Never been outside US.

[Healer Flame]

My opinion differs as to why. I think Australians travel more because:
-Proximity to Asia (thus cheaper). It's much more expensive for Americans to travel to Europe, than it is for Ozzies to travel to Bali/Vietnam/Singapore.
-Most of Australia is pretty 'homogeneous', so there is'nt much variety to be had, compared to the US anyway, so i suspect most Americans just travel around the country for holidays.
-I also suspect there's a larger proportion of first/second generation immigrants in Australia who visit extended families overseas.

However, I agree on the holidays situation. 4 weeks vs 2 weeks annual leave makes a big difference. IMHO

Yes this is true, we have a large European ethnic groups here in Australia.

Wow is it only two weeks holiday in USA? Here its between 4 to 6 weeks a year.
[doublepost=1559577224][/doublepost]

According to statista about 38M Americans traveled overseas in 2017. Doesn't look a small number in my opinion.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/214774/number-of-outbound-tourists-from-the-us/

And 82M outbound tourists from the US in 2017 alone:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/214771/number-of-outbound-tourists-from-the-us/

https://nypost.com/2018/01/11/a-shocking-number-of-americans-never-leave-home/

 

[yaxomoxay]

https://nypost.com/2018/01/11/a-shocking-number-of-americans-never-leave-home/

I have no idea about how it relates to other countries to be honest, so I can't really comment on this limited survey.
Anecdotally, when I lived in Italy I met many people that had no idea how to speak correct Italian because the main language they used was their local dialect. I think this happens more or less in any country.

 

[juanm]

According to statista about 38M Americans traveled overseas in 2017. Doesn't look a small number in my opinion.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/214774/number-of-outbound-tourists-from-the-us/

I'd wager a good chunk of those 37 million had already been outside of the US, whereas a lot of the other 300 Million has never been abroad (which is what this thread is about).

 

[AngerDanger]

Are we honestly not going to consider the possibility that Americans are just intrinsically terrible no-travelies! They also smell bad!

 

[yaxomoxay]

I'd wager agood chunk of those 37 million had already been outside of the US, whereas a lot of the other 300+ Million has never been abroad (which is what this thread is about).

It's 37 M in one year, or about 370M travelers in 10 years. Even if 50% were repeat travelers, that would make 185M... but here we're both speculating.

 

[hawkeye_a]

It's 37 M in one year, or about 370M travelers in 10 years. Even if 50% were repeat travelers, that would make 185M... but here we're both speculating.

Incidentally, 37M is larger than the entire population of Australia.

 

[Khalanad75]

Incidentally, 37M is larger than the entire population of Australia.

I think in a lot of these discussions about different countries, the things forgotten is the fact about the geological diversity within the country and the size.

Are American's more likely to stay within the states when they vacation? Yes. Why? because no currency exchange, we get less vacation hours, higher chance of being able to speak the languages, there is no hassle to travel from state to state (no need for a passport where obtaining one can be a chore upon itself), and you can visit all the types of biomes within one country.

Hell, in California where I live we have the desert, we have the beach, we have the mountains with snow, we have lakes for watersports, we have marshlands.

That said, one of the best things that happened to me as a kid was having my father in the Air Force and moving around seeing different cultures.

I am glad to share that with my kids. They are 14 and 11. They have already visited 32 of the 50 states. They have been to Mexico, Canada, and a couple countries in the Caribbean. Next month we will be in Europe for 3 weeks and they will see France, Spain, Portugal, and England. I would love to add more countries to the trip, but 3 weeks is all I got. I had to carryover a week from last year for this. And the cost for all of this, is coming in around $15k.

We could have rented and RV and visited the rest of the continental US for a fraction of the price, but the wife and I feel it is important for them to see and experience different cultures.

 

[2984839]

I have never had much interest in traveling, and with the cost being so high, it isn’t worth doing unless I really want to.

 

[juanm]

Are we honestly not going to consider the possibility that Americans are just intrinsically terrible no-travelies! They also smell bad!

dub dub

 

[Jessica Lares]

Over the past few decades, there's been a lot of news coverage about people who've gone missing while traveling. There's a lot of concern about people traveling alone for that reason. We've done 17 hours to and from Mexico multiple times, but there's people looking to get money out of you in the middle of nowhere.

And yeah, people want familiarity, so there's a lot of advertising for camping/boating/resort experiences on the TV over here. Visiting Europe is a thing some people think you do after you retire so you can spend a month there.

 

[Apple fanboy]

In the UK here. As a child I probably went to most of the European countries.
But I’ve travelled to the States three times.
Chicago
Wisconsin
Florida
Atlanta
LA

It’s the same distance from here to there

 

[Healer Flame]

Over the past few decades, there's been a lot of news coverage about people who've gone missing while traveling. There's a lot of concern about people traveling alone for that reason. We've done 17 hours to and from Mexico multiple times, but there's people looking to get money out of you in the middle of nowhere.

And yeah, people want familiarity, so there's a lot of advertising for camping/boating/resort experiences on the TV over here. Visiting Europe is a thing some people think you do after you retire so you can spend a month there.

You can not restrict your enjoyment and fun just because few rare incidents. Life is short, we've got little time but too much to do, see and experience
[doublepost=1559628781][/doublepost]Lucky Australia is not very far from SE Asia. Flights to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia are very affordable specially in low season. Cost is never a problem to Australians. Japan and China are not too far either.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

In the UK here. As a child I probably went to most of the European countries.
But I’ve travelled to the States three times.
Chicago
Wisconsin
Florida
Atlanta
LA

It’s the same distance from here to there

Likewise.

I've worked in and traveled to many countries across three continents, (but have never been to the US).

When I was teaching, one of my American students drew my attention to the fact that around half of all Americans didn't have a passport.

However, this is not something you would see in Europe, for a variety of social, cultural, historical, and economic reasons. If you don't use your passport to take holidays, then, you may certainly need it to travel abroad for work or professional purposes. Or both.

Nevertheless, I did teach quite a number of American students in an earlier existence (who had come to spend a term, or a year, at two of the universities where I taught) and found them incredibly hard-working but breathtakingly uninformed about - frankly, ignorant of - European (or world) history and politics.

Actually, the US strikes me as culturally very insular and self-absorbed, something which is reflected on these very threads.

 

[Healer Flame]

Well to be honest distance is poor excuses not to travel these days. 200 years ago you'd probably waste 4 months from your life to travel from say London to NY.

We are so lucky to live in the age of planes and cars

 

[eyoungren]

Few people on their death bed will say "Damn, I wish I had spent more money on my Wrangler 35 years ago".

Few people not on their death bed are thinking more than five minutes ahead. In fact I'd argue that the people thinking 5 minutes ahead are rare themselves.

The majority of Americans are only thinking about a minute ahead.

Your statement assumes a thoughtful person who ponders things. That's not the majority of Americans.
[doublepost=1559655934][/doublepost]

Is it true most Americans have never travelled outside of USA before?

If you or someone you know never have been outside of US, your state or city please tell us why. Thanks in advance.

I've been to exactly one country outside the US. That was the UK in 1983 when I was 12 years old. My dad had American Airlines frequent flier miles and so he took us there.

Got to see London and places around there. The particular day we visited Buckingham Palace the Queen just happened to be leaving so we got to see her drive by.

At the Tower of London we got to see why you do not get in the way of the guard. Guy with a camera was trying to take pictures of them marching while walking backwards in front of them. He tripped and they walked right over him without stopping.

My sister got to be disappointed that Paddington station didn't have a bear. Crying in the tube and all that. My dad got to be stressed out about driving on the wrong side of the road and I got a Lego castle set at a really cool toy store. Still have some of the medieval Lego knights in the garage from that set.

The farthest west I've been since was Hawaii in 1984 when I was 13. The farthest east I've ever been is NYC, which happened because I went with my dad on his business trip.

My kids though have only been to one state and that's California, one state over from Arizona.

Some of that has been the current state of affairs with flying. We used to fly a lot in the 70s and for a young kid that was a special time. In-flight meals, airplane wings, polite people, etc. Now it's an industry where you're nickel and dimed and nobody cares. Even before 9/11 it wasn't special anymore. And that was a big part of going somewhere for me. Add in security hassles and I'm out.

Now I just drive, unless there is absolutely no alternative. Don't want to deal with any of that garbage.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Well to be honest distance is poor excuses not to travel these days. 200 years ago you'd probably waste 4 months from your life to travel from say London to NY.

We are so lucky to live in the age of planes and cars

There is a difference between an excuse, and a reason.
My wife and my youngest kid are going to Italy this summer, it's about $1,300 per person just for the ticket. Thankfully they will not have to pay for lodging and food as they will stay with family. Most travelers will need a room to stay in, and food, plus enough money to move around, on top of money required to visit certain places (museum tickets etc.).
The distance makes the trip more costly and more complex, and that's a simple fact. Americans tend to visit... the US. Why? Because there's lots of things to do here (the US is as a matter of fact a very popular destination for tourism). Those who have money usually are trying to build a life and a family at home, so they save on visiting France or Vietnam in favor of buying a home. Usually the plan is to travel when the kids are grown up or after retirement. Some are lucky - or very hard working - and travel before raising a family, when they're still young (20-25yo).

 

[Healer Flame]

There is a difference between an excuse, and a reason.
My wife and my youngest kid are going to Italy this summer, it's about $1,300 per person just for the ticket. Thankfully they will not have to pay for lodging and food as they will stay with family. Most travelers will need a room to stay in, and food, plus enough money to move around, on top of money required to visit certain places (museum tickets etc.).
The distance makes the trip more costly and more complex, and that's a simple fact. Americans tend to visit... the US. Why? Because there's lots of things to do here (the US is as a matter of fact a very popular destination for tourism). Those who have money usually are trying to build a life and a family at home, so they save on visiting France or Vietnam in favor of buying a home. Usually the plan is to travel when the kids are grown up or after retirement. Some are lucky - or very hard working - and travel before raising a family, when they're still young (20-25yo).

Some of my family and friends stopped taking long flight holidays because they couldn't be bothered sitting in a plane for more than 8-16 hours to and from the destination. I was refering to them and people we the same thoughts.

Yes USA is a hot holiday destination but like Australia and Canada its still a young nation still lacks rich culture like Europe, China, Egypt, India.....etc..etc..

 

[AlliFlowers]

At the point I graduated from high school I had spent as much time living outside the US as in. I never stopped traveling. I've been to 49 of our 50 states. Hawaii eludes me still.

Good point but the thrill and excitement to fly to unknown destinations is too good to miss out.
[doublepost=1559570360][/doublepost]I know someone who never left his city for 30 years. A friend of mine had to be dragged to the plane cause he is scared of flying.

Why fly to unknown destinations? Why not drive? As others have pointed out, you can spend the same amount of time flying from one coat to the other, starting within the US, as you would spend flying to Europe - and you may have to start with a lengthy flight to reach an airport that will take you out of the country.

This is purely anecdotal but having moved to the states in late 2017, I've been shocked not only by the number of people I've spoken to here who have never left the States, but also by the number who seem to have barely even travelled within the US itself. Many people cite price as the main reason, but also seem to have no problem living well beyond their means anyway.

I have a friend who prides himself on his European holidays. But he never travels within the states, and has seen very little of it.

It's not price - it's priorities.

I have only been to 4 Australia states. You've seen more of Australia than me.

So why would you not want to explore your own country before going elsewhere? My husband and I love playing tourist in our downtown. Who knew there was so much to do here when it's not Mardi Gras?!

You can spend $2000 on a lift kit for your Wrangler or $2000 on a 5-day trip to Europe.

It's just a matter of priorities and this is true in probably most countries (above the poverty line)

Exactly what I said above. And if you're not brought up with travel as a priority, the lift kit will always come first.

And yes, there's always the amount of vacation time one gets. I worked for a French company years ago, and they started us off with 4 weeks. My husband had to work 30+ years at the come he retired from before he got 4 weeks. And those 4 weeks were also to be used for doctor's appointments and sick time as well as bereavement.

Few people can get the time needed for a long holiday.

 

[Healer Flame]

At the point I graduated from high school I had spent as much time living outside the US as in. I never stopped traveling. I've been to 49 of our 50 states. Hawaii eludes me still.



Why fly to unknown destinations? Why not drive? As others have pointed out, you can spend the same amount of time flying from one coat to the other, starting within the US, as you would spend flying to Europe - and you may have to start with a lengthy flight to reach an airport that will take you out of the country.



I have a friend who prides himself on his European holidays. But he never travels within the states, and has seen very little of it.

It's not price - it's priorities.



So why would you not want to explore your own country before going elsewhere? My husband and I love playing tourist in our downtown. Who knew there was so much to do here when it's not Mardi Gras?!



Exactly what I said above. And if you're not brought up with travel as a priority, the lift kit will always come first.

And yes, there's always the amount of vacation time one gets. I worked for a French company years ago, and they started us off with 4 weeks. My husband had to work 30+ years at the come he retired from before he got 4 weeks. And those 4 weeks were also to be used for doctor's appointments and sick time as well as bereavement.

Few people can get the time needed for a long holiday.

Why would not i explore my own country? Well its better to do the hard and long holidays while you are still young. I can do my own country when i retire or bit earlier.

When i said unknown destinations i meant discovering new, unpredicted and unexpected destinations. What's the point flying to Hawaii or other commonly known destination knowing what you will see and experience from the trip ?

Holiday trips are about surprises, fun, thrill, excitment, education and fun.

Nothing is more exciting than landing in a mysterious foreign land regardless of the risk.

 

[2984839]

Likewise.

I've worked in and traveled to many countries across three continents, (but have never been to the US).

When I was teaching, one of my American students drew my attention to the fact that around half of all Americans didn't have a passport.

However, this is not something you would see in Europe, for a variety of social, cultural, historical, and economic reasons. If you don't use your passport to take holidays, then, you may certainly need it to travel abroad for work or professional purposes. Or both.

Nevertheless, I did teach quite a number of American students in an earlier existence (who had come to spend a term, or a year, at two of the universities where I taught) and found them incredibly hard-working but breathtakingly uninformed about - frankly, ignorant of - European (or world) history and politics.

Actually, the US strikes me as culturally very insular and self-absorbed, something which is reflected on these very threads.

I suspect their ignorance of history and world politics is due to our abominable public education system rather than lack of travel experience.

As to being insular, I would prefer that over being like the segment of Europeans who invest quite a lot of energy concerning themselves with what Americans do so that they can feel superior somehow.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Few people not on their death bed are thinking more than five minutes ahead. In fact I'd argue that the people thinking 5 minutes ahead are rare themselves.

The majority of Americans are only thinking about a minute ahead.

Your statement assumes a thoughtful person who ponders things. That's not the majority of Americans.
[doublepost=1559655934][/doublepost]
I've been to exactly one country outside the US. That was the UK in 1983 when I was 12 years old. My dad had American Airlines frequent flier miles and so he took us there.

Got to see London and places around there. The particular day we visited Buckingham Palace the Queen just happened to be leaving so we got to see her drive by.

At the Tower of London we got to see why you do not get in the way of the guard. Guy with a camera was trying to take pictures of them marching while walking backwards in front of them. He tripped and they walked right over him without stopping.

My sister got to be disappointed that Paddington station didn't have a bear. Crying in the tube and all that. My dad got to be stressed out about driving on the wrong side of the road and I got a Lego castle set at a really cool toy store. Still have some of the medieval Lego knights in the garage from that set.

The farthest west I've been since was Hawaii in 1984 when I was 13. The farthest east I've ever been is NYC, which happened because I went with my dad on his business trip.

My kids though have only been to one state and that's California, one state over from Arizona.

Some of that has been the current state of affairs with flying. We used to fly a lot in the 70s and for a young kid that was a special time. In-flight meals, airplane wings, polite people, etc. Now it's an industry where you're nickel and dimed and nobody cares. Even before 9/11 it wasn't special anymore. And that was a big part of going somewhere for me. Add in security hassles and I'm out.

Now I just drive, unless there is absolutely no alternative. Don't want to deal with any of that garbage.

I bet that toy shop was called Hamleys.
[doublepost=1559669088][/doublepost]

At the point I graduated from high school I had spent as much time living outside the US as in. I never stopped traveling. I've been to 49 of our 50 states. Hawaii eludes me still.



Why fly to unknown destinations? Why not drive? As others have pointed out, you can spend the same amount of time flying from one coat to the other, starting within the US, as you would spend flying to Europe - and you may have to start with a lengthy flight to reach an airport that will take you out of the country.



I have a friend who prides himself on his European holidays. But he never travels within the states, and has seen very little of it.

It's not price - it's priorities.



So why would you not want to explore your own country before going elsewhere? My husband and I love playing tourist in our downtown. Who knew there was so much to do here when it's not Mardi Gras?!



Exactly what I said above. And if you're not brought up with travel as a priority, the lift kit will always come first.

And yes, there's always the amount of vacation time one gets. I worked for a French company years ago, and they started us off with 4 weeks. My husband had to work 30+ years at the come he retired from before he got 4 weeks. And those 4 weeks were also to be used for doctor's appointments and sick time as well as bereavement.

Few people can get the time needed for a long holiday.

So how do you visit Alaska rather than Hawaii and when are you going?

 

[Treiber75]

To answer the question. A few friends of mine have never been outside the US. They told be me because they live in a huge country with beaches mountains and big city’s to visit. No need to step outside their country.

I am from Germany (Munich, south of Germany). As you can see on a map, the country is smaller than Texas in the US. So if I want to go visit Berlin, it takes me 8 hours by car and 1.5 hours by plane. It is still the same country (which ends there on the Polish border), everything is the same like food, streets, people, buildings and the language. And that’s (for me...) kind of boring.
Milano,Italy, Paris,France or Stockholm,Sweden are just 1-2 Plane hours away. But it’s almost the same except the language. It is still Europe.

Since 2004 my wife an I travel to America every year, and we really love this country.
I think a problem for many people here in Europe is the price for a US trip.
A flight from Munich to Los Angeles is about $1800-$2000 each, Car rental, Hotel or Apartment, food, activities are expensive. Our yearly trip to US (last year in May we went to California) costs around $13-$17.000 for two. A lot of money and specially for people with 2 kids (I think everyone in our circle of friends has at least 2 kinds...) not able to handle. We do not have kids and really enjoying our “freedom”

So on the other side I think many Americans don’t need to go outside the US because (like I said) they have everything in their own country and the price for a trip to Europe (or Russia/China) is expensive too. I met American people in Berlin, they told me their 5 week trip through Europe is around $20.000 and more.

Stay safe guys and enjoy your beautiful country

And sorry for my English skills! I will improve them in the future.

 

[Tomorrow]

That's not an excuse. You don't travel for the pleasure of adding miles to the odometer, but to see different things.

This seems to imply that one can only see different things by traveling to another country.

I live in Texas, the closest major city to me is Dallas. I can drive five hours southwest and see the Alamo, the San Antonio Riverwalk, Seaworld, and experience perhaps the most Mexican-flavored culture anywhere in the world outside of Mexico itself. Four and a half hours southeast I can go to NASA and the Johnson Space Center and eat fresh seafood on Galveston island. Three hours south and I'm in the beautiful hill country just west of Austin. Here in town there are plenty of museums for those who are into such things, and about thirty miles west in Fort Worth one can enjoy "cowtown" with cattle drives, rodeos, and some of the best BBQ not from central Texas.

We don't offer up that "Texas is really big" because it's an "excuse" for not traveling; we say "Texas is big" because there ARE many "different things" for us to see and do here.

The post above assumes that Americans don't travel. Americans do travel, a lot. Many don't, many do. And many travel within the US as there's lots to see and do here too.

Thank you, well said.

I'd wager a good chunk of those 37 million had already been outside of the US, whereas a lot of the other 300 Million has never been abroad (which is what this thread is about).

It's all anecdotal. I know almost nobody who has never traveled abroad.

 

[Apple fanboy]

To answer the question. A few friends of mine have never been outside the US. They told be me because they live in a huge country with beaches mountains and big city’s to visit. No need to step outside their country.

I am from Germany (Munich, south of Germany). As you can see on a map, the country is smaller than Texas in the US. So if I want to go visit Berlin, it takes me 8 hours by car and 1.5 hours by plane. It is still the same country (which ends there on the Polish border), everything is the same like food, streets, people, buildings and the language. And that’s (for me...) kind of boring.
Milano,Italy, Paris,France or Stockholm,Sweden are just 1-2 Plane hours away. But it’s almost the same except the language. It is still Europe.

Since 2004 my wife an I travel to America every year, and we really love this country.
I think a problem for many people here in Europe is the price for a US trip.
A flight from Munich to Los Angeles is about $1800-$2000 each, Car rental, Hotel or Apartment, food, activities are expensive. Our yearly trip to US (last year in May we went to California) costs around $13-$17.000 for two. A lot of money and specially for people with 2 kids (I think everyone in our circle of friends has at least 2 kinds...) not able to handle. We do not have kids and really enjoying our “freedom”

So on the other side I think many Americans don’t need to go outside the US because (like I said) they have everything in their own country and the price for a trip to Europe (or Russia/China) is expensive too. I met American people in Berlin, they told me their 5 week trip through Europe is around $20.000 and more.

Stay safe guys and enjoy your beautiful country

And sorry for my English skills! I will improve them in the future.

Your English is better than our German.
I’ll be off to Karlsruhe in a few weeks for work again.

 

[yaxomoxay]

This seems to imply that one can only see different things by traveling to another country.

I live in Texas, the closest major city to me is Dallas. I can drive five hours southwest and see the Alamo, the San Antonio Riverwalk, Seaworld, and experience perhaps the most Mexican-flavored culture anywhere in the world outside of Mexico itself. Four and a half hours southeast I can go to NASA and the Johnson Space Center and eat fresh seafood on Galveston island. Three hours south and I'm in the beautiful hill country just west of Austin. Here in town there are plenty of museums for those who are into such things, and about thirty miles west in Fort Worth one can enjoy "cowtown" with cattle drives, rodeos, and some of the best BBQ not from central Texas.

We don't offer up that "Texas is really big" because it's an "excuse" for not traveling; we say "Texas is big" because there ARE many "different things" for us to see and do here.

Precisely.
Johnson Space Center is actually one of my favorite destinations as I am a space nerd (however, you should definitely visit Von Braun's Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL which is breathtaking if you like space related stuff).
Ah the beauty of San Antonio, I love visiting the missions. I also love driving through the Hill Country, going by the various backroads.
Hey, you mentioned Mexico but you forgot Germany... how can you skip Fredricksburg, which is incidentally close to the Enchanted Rock, one of the biggest granite mountains in the world and the place where Robert E. Howard created Conan the Barbarian? At any rate, if we want to taste some France, we can also drive a few hours and go to New Orleans, and enjoy it in its full mysterious beauty (and unique smell...).