Photo: smokeonit
According to Nomadic Matt, Americans still aren’t traveling abroad. But what is the real reason?
For me, going abroad – admittedly with a bit of trepidation and fear – my junior year of college was something I decided to do in part because several good friends had already done the same thing. And they loved it.
Tons of wine, endless pasta, bread, and cheese, and gorgeous surroundings in Florence? This did not sound like a problem.
But, as Nomadic Matt recently noted, I find myself in the minority. He questions why Americans still aren’t traveling overseas, a subject he first tackled in a post last year.
Yes, 21% of Americans have their passports now as compared to 15% a few years ago (obviously, still a pathetically low number). But travel off of the North American, and higher areas of the South American, continents has actually decreased. According to Matt, more people have passports because you need them to get to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, where travel has increased.
Less About Money, More About Ignorance
Photo: Capture Queen ™
His reasoning? It’s not so much that people don’t have the money to travel, even in these hard economic times, but it has more to do with cultural ignorance, as in “not knowing about other cultures” and not “Americans are ignorant buffoons.”
Other factors include fear, priorities around work, and lack of awareness – especially politically.
Despite the rise of China, Brazil, and India, our politicians tell us everything in America is the best (yet #38 in healthcare). Countries will always do what we want. America is the leader. We are the city upon a hill. An when you are the best, why go to “godforsaken” countries where they hate you for being American and might rob you?
Last year, Julie Schwietert asked if Americans are afraid of travel after the not-so-excited reaction to Obama’s Middle East and Europe trip in July 2008. She noted, “It’s a trip that should make America proud (particularly given the geographic and diplomatic gaps in the current president’s consciousness), but Americans’ response to Obama’s trip has been curiously tepid.”
And we all know how media loves to stir up our fears of the “other.” As Sarah Menkedick wrote in response to the media shitstorm blaming the three Americans held in Iran, “There are two themes here. One is that travel (outside of the U.S and perhaps Western Europe) is dangerous, reckless, and stupid. The other is that only starry-eyed, pot-smoking hippie backpackers are dumb enough to try it, and they get what they deserve.”
The Flip Side
On the other side of the argument, you have a few people noting that “Americans are still traveling abroad,” despite the economic downturn. Not sure if this Forbes Traveler piece makes a good argument, though; yes, travel only slipped less than 1% from 2007 to 2008, but the 2009 numbers up until May showed a 7.7% decrease compared to the same time last year.
Not only is the accepted statistic wrong, but economics really are at play.
Or, as Katy Steinmetz stated in a piece she wrote last year, Behind the myth that few Americans have passports, not only is the accepted statistic wrong (the number is really more around 30%), but that economics and poverty really are at play. On top of the high cost of passports, taking care of your family, buying food, and paying for that healthcare plan, people are left with few dollars to go anywhere, even with a good deal on Orbitz.
Do you think Americans don’t travel abroad because of ignorance and politics, or does it have more to do with money? Share your thoughts below.
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34 Comments... join the discussion!
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Love the map.
While economics can be a reason for some, I would say a lot of people who could afford to travel, don’t because they overestimate the costs it takes to travel extensively.
Also, some people have become so accustomed to the comforts of our american lifestyle that they can’t imagine doing something like couchsurfing to save a few dollars (usually ending with them staying in a overly expensive hotel and driving up their travel costs even more).
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Great piece. I think it’s a combination of all of the above, and then some. Growing up, I was always told that travel (especially foreign travel) was a luxury that not everyone was entitled to, that you had to be fairly wealthy to do. There’s also the sense that it’s frivolous, and that it’s more important to be studying or working than traveling and learning about the world. I had intended to go abroad in the summer of 2002, but didn’t not because of the political climate at the time but because my parents felt it was more important for me to stay home and do an internship. I finally got my chance a year later when I got a chance to do an internship abroad.
And one of the biggest misconceptions is that you need to be fluent in other languages to travel in non-English-speaking countries, when most travelers who venture outside their country don’t, Europeans included. You can often get by just fine by speaking English slowly and clearly and consulting a phrasebook.
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During my 19-country charity rally this past summer I think I met about as many Americans on the road as I can count on one hand. Germans were definitely the majority, followed by other European nations (e.g. Holland, UK, France, Italy), and Aussies/Kiwis.
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I think that money and ignorance (or perhaps just a lack of curiosity as opposed to actual ignorance) play a role. But I also think it is a matter of values. We live in a culture that values stuff over experience. Even if you travel on the cheap, it does cost money. And unless you are wealthy, to travel involves sacrificing something – perhaps something tangible like a bigger car or a new piece of furniture.
We aren’t taught that a trip is worth it (especially a trip into the unknown where we may not feel comfortable and where bad things have the possibility to happen).One of the reasons I started traveling with my kids when they were very young was to teach them by experience that travel is worth it. Because without it being modeled for them, I’m not sure they’d learn it elsewhere.
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I agree with the “all-of-the-above” statements, but would also like to add the incredibly limited vacation time that most working Americans receive compared to other nations. Europeans are known to travel, but decent wages and 6 weeks of time off annually (combined with the positive attitudes that a life of affordable healthcare and social services affords) lends itself better to world travel. I’m all for the “ignorant Americans” idea, but knowing what they’re missing would probably just make them unhappy.
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I think a big factor is many people’s lack of vacation, but I also agree with Mara about the lack of curiosity. Whenever I tell my dad I’m traveling somewhere, his first reponse is always, “what for?”
As far as money goes, from what I’ve seen it’s actually pretty cheap to travel right now so people should totally take advantage of that and pull some change together
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lack of vacation *time* i mean
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I question the underlying assumption that Americans aren’t traveling abroad at rates higher than any other citizenship. We’ve been in Australia and New Zealand for the last two months and have been stunned by the number of people who haven’t been to the other country (and they’re only a 3 hour flight apart!). In India and Southeast Asia, foreign travel is for the rich and most of the population does not meet that category.
So, in making this assessment that Americans aren’t traveling, are we comparing ourselves to Europeans? If so, then I argue that we should find out how many Europeans travel outside of Europe because continental America is roughly the size of Europe. I know many Europeans have never traveled outside of Europe just as I know that many Americans never travel outside of the U.S.↵ -
I have to respectfully disagree with your last argument. I don’t think you can compare Europeans and Americans in that way just because America is roughly the same size as Europe. The United States is a group of states within one country, while Europe is a group of countries (with different cultures, languages, histories) within a continent. In my opinion, traveling from France to Spain is very different than traveling from say, California to Arizona, regardless of the distance, so I don’t think that the number of Europeans who travel outside of Europe can be compared to the number of Americans that travel outside of the United States in this situation.
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I actually think it’s a fair point – to an extent. If you think about the obstacles that we’re considering here for Americans, many of them don’t apply for Europeans traveling within Europe – no border control, no expensive long-haul flight over the Atlantic, etc. When I lived in the UK I had a French roommate who would swear up and down that he’d never traveled outside France before – except that we knew he’d been to Spain. But he honestly didn’t consider that foreign travel, so he insisted he’d never left home. Then most of my British friends had been all over continental Europe and considered themselves worldly/well-traveled, but most of them had zero interest in ever seeing North America. That same lack of curiosity people attribute to Americans – I had people saying “why would I want to go there? there’s really nothing to see” to me about Canada/USA. (Which, in addition to being incurious, is, well, kind of rude. But that’s another story.)
I think the scale of North America and its separation from the other continents does make a difference, because it feeds into both the cost of travel and the mindset of “wow, I am going a long way away.” It’s more intimidating. If I lived in Western Europe, I could probably visit 10 countries without driving further than I did between home and college in Canada. So in many ways I do think it’s “easier” for Europeans to get some foreign travel under their belts, though I think it’s only one more factor and obviously doesn’t explain the gap entirely.
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I agree with your point, Eva, about the ease of travel within Europe versus the ease of travel outside the United States. My argument is based on the point that even travel within Europe could be considered “foreign” travel (despite what some Europeans may think) whereas I don’t think travel within the United States could be considered “foreign”.
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And you see a hell of a lot more Europeans (Germans and Brits?) and Aussies in other parts of the world as compared to Americans. At least in my experience.
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I love going to Europe in the off-season. Not so damn many of us over there then.
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I don’t think it is fear or comfort that is setting us back, give me a check and I will disprove that myth. It is simply the cost that keeps most of us “would-be-travelers” here on the mainland. The travel costs for Europeans to travel in Europe are miniscule compared to ours. First of all, everyone knows the Euro is 1.5 to are dollar so right off the bat everything costs us 50% more than the Europeans. Second of all if your in Europe it doesn’t take you too long to get to another country. If you go from San Diego to San Fransisco in California (the length of California) you have already traveled farther than italy and France put together. http://www.wisegeek.com/how-big-are-the-states-in-america.htm
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As an american, I have found the only way to make my people understand traveling is to get work the requires it. When I worked on ships they understood that I was there making money so they didnt question it… as much. When I tell about my future plans of travel overseas for travels sake, I get blank stares and confused looks.
Since people dont travel as much they also dont understand the personal benefits. That is something you have to see firsthand and without that experience. They dont get it and it cant be explained.
On a final note, sites like this are great for getting the word out that travel is valuable. More A-merkins should be reading this…
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Love that map. I agree with most of those who commented, in that the main reason is probably work-related: lack of money or vacation time. So with more unemployed, should we expect an increase in travel? Tongue in cheek response, there, but I’m still looking for the best way to keep the bucks coming in with a flexible work schedule. Otherwise… I’d just be an American.
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I agree with Eva, US is so vast and diversified that travel within the states takes many years of traveling. I believe we are a comfortable nation and we hear about to many unforatable situations outside the US. Myself, I have always been curious and are interested in the unknown and love to explore other cultures . But I am of the minority. I do not believe it is a money issue, rather more of a comfort issue.
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I agree, its a combination of reasons. Time off from work is a huge factor, ignorance.
I was told by my parents traveling is what is done after kids are raised. Well, I have news, perhaps for their generation, but not this day and age. Honestly, traveling was not encouraged, except the family vacation to Hawaii or Disneyland.
I will be going to Brazil for 2.5 weeks, which is short by Brazilian standards. However, got some flack from my supervisor about taking so much time off, even though it was approved. She expects me to cram 4 weeks of work in a 2 week period before and after my return. Yes, its unreasonable and unrealistic. Talk about being made to feel guilty for going on vacation. Since it was approved, I am going. And I accrued that time off.
I would say those are main reasons why Americans don’t travel abroad much.
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I think it’s easy to laugh at Americans and say they’re too ignorant and lazy to travel overseas, but like everything else, the reality is just a little more complex.
The reasons are cultural, who are we, as travelers, to laugh at anyone’s culture, even American culture? Isn’t that just a little bit hypocritical?
For most Americans, travelling abroad just isn’t on their radar. Why?
-Short vacation times. With only 2 weeks a year, most people don’t have time to take awesome trips. The ‘holiday’ culture just isn’t a part of American culture.
-Limited budgets and the (perceived) high cost of international travel.
-The size of the US and the opportunities for travel within her borders.
-Motivation. Let’s face it, not everyone cares about seeing how the rest of the world lives. Some people would rather spend time puttering around their house.
-Comfort. People think of a vacation as a time to relax, and for many this means not
venturing outside of their comfort bubble. International travel definitely pushes the limits of comfort.-Fear. The mainstream media does do a pretty good job of keeping people afraid of the rest of the world.
-Finally, some people just don’t want to travel. Simple as that. I don’t want to drive a car, and lots of my countrymen don’t want to travel. Each to their own.
I’m sure there are plenty more reasons, but these are the first to come to mind. The map is funny, though.
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The simple truth is that the great majority of Americans do not look outside of their country for something more, but are happy with where they are and what they know.
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It’s not the expense – travelling Asia is much cheaper then renting an apartment in most US metros. If it weren’t for those bi-weekly unemployment checks I have to sign for, I’d be trotting the globe right now.
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I just got back from a trip to Paris and I won’t be repeating it any time soon. The dollar/ euro exchange rate is horrendous right now. The travel experience was nightmarish…due to tight security, I went through more steps than AA.
The Parisians were not ‘customer oriented’ and a bit snotty by our standards. Service is included in bill, so they do not have to earn their tips through being phoney pleasant (the flip side of course is that they are not exploited as much by their employers, as they make a living wage, and, unlike the US where the customer is always right, workers have rights there as well.)↵ -
Isn’t it racism already?, I should call the authorities with this. Lol. If only people knew more about the world then they won’t be like this anymore.
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Love the story.
Vacation time & geography has a lot to do with it, I think.
Americans have half the vacation time as the Brits, and even less of the French. And some of those days are taken adding onto holidays, visiting family that may be a four-hour flight away.
Europe grows up at each others door. Here, Oklahomans are at Texas’ door. Iowans at Minnesota’s. Getting from Paris to Hamburg takes about as long as it takes to cross Tennessee by car.
And Americans are just in love with their cars — and they don’t like stopping for directions. “The Rockies, here we come.” And they go.
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Robert said:
“…Europe grows up at each others door. Here, Oklahomans are at Texas’ door. Iowans at Minnesota’s. Getting from Paris to Hamburg takes about as long as it takes to cross Tennessee by car…”But do Texans & Oklahomans have a more “worldly” view of things than your typical European? Do they see the world as that displayed in the map to this post? What is their general “awareness” to serious worldly issues?
It is this lack of awareness (ignorance?) and too much TV (idiot box) programming that would make them less likely to travel abroad because their curiosity has been replaced with a consumerist mentality.Going from France to Germany might take you through Italy, Switzerland, & Austria or Belgium and Holland — different cultures/customs that should expand one’s awareness and give them an appreciation for CULTURE. Driving from Ottawa, Canada to Boston, Mass every Summer as a teen did absolutely nothing for me in that regard.
Just my 2 cents.
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Ha Ha – the map is very funny!
On the note about Americans taking vacations (or not, as the case may be), there is some additional insight here:
http://www.wisebread.com/america-is-the-no-vacation-nation↵ -
I don’t want to rain on anybody’s parade and I share the frustration at people not understanding the benefits of travel, but it is not really true that Americans are more afraid of travel or less interested in travel than people from other countries.
In my own experience traveling in over 60 countries (often going off the beaten track and usually not traveling with other Americans) I have met more Americans than people from any other country. I looked up some statistics to see if my experience was unusual and found that statistically Americans are great travelers.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, in 2007 “64.0 million US residents traveled abroad” which was more than 1 out of every 5 Americans. According to the World Tourism Organization in that year Americans were second only to the Germans in total amount of money spent on overseas travel, and spent more than twice as much on international travel as travelers from any other country except Germany and the U.K.
If you travel in Europe of course you will see many more Europeans traveling across borders than Americans, for the reasons already pointed out. For similar reasons you will find many more Americans than Europeans traveling in Canada and Mexico. Once you get far away from Europe to neutral ground you’ll usually find more Americans than Europeans.
It’s a shame that more Americans do not appreciate the many benefits of international travel but Americans actually do more than their share
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That map is effing hilarious!!! I forwarded that one around… and it’s so true!
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For most of the current twenty-somethings, of which I am one, I can say that not traveling outside of the country is almost exclusively caused by a lack of money, not fear.
People above said they receive blank looks and questions of “Why?” when they announce travel plans, whereas everyone that I know would react with envy and enthusiastic questions if one of us announced a trip.
Even the friends that I have who make enough money to live on have to earn their vacation time through being at the same job for a number of years. Two weeks is a huge luxury, not the the American standard.
It would take me a month’s salary to buy a plane ticket to Europe, and even then I’d have to not pay rent or eat.
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My wife and I are Americans, and we’ve been to approximately 20 countries between us. While we’ve been to more places than most people we know, almost all of our friends have been to other countries as well. However, instead of going to Europe like we do, they go to islands in the Caribbean or to the shores of Mexico. For them, a good vacation involves warm weather and sand. Neither my wife nor I enjoy lounging on the beach, but for a lot of people that’s an ideal vacation, and one that they’ll happily travel outside our borders to experience.
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The world is NOT like that for the USA!!!! We think we’re #1 because we have to be proud of our country and of course it’s not true that all americans believe in Santa. Plus, Europe is not perfect.
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you’re humiliating the USA
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I live in SF and I just got back from 10 days in Yucatan…driving down to the borders of Belize and Guatemala from Merida visiting Maya ruins and beautiful beaches and speaking conversant Spanish the whole way. I met Americans frequently. One had driven his truck from Marin County and was camping outside the ruins at Calakmul in the middle of the jungle. Others were working selling diamonds to the tourists off the ships at Mahajual (they had done this in other countries too). A whole party of Americans was hanging out at Pancho’s in Merida…they too lived and worked there. I’m happy to say I didn’t set foot in Cancun. I have been to 35+ countries over the last 30 years always on the cheap and off the track. I lived in Japan for nearly 5 years and travelled as a 19 year-old from London to Ankara…working in hotels and even a fishing boat. Everywhere I have been I’ve met a fascinating array of people…always including Americans! I think it’s a bunch of anti-American tripe to globally say that people here are insular. I’ve met Japanese people born in Osaka who’d never been to Kyoto. Many Americans I know have parents or grandparents or are themselves from different countries…at least here in California. My grandparents were from Italy and spoke Italian at home. One of the best experiences I’ve had was on the Trans-Siberian…there were several other Americans and Europeans. The French group was hilarious…four teachers from Versailles who couldn’t speak a word of Russian or English. I was a French language major at University and, to their utter humiliation, I, the American, had to translate for them as all requests and conversation with other passengers and the provodnitsas was done in the most common language of English. We spent 6 days on a side trip all together in Mongolia and yet again I (the ignorant, ugly, insular American) had to get them through their communication blackout. I realize this is just anecdotal evidence and as such is not proof of anything except that some Americans…just as some Europeans and some Asians…do travel extensively and are quite aware of the outside world.
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