left another country previously just to come here (i.e. US is mostly a nation of immigrants.
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 09:37 AM
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Perhaps it is that the US is enormous. There is a lot to see here. If the 20% is based on passports issued, as I have seen published, keep in mind that no passport is necessary for US citizens to visit Mexico and Canada. So perhaps we are talking about visits beyond North America borders. If that is the case I wonder what percentage of, say Europeans, visit areas beyond the same or similar square miles. It could also be the fact that many other countries have more liberal vacation policies than the workaholic Americans
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 10:49 AM
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I suspect that the prime motivation for a majority of European travelers is weather. Brits go to Spain, Germans to to Italy, etc.

If the Confederacy had won the Civil War (er, I mean the War of Northern Agression), the percentage of Americans who travel to a foreign country would be extremely high. Just think of all those snowbirds who head to FL or AZ every fall.
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 10:56 AM
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I agree with Suzie. While I have visited many other countries, there is so much to see here.

The US is one of the most geographically diverse countries in the world. Go from the Florida Keys, to Alaska, to the desert, to the Sierra Nevadas, to the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the deep south, to Hawaii, etc.

How many people I wonder have visited all 50? Probably not many.
 
Old Aug 13th, 2003, 11:09 AM
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I am one of those people who loves to travel but hasn't travelled overseas - I've been to Japan, but that was for work. These are my 2 main reasons for not travelling internationally.

Lack of vacation time - I get 2 weeks a year, which after using up a few days around holidays and a couple more for long weekends throughout the year, I am left with 1 week. That's not a lot if we are talking overseas travel since so much time would be used in flight time alone.

Lack of money - I'm in my late 20s. During college I was just getting by and definitely didn't have money for travel. Since college I am paying off loans and trying to buy a home, so I can't in good conscience spend money for international travel.

So for now, I take my vacations close to home or try to extend business trips so I can save money. There are plenty of places I'd like to visit though - both in the US and internationally - so for me it's just a matter of opportunity and timing. As time goes on I will have more money and get more vacation time or be in a position where I can take unpaid leave.
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 11:16 AM
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Visiting other countries can be a pain. The language barrier is frustrating enough, but with cultural difference, etc, it can be overwhelming.
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 11:55 AM
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GoTravel - that is just what I was thinking - because my travels have been kind of the reverse of what Justine is saying.

I have been to 16 different countries, but only 20 states. I have been thinking lately that that is a little sad (at least for me), since there really are SO MANY things in the US that I haven't seen yet!

So, to remedy that, my next trip (in 3 weeks!) is to Colorado (I'm an East Coaster). But, this will be followed by a trip in January to Costa Rica.

Happy travels,
Karen
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 12:04 PM
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There are several reasons for Americans not traveling overseas. For one thing there is so much to see here in the US. Cost is definitely a factor. I have noticed that people who reside on the east coast seem more likely to travel to Europe that those on the west coast. Another factor is time. Many people in the US do not get a lot of time off from work for an extended vacation. WHen you go overseas it's ideal to spend enough time there to be able to justify the distance and cost of the trip.
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 12:21 PM
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I think it's also a matter of how one was brought up. I grew up in a family, though not wealthy, that had international travel as a priority.
Every year, we would go to a new place whether it be in Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada, Latin America or the South Pacific. We also did trips around the U.S. Travel was considered part of our education.

I now live in small town where I know many people who have barely traveled out of California, much less overseas. I think some of them are intimidated by the process - getting a passport, flying internationally, going through customs and immigration, not speaking a language, being confronted with unfamiliar food - stuff that's second nature to me because I grew up doing it.

In other words, I don't think it's so much a financial thing as a difference in experience, perception and priorities.
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 12:52 PM
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GOTRAVEL Interesting question! Maybe one should start a poll asking how many have been to all 50 states. Put me down first. Been there AND now that I have more time am doing foreign travel.
Favorite state---Right here where I retired Northwest Montana11
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 01:28 PM
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For what it's worth (I live in Ireland) I'd like to give my reasons for travelling to the U.S.! Five years ago my youngest left the nest and having NEVER travelled anywhere I decided that as long as I had my health and could still work (I'm not ancient, only 51) I would travel. I've gone to the U.S. for the last two years and will be going again in less than three weeks time. My theory is that I should do that now while I am able to and then, in a few years time or whatever, travel around Europe where the flight times are less and easier to cope with. I wonder why Americans don't do the same - after all it has to be easier to travel locally (even though I know it is a HUGE continent) than go abroad so why not do that when time is on their side?
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 01:34 PM
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I think the 20% number is amazing. I come from a family of 8 and all of us have been out of the country several times. I can't think of any of my friends that haven't been out of the US. And both of my daughters studied abroad.

I've only been to 15 states so far.
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 01:36 PM
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If you look in the archives there have been a couple posts on how many states people have visited. (Until I can find a reason to go to North Dakota I'm stuck on 49 )
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 01:43 PM
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I think vacation time and the (insane) American work ethic is a big part of it. My parents have never been out of the country, except to Canada. They get maybe 3 weeks of vacation and take only 2 of those at most. They choose to spend their vacation time visiting family members who live all over the country (FL, NY, CA). It can be time-consuming and expensive to visit your family when they're spread out over a gigantic nation. Not sure if this is true of most people, so that's probably another factor.
 
Old Aug 13th, 2003, 01:55 PM
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TEDTURNER
Reasons to go to North Dakota
1- Theodore Roosevelt national park
2- International Peace Gardens
3-Berwick,N.D. geographical center of North America

Okay, not that exciting!!!!
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 02:08 PM
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I have not been to Europe and don't care to. But I will go someday soon, DH lived in France and wants to go back- and- to Egypt. It seems like a big hassle to me, but what can you do?

I'm very happy with USA-Mexico-Canada, I think you can see it all right here.

There are places in Europe that don't interest me , esp. big cities which most people seem to want. I would happily go if I could elim. Paris, London etc- but that it not the Thing To Do (esp. for first timers). This museum,church thing leaves me cold- noisy streets, gypsies, no ice, no AC, price gouging, on and on.

Yes, It's Not Really Like That! Yawn-but it is to me.
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 02:12 PM
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My parents have never been out of the country (except for Canada). For them it is fear... fear of being so far away from home, where english may not be the language. I think a lot of people feel this way.
I don't understand it, as I have been to Australia, and much of Europe.
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 02:12 PM
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Just saw the name of the original poster-Great name! Always enjoyed the Lonely Planet when she was on., Esp, South Africa and India!
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Old Aug 13th, 2003, 02:35 PM
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I'm writing from Canda.

When we look south, there sure is a lot of interesting places to visit in your country, soi it makes sense to me that many Americans choose to go see those sites instead of something else.

And if you want to travel with your family, it can be a lot cheaper to pile into the car, and just drive, instead of going to the airport and flying overseas.

The money-math might mean twice as many good trips in the USA compared to going overseas.

What people want to do on a vacation makes a big difference, too.

If your goal is semi-athletic playing, or genuine-athletic playing, there's lots of white water rafting and moutnain vclimbing and wilderness hiking and para-sailing, and sand-castle building right in the USA.

If you are a history buff, it depends on the koind of history. Going west to see Indian ruins, or going to Civil War battlefields, or looking for Mexican ruins in California, or ... all are genuine history-based holiday treats for intellectually-motivated travellers.

It would be interesting to look at that 20 percent figure, and see how many of those have ancestors from easily-accessible historicly interesting countries. Maybe lots of German Americans go to their homeland --easy to do with chartrs in the summer -- but fewer Indian-Americans go to India, becaue it is further away and charters are fewer and prices are higher.

I've been to France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, and England, and to New York City, all through New England, (a lot of time in Maine), Boston, Chicago, many drives to Florida via Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee (not long enough), Phoenix/Scotsdale, Los Angeles, San Francisco, many trips to Seattle and Bellingham ...

If someone offered me a trip anywhere worth, say, $3,000us, I'd be back in Paris in a split second, but if the trip was $2,000, I'd get in a car and spend the money on gas and US-style roadside motels, and go see the Grand Canyon and Jackson Hole and Cheyenne, and then go back to a fish restaurant on the Pacific Coast Highway pretty close to where it intersects with Sunset Blvd., and have fish and chips and watch the sun go down. hard to beat that, even in Paris.

(For $4,000, Monoco and then the Italian Riviera) For $1,000 -- weekend in New York City.

BAK
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