It’s not every day I get an invitation to the White House from the President’s office in my inbox. I remember that day, my emotions seemed to follow through every stage of the grief cycle, with the initial shock, “oh crap, are my taxes up to date?” Then moving on to denial, “Why me?” and eventually leading to acceptance. I’ve realized that this is a really good thing for everyone.
So, Why Does Washington Care About Travel Bloggers Anyway?
The White House Summit on Study Abroad and Global Citizenship is bringing “the top 100 most influential bloggers and digital influencers” to Washington DC on December 9th to harness the transformative power of travel for the benefit of our country. I am honored and excited to be invited. This summit is the perfect intersection of my passion (the experience of travel and travel writing), my experience (helping leading foundations find better ways to solve the world’s problems) and my influence.
Travel blogging and travel writing is a sexy idea. It sits at the top of the list of glamorous dream jobs, but many times doesn’t get much recognition in the real world. What excites me the most (other than the rumors of meeting the first dog) is the recognition of the value of travel in the land of ambition, the recognition that something is missing from us if we never leave the cubicle, the recognition that waiting until retirement to travel is not the best way to incubate future leaders, the recognition that the future prosperity of America can’t rest on the shoulders of people who have never left the country. Narrow-minded leaders lack the perspective to lead in our increasingly dynamic world. Power without perspective is destabilizing- as we all learned from the emperor without clothes.
But what can we do about it?
further reading: In Advance of the White House Summit on Global Citizenship
I Want Your Opinion:
Why don’t Americans travel overseas? Everyday I see people boiling over with excitement to backpack through Southeast Asia or hiking to Macchu Picchu or going on an African safari. I see British college students taking a “gap year” to travel the world and find their calling with the encouragement of their family. I also see far too many Americans avoiding travel until they have accumulated 2 weeks of annual vacation days and have a timeshare in Florida.
Why does the excitement of travel so quickly turn into such a sheltered existence? Can we not afford to travel? Do we not want to travel? Are we scared that travel will change us? Is it against our American culture to travel? I want to know what you think.
How Can The White House Help More People Study Abroad? Here is Your Chance to be heard.
Add yourself to the Mosaic below and tell everyone why they should study abroad!
Retweet and reply to any of the tweets below:
Let’s talk: How can the @WhiteHouse help people study abroad? http://t.co/LKmBohelN8 #StudyAbroadBecause #travel #lp pic.twitter.com/obr9DxrWo9
— Brad Bernard (@mywanderlist) December 11, 2014
Did you get to study abroad? How has it changed you? #StudyAbroadBecause #travel #ttot #travelpics pic.twitter.com/40o2K106fe
— Brad Bernard (@mywanderlist) December 11, 2014
Can #studyabroad improve our lives by opening minds and challenging misperceptions? #StudyAbroadBecause #trlt pic.twitter.com/yGcniLzdMN
— Brad Bernard (@mywanderlist) December 11, 2014
A big thank you to HI-USA and everyone who worked so hard to make this happen. Travel Blogger Summit photo by:Nathaniel Boyle Want to follow the conversation? Look for the hashtag #WHTravelBloggers on Twitter.
About the author: Brad Bernard
Brad Bernard has traveled through 92 countries to find off-the-map experiences and authentic adventure travel. He pushes his own personal boundaries by travelling experimentally. Brad’s personal quest to find the most extreme and unique in travel has bred misadventures and moments of enlightenment alike. You can read his craziest stories on his adventure travel blog
Website: https://plus.google.com/+BradBernard340/
at 3:55 pm
There have always been a few basic obstacles for travel abroad..in the 1960s when i was getting out of high school, seemed much more motivation ,even encouragement to go. Boys(young men) had the draft board to contend with, which was a bit more than a basic obstacle ,but that was about it. college was not expensive by any standards. state univs were very reasonable with fairly low residency standards in the best states (cal, ny, ct, etc) under $50 a credit/unit was not unusual for under grad state schools. and boys/men could maintain the 2S deferment as long as they didnt quit school and got a study abroad program -something which wasnt very typical then though. schools were mandated to report immediately , any man between 18-27 or maybe 26 to the local draft boards who quit or flunked out. I notice that now there is more of a societal prohibition against youth travel abroad. it is in all sorts of subtle ways, reports through news sources….vacations are fine, a week or 10days.
the best time to travel is when young. i knew this when i was 17 ,because you are fit, much more physically fit , more adventurous and far less inhibited with preconceived bias and prejudice-more willing to take chances on unknown because so much more is still unknown.
the point about euorpeans being able to see a dozen foreign countries because of proximity (now even more since the yugoslavia ,russia,etc broke up) but the point is well taken.
Here in the usa, we can travel states and regions and learn plenty about who we live with/among. we do have all of central america, mexico and canada , not to mention all of the separate island nations in the caribbean with an only a slight bit more distance to south america. but , the subtle warnings against travel there are in all of the news about problems for americans there-even if it is isolated and prevalent in only one country or parts of one.
travel can involve risks anywhere-the notion of americans abroad encountering problems is not new by any means. being the cause of the troubles due to attitude or perceptions of americans as elitist or whatever other negatives existed over the periods.
our foreign policies are not usually known by most who travel on tourist trips. a vacationer is different from someone who wants to travel as a life experience and that becomes a 2way event. an ambassador and student at once. I think that students can be the best ambassadors of how americans really are and help dispel the bad image which all the bad businesses and/or bad business practices of private industry as well as our unnecessary intrusions of military presences all over the place to support those business practices-or so it seems to most people who get news that isnt filtered through the same media channels as we get here.
I would love to travel as much as i was able to do when i was younger. I am not able to walk as far or easily as i could 50yrs ago, i am sure i can endure other aspects of travel on the cheap and being on a fixed social security income can be an asset even if it is small. I wished many times , when i was 18 or 20 for just half of what a pensioner might get a month. while not much now, it is still enough to travel via hostel or that level.
I have plenty of places left to see and not enough time, an age old issue,so to speak. may not be able to crawl up to machu pichu anymore but always looking for resources that may enable or expedite what youth can do only aimed toward the more aged who do not want to go on package 10day tours with one day in belgium or 6hrs to see one city. would rather watch that on tv or rent a dvd and spend 2hrs in one place without having to walk.
at 1:13 pm
Thanks for your perspective, John. It does get harder to travel with age and career and what the neighbors will think. The most common regret I hear is people wishing they had traveled when they were young, and I don’t understand why more Americans aren’t excited to experience the places they’ve read about in History books.
The media filter creates a ton of fear and misunderstanding- both ways. It’s completely ridiculous how people and situations are painted on both sides. I’ve been in few catastrophes and the news has no idea what’s happening on the ground. It’s like watching the local news to get a feel for your own city- I’d be scared to leave the house. For that reason, it was impossible to convince my parents to let me travel. I still don’t tell my family where I go sometimes because I don’t want them to worry.
at 6:33 pm
I just discovered your blog and I’m well aware of the fact that this is an older post. I’m a 20 year veteran trucker and an avid world traveler. I’ve not even scratched the surface of your travel history myself, however I want to give an opinion as to why Americans don’t travel.
1. Cost of the travel and loss of work while travelling costs money.
2. Lack of education. When things are unknown, they’re scary.
3. It’s not accepted well socially. As a trucker I’ve been to every state and every province in Canada. Most of the people I’ve met have barely any knowledge of the name of the town that’s 3 towns over from where they live.
4. The media in America is horrific. There are even shows on TV about being thrown in jail while traveling. It reminds me of the movie ,”The Truman Show”, when Truman (played by Jim Carrey) decided to take a trip and while he was at the travel agency there was a picture of an airplane on the wall with lightning striking it with the caption, “It could happen to you”.
5. America is a competitive place and taking a lot of time off work doesn’t look good on your resume.
6. America has it all. I’ve been to just about every town in the USA and I can tell you where every type of food in the world is found in just about any town. Heck, New York City has EVERYTHING. From Alaska, to the U.S. Virgin Islands, to Hawaii, to Guam. An American citizen has many choices of where they can go and not need a passport.
Having said #6, I just want to say why I like to leave the country that I love. Because in my travels, I discovered that the media makes money selling what people want to read, see, and hear. It’s a true disservice to us all. I’ve found that the only way to truly know what another place is like is to go there. This includes the many cultures of the US. I enjoy being enveloped in a place where no one speaks my language and I am out of my element. This is also one of the things I like about traveling in that, I know when I’m ready to go home and when I return to the USA, I’m proud to be from a country where we take everyone in and give them a chance. Many times while traveling, I’ve been told that a relative or an acquaintance has travelled to the USA to have an opportunity. Most of the people I’ve met overseas have a favorable opinion of the USA, if they have an opinion at all about it. Believe it or not, most people around the world don’t walk around thinking about the USA. In fact, most people don’t really care about it at all.
So if you can handle an uncomfortable airplane ride or long boat trip, then the world is your oyster. This blog really emphasizes that point! I’m envious!
Ed recently posted…Oh yeah!!!!
at 1:38 pm
Ahh, thanks, Ed. Amen on everything you said. The Truman Show reference is hilarious! We do spend much of our time in pursuit of career and having things, and much of our energy worried about losing those things. It makes no sense to me.
The world is nothing like we see on TV, and I’m troubled when the reality of the world becomes more shocking than the news. When people can’t imagine a day without Starbucks.
People should be smart about their choices, but honestly, most of the anger, conflict and misunderstanding I see results from the layers of fear, politics, ignorance and ego we wear. It prevents us from seeing ourselves and the humans around us.
at 3:45 pm
You’all are so right. It is an imperative that we get around. Kind of preaching to the choir here. Maybe some high school kids will be motivated, as well as some more people my age, past retirement who are able to afford to bypass the 17days to see europe or the 18trip through Oceania ,and the like. Maybe take a month to see some places in depth, get to know the people. I like that- I did only one tour, was good only that it taught me not to ever do that kind of travel again, not unless there will be 5-6more weeks after the initial introduction, thatis
As a defense for us in the us, as you , brad, had pointed out..we only get that 5day vacation can be only that for 2-5yrs at places. when i was young, all europeans got a month or 5weeks off. France shut down in August. all service workers had it off, and off to the beaches . Unfortunately, those people i knew back then have said that the trend in many of the western european countries was to americanize their approach to work , annual vacation. too bad, once again, the worst parts of american society get exported..
maybe travel isnt the only answer , but it sure helps
at 10:23 pm
Very interesting topic. Im from the Philippines and travelled across Europe, Asia and US. The first time I finally saved up enough money to travel, i just went! And haven’t stopped from that point on.
For me, it really is more of a DESIRE/HUNGER to explore more than anything else. Yes culture plays a big role into shaping your ideals but no matter how much society influences behaviour, if you yourself do not have any hunger to travel, then you just won’t.
1. Theres A LOT of ways to travel on the cheap (so money shouldn’t be the lone reason).
2. In the Philippines, we have maximum 18 days of leaves as well but MANY still manage to go on abroad for longer periods.
3. Getting to Europe / US from Asia takes more than half a day up to 24 hours as well.
Time/Money/Distance/Culture…its all relative. You can have all and still NOT travel. You can have NONE and still have the overwhelming desire and motivation to do so. Bottomline, in my humble opinion, its really up to ones aspirations. Guess some people just aren’t interested at all, as simple as that. 🙂
at 3:49 am
I grew up in the mountains of Switzerland and always wanted to travel the world. I eventually spent 10 years in China.
I have never really understood why some people just do not want to go travel and explore the world with a backpack.
Most of my friends have never travelled and for long, when I came back from a trip abroad, they confronted with the same question : why do you have to go that far? don’t you feel good in your own country? (to them, travelling was unpatriotic).
“How do you not want to leave Switzerland and see the world?” was my most natural answer. Friends who had travelled like me understood.
Over the years, I never really talked much about my trips, my life as an expat in China to my friends back home. They would not understand and are not interested in understanding. But some people are interested in hearing stories. These people asked : “how did you do it?”
We just have to admit that some people are not made for travelling and respect that. You can’t push people who ask ‘why travel’ to travel. Some people just do not like the ‘unknown’ … the same way I don’t like football.
However, there are a lot of people who want to travel but do not dare to take the first step. These people are afraid and ask ‘how do you travel? how do you cope with language barrier? exotic food? …”
Travel bloggers and professional in the industry should focus on this type of people if they want more people to jump on a plane.
Travelling is more than flying to a foreign country. Travelling should provoke deep feelings inside people … and if it doesn’t, they should just try and find another activity that does…
at 9:03 pm
Oh, and I also meant to congratulate you. You’re doing great with the blog and you’ve mastered using social media to full effect. You should do some tutoring 🙂
Frank (bbqboy)
Frank recently posted…Things to consider before retiring in Hua Hin, Thailand. And why it isnât for us.
at 9:00 pm
Interesting topic Brad. Being in Montreal for so long we often invited friends/family of Lissette’s. Over the last 10 years do you think any of them came? Nope. Some said it’s because they didn’t have a passport (it still amazes me how it can be that anyone in this day and age does have a passport). But the bottom line is that none were interested.
We’ve had people we do business with visit from Connecticut. They come to Montreal and they don’t know anything about the city or province, don’t know the Canadian capital is only 2 hours away or that Quebec has a lot of natural beauty. They only live a couple of hours away but they may as well be from the other side of the globe (where at least they may show some interest if they visited!). I don’t know how to explain it. But so many Americans (not all) are so ignorant of the outside world and are so hesitant to try anything new. I remember we had a delegation of 3 from upstate New York and we took them to a fancy restaurant. What did they have with their steaks? Budweiser. Each one of them. And that’s after telling them that the restaurant had a nice selection of wines and domestic micro-brewed beer.
That won’t apply to people commenting here who come on the site because of their interest for travel. But so many Americans are just not interested in anything outside their doors. And the times have changed because I remember as a kid living in Africa (my parents decided to take a contract to work in Zambia) meeting quite a few Americans. But something’s happened over the last 30 years to make the States a much more insular, ignorant place. And I don’t think that its a coincidence that its happened with the rise in ‘conservative’ values and the rise of the religious right.
Anyway, that’s my opinion and I’m sticking with it 🙂
Frank (bbqboy)
Frank recently posted…Things to consider before retiring in Hua Hin, Thailand. And why it isnât for us.
at 6:40 pm
It’s a comfort zone kind of thing. People don’t want to go outside their zone because that means awkwardness in a few basic things: communication, transportation, accommodations, and food. The more you travel, the more you realize that people are people and that this is not what matters. What matters is that you go.
at 3:53 pm
Among many factors, I think the relative cost of higher education is a factor in preventing more young Americans from taking a gap year. After high school, they need to worry about the cost of university, and after uni they (I should say we) have to worry about getting a job in a hurry in order to start paying off the student loans. This isn’t an issue for everyone, of course, but if the government invested more in education, we might be able to get that gap year tradition going.
at 3:40 pm
Agree. Cost, distance and amount of vacation time are probably the major factors.
While we can’t do much about the distance, and maybe cost, I think vacation time is related to our somewhat work-centered culture. Maybe you remember the controversial 2014 Cadillac commercial? According to the US Travel Association (USTA), American workers permanently forgo 169 million days of earned PTO each year. These are their paid vacation days that people do not want to or can not take off! USTA is trying to find out why and what the impact of this trend is through their Travel Effect research initiative.
at 2:16 pm
I’m an advocate for travel and I love whenever friends, family, acquaintances, and total strangers share their pictures and travel memories. I love to travel myself, but have a bit of anxiety when planning and scheduling vacation days. I guess it would be “buyers remorse” or something like it. There are so many places that I would love to see and I feel like I’m running out of time.
Why don’t we travel? I believe there are a sizable number of people out there who buy into the “Live to Work” model. Climb, strive, burn the candle at both ends and pull yourselves up by your bootstraps. You can celebrate the “good life” once you’ve slayed the dragons. Breaks and vacations are seen by some as weak. Taking yourself out of the battle is not “normal.” That attitude needs to change and it is in some organizations. The companies that realize that when their people are relaxed after a nice vacation are more productive are beginning to get that message across. I hope for our physical and mental health they become more of the norm.
at 9:47 am
I’ve thought about this question so much, since I rarely run into other Americans on the road. I’m not sure I could boil it down, but I have several theories. Time: Most Americans have two weeks of vacation and I using two to three of those days to travel doesn’t seem practical. Cost: I think others have spoken about this better than I have. Values: I’m an American who travels long-term. When people at home ask how I do it, I point out that I don’t own a house, furniture, electronics, etc. I value travel over things. Fear: I think Amber said this very well, but I think fear is a big reason. The American media, as well as American politicians, use fear to gets votes and ratings. Many Americans are so scared of the world because we’ve been taught that the rest of the world is different, therefore dangerous.
Emiko recently posted…Where are you from?
at 1:54 am
I just returned to Texas after living in Malaysia for 3 years, and not one single person came to visit me even though I offered free lodging and cheap food. Some friends were truly interested in visiting and knew that they would really enjoy getting out and seeing the world. The biggest reasons they didn’t come were cost of airfare and lack of vacation time. Those with kids also didn’t want to do a long haul flight with them and were worried about them getting sick while overseas.
Then, there were the people who weren’t interested or were filled with “What ifs.” What if something goes horribly wrong — terrorists and kidnappers being at the top of the list. What if the plane is lost or is blown up? (This was Malaysia, after all.)
While I’m a huge advocate for traveling abroad with kids, I can’t deny that there is great allure to just traveling in America. Roadtrips are cheap and easy. You can spend a lifetime trying to visit every single National Park. There’s a huge variety of regional cultures. All you may seek is a relaxing vacation, not one that broadens your mind, because darn it, you’ve been working 60-70 hours a week. You don’t want to tax your brain with thinking about how to ask “Where is the toilet?” in the native language or constantly convert prices back to dollars when buying something.
Congrats on your invitation to the White House. I hope you do some good while you are there.
Michele {Malaysian Meanders} recently posted…Live from New York
at 7:46 pm
This is interesting. As a Canadian, I think it comes down to the individual. I have been to 19 countries and want to see more. I have friends who “say” they have no desire to go anywhere. I find that hard to believe, but they seem content where they are. I think you have to get the travel bug young. I went overseas with a school trip at 16 and then took off for a year straight out of University. I think people are afraid to not enter the work force immediately. Then life happens. They think there will be time, but bills add up, kids are born, life gets too busy to organize travel for a full family. When you are young you can be selfish. I travelled when I had no one to take care of.
I also agree with distance and vacation time. I am lucky enough to be a teacher and I took full advantage of my summers. I chose to live in cheaper houses and to use my line of credit for adventure instead of material things. The problem is, the banks don’t count memories as assets!
Have a great time at the White House! Very impressive!
at 7:01 pm
It’s a bit like asking why more Americans don’t play xbox or stamp collect. Everyone has their own hobbies and interests. Within America though there are just too many travel options and diversity in landscapes etc, so there’s often no need to look abroad, for the less adventurous anyway. Also, the weather is a major factor for travellers in the UK where it’s miserable for pretty much 95% of the year. You could probably drive the length of mainland UK in half a day.
Allan Wilson recently posted…Shopping for Diamonds in Bangkok
at 6:42 pm
Wise words! At any rate, looking forward to hearing what transpires.
Lance recently posted…The Passports with Purpose Fundraiser for Sustainable Harvest International
at 6:03 pm
I enjoy traveling overseas the most when opinion of America, and often Americans, is at a low. I like to be a brand ambassador, to give people the opportunity to see real americans, not the ones on reality shows and cable news. I also agree that if more Americans were able to see the world, and meet people from other countries, their opinions would not only change, but they would live in a world filled with so much less fear. That’s what worried me the most during our last trip to the US was the amount of fear almost every person I spent time with harbored, mostly the result of the cable news cycle – a fear for profit enterprise. There is so much that keeps Americans from traveling abroad, most of which involves this fear. They are afraid of what will happen when the travel, will they be injured or will they be killed by terrorists, down to the simple fears of what will they eat and how will they communicate. Yeah, to some it up, fear. Please address this with the President!
Amber recently posted…Looking for Signs – Where Do We Go From Here?
at 6:13 pm
Yeah, the sad thing is the world is really not the dusty, downtrodden, unsophisticated place they think it is, huh?
at 5:32 pm
Hey Brad, let’s not forget the actual time that Americans have available to take time off. It’s a good thing the White House cares about this, because I believe it is a political and economical issue too: Europeans get a significant amount of time off, they pretty much have August off; Brazilians have 30 days off BY LAW. In America it is very common to see a 10 day paid-time-off benefit; and that’s just not enough. When you consider the end of year holidays, that means your true vacation days are almost shot. You and I are blessed to work in a firm that gives us almost 3 times that amount of PTO (not that it’s easy to take them), but we live in the exception. Add to the fact that Americans don’t get enough PTO the other big fact – that income hasn’t really trickled down to middle class families and low income families for decades now, and we have an issue where it’s easier to get a car and visit folks across a state border or go somewhere nearby instead of visiting another country. I think we need a serious discussion about PTO in this country, to get people to learn more about other countries as they travel but also to get our workers rested more. Hope you get to talk about this at the White House.
at 5:46 pm
I think you’re right, Dan. I don’t know how people fit anything into 10 days of vacation. Add a weeklong timeshare to the mix and you have to start cutting out visits to family members. I have a tough time finding friends to go on trips with me. (not because my trips all go horribly wrong, but because they don’t have a free vacation day until 2020) Why do you think that happens here? Do people not want more vacation days? Someone told me that vacation days are never a major factor in accepting a job offer, it is solely based on the salary. (I don’t know how true that is)
Brad Bernard recently posted…Extreme India Challenge Rickshaw Run: Death Summons Us to the Sacred Ganges
at 4:59 pm
I think Americans have been less inclined to travel because we haven’t had to. Historically, the people who came to the USA were the rejects of the world: those who have been kicked out of their homelands for 300+ years. Why would they want to go back to the places that rejected them?
Some of it is also geography. When you live in a country the size of Rhode Island, you HAVE to travel (your country doesn’t have all the resources you need). But when you look at the size of the USA, at our geographic diversity (mountains, deserts, etc.), you can do an immense amount of travel without ever leaving the USA. I mean, either Texas or Alaska is bigger than most of Western Europe…COMBINED. But yet, only traveling domestically doesn’t expose you to different cultures.
Our government doesn’t make it easy (other countries issue all citizens passports for free) and we have security procedures that don’t make us any safer and are nothing more than a PR stunt. And, of course, there’s the elephant in the room: certain policy decisions made by the current Obama Administration (drone killings, illegal spying on foreign heads of state, etc.) as well as prior administrations have left many Americans feeling unwelcome around the world. (However, you’ll probably not want to point out the obvious to your hosts…that would be bad form.)
That more Americans don’t travel really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone – American or otherwise.
Lance recently posted…The Passports with Purpose Fundraiser for Sustainable Harvest International
at 5:35 pm
Interesting, Lance. So you think Americans have become complacent without the need to travel? Do you think it is mostly an issue of lack of desire to leave the country? Rather than ability?
Without wanting to get too political here, America has always taken actions to enforce policy oversees that are difficult for those on the ground to understand. I’ve actually seen quite a bit of improvement over the years in the overall perception of America by people I meet. I don’t have to, “say I’m Canadian nearly as much as I did in the past.” I also do think that people understand, for the most part, the difference between me as a person and their feelings about the administration. Nevertheless, I can definitely understand (based on what WE read in the news why people could think they would be unwelcome)
Brad Bernard recently posted…Extreme India Challenge Rickshaw Run: Death Summons Us to the Sacred Ganges
at 6:09 pm
If you boil it down, I think it’s about 40% ability (either cost or time off – both well articulated by others in the comments) and I think it’s about 60% interest. Americans, on a whole, seem less wired than others.
It’s interesting you say things are improving. Had we discussed this about 3-4 years ago, I would have completely agreed. This really isn’t a political discussion, it’s cultural In general, the world was baffled by Bush. How in the world could we elect such a person? They had great optimism with Obama. The headline in Europe when we were there said “Finally.” That about sums it up. But in the last 2-3 years, it has changed again. For the first time since I left the U.S. in 1991, I can say I’m encountering people who cannot or will not differentiate between our country’s policies and me as an American citizen. For the first time I can ever recall, when I travel, I encounter people who are truly angry.
What’s interesting is not your or my individual experience or opinion, but looking at the research. And the research really drives this home. The Pew Center conducts interviews of over 400,000 people in 63 countries every year (launched in June 2001). If the Pew Research is accurate, anti-American attitudes were at an all-time high in 2013 (most recent available data).
Anyway, don’t recommend bringing this up to your hosts at the White House, but if you want to truly change things, our foreign policy would be the place to start.
Lance recently posted…The Passports with Purpose Fundraiser for Sustainable Harvest International
at 6:22 pm
I definitely understand your concerns, Lance.
I’m taking the Grandma’s house approach…. when I’m a guest at Grandma’s house, I’m eating what she’s cooking and we are talking about what she wants to talk about.
at 10:05 am
Brad, I LOVE your “grandma’s house” analogy. Brilliant way of thinking about how to be mindful and respectful when you visit other cultures.
Looking forward to meeting you here in DC, hopefully this evening!
Michael McColl recently posted…The Rights and Wrongs of Voluntourism
at 10:13 am
It’s quite simply about being a good guest.
at 10:14 am
Yeah, looking forward to meeting you as well. Travel Massive party this evening?
at 10:43 am
Heya — yes to Travel Massive tonight. And I’ll email if I break free before that.
Michael McColl recently posted…The Rights and Wrongs of Voluntourism
at 4:43 pm
I think the two main reasons Americans don’t travel overseas are fear and lack of money. The fear factor seems to derive mainly from fear of the unknown but also fear of being hated by others. Many Americans have the false belief that Americans are disliked in other countries. The lack of money is basically due to priorities – people want to buy more stuff instead of experiencing life. When people shift their priorities they find the money they need for travel.
Susan Moore recently posted…8 Days of Solo Travel in Mexico City – Highlights of my Trip
at 4:59 pm
Thanks for your comment, Susan. The fear factor is just not rational, and unfortunately counterproductive. People overseas are many times shocked to meet an American. “You are nothing like the Americans portrayed in our newspapers.”
Any idea how we can start shifting the priorities of Americans?
at 5:18 pm
I agree the fear factor is not rational. Writing about our experiences traveling overseas can help others overcome their fear but they have to be willing to step out of their comfort zone in order to travel. People need to feel the fear and do it anyway!
Susan Moore recently posted…8 Days of Solo Travel in Mexico City – Highlights of my Trip
at 4:38 pm
Congrats on your invite to the White House!
I am an Aussie that lived in the US (Texas, Georgia, NY) for nearly 5 years. I think Americans (adults) don’t travel as they are so ignorant and uneducated about the world around them. They think the US is THE World and that everyone else revolves around them and that there is no need to see the rest of the world. I have met people that didn’t know where Australia was and had questions like can you drive there and was commonly asked what language we spoke! As an Australian we are taught about the world and are encouraged to go overseas after high school by our peers and our families.
at 4:52 pm
That’s a great point, Sharon. Australia is next to Afghanistan, in the middle of Africa, right? I’m hoping to drive there myself.
j/k… So Americans are more ignorant of the world than they should be, but why? Lack of interest? And what is it about the Aussie culture that makes them WANT to travel and know the world?
at 5:38 pm
I don’t think lack of interest I think lack of education and the mentality of America being the best and greatest. I believe this mentality has to change for people to want to travel. I don’t know what the primary/high school curriculum is but there should be more emphasis on world geography and history and cultures. Also in college I had to do American History 1 & 2. Really… This should be world history/geography.
For me my mum always said that I had to go travelling to see what was out there and experience the world. I believe this is what a lot of kids are told growing up that we should go and see the world. All of my friends have also travelled for extended periods of time as well and lived overseas.
Americans are taught not to take holidays and that they need to work 7am to 11pm in the corporate world and they feel threatened that they will lose their jobs if they take a holiday and use all their holiday leave at once. In Australia it is commonplace to either take 2 weeks or your full 4 weeks holiday in one go.
at 5:49 pm
Interesting… yeah, I still remember that day I asked my Dad to study abroad for a semester. I’ll paraphrase his 10-minute rant: “You are going to get a job like everyone else… Travel is for retirees with pension plans”
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at 4:18 pm
I’d venture to guess that most Americans don’t travel overseas due to the disastrous trio of time, expense, distance. Period. On average, we have less vacation time, and it costs us more due to longer distance. An Italian can take a weekend trip to Germany for less than $100 or even take a longer road trip, if he so desires. For an American, it’s going to cost probably 3 days of travel time, 2/3 of their yearly paid vacation time (to make the long travel time worthwhile), and most likely over $1,000 just to get there and home. Most of us don’t grow up in a culture of travel (where we can experience another country in just a short distance) due to this trio, so many don’t grow up valuing the cost of travel over other needs/wants of a more commercial variety. Unlike Europeans, we have to choose — do I want to see Germany, or do I want to move my washer/dryer hookup from my garage to my house? And sure, Europeans spend the time/money to go to Asia or the Americas, but that’s because they grow up with a culture that values travel because it’s so EASY to get to other countries locally.
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at 4:35 pm
Great points, Katie. $1000 is probably much less than they will spend for their 3rd TV for Christmas, and such a tiny fraction of the $200k or more they will spend for college.
What do you think would need to change for Americans to find more value in travel? To see a trip to Germany as a more rewarding investment than moving their washer/dryer?
at 4:50 pm
Hi Katie, I have to totally disagree on the time issue. It takes over 8 hours to get anywhere from Australia and 24 hours to Europe! So why are there so many Australians travelling to these destinations and it costs more than from America! Also it’s only 6 hrs to London from NY and
about the same from Miami to South America which and the flights can be very cheap. It’s such a different mindset, the majority of Americans have no desire to travel and experience the world in my opinion.
at 5:03 pm
I think by time, Katie is talking less about the travel time but more about our standard 1-week of vacation until we have 10 years of work experience. I could be wrong.
But I’m really curious. How do we foster a desire to travel like you have in Australia?
at 3:40 pm
America is nice, & comfortable. Not a lot of people want to leave that behind to explore the unknown.
at 4:38 pm
Interesting perspective, Damola. More than ever, Americans seem interested in travel shows on TV. Why don’t they want to experience the real thing?