International Travel-Opinion

I’ve heard for years that US Citizens have a surprisingly low amount of citizens who have passports (only around a third have a valid passport based on recent surveys Source: Only one third of Americans have a passport). There are many other countries that have well over 50% of their population that have a passport (the UK has 76% for example based on a Forbes report). For those who do have passports there is only a small percentage (only 25%) of Americans that have been to more than 5 countries (Source: Pew Study) . Its very unfortunate Americans do not travel internationally as much. If they did I think things might be a little different culturally in our country and we would probably have a higher happiness rating than we have now. Traveling internationally gives us the opportunity to learn from others and see what works and doesn’t work abroad. We can come back from our travels much wiser and sometimes make meaningful change at home.

There are a few reasons I hear from people and have seen on travel related sites to why Americans do not travel internationally as much as others do. I’ll get into some of the reasons in more detail below but a couple reasons I hear are of course for financial reasons and a lack of time off. I completely understand if you are working many hours or multiple jobs it becomes really hard to be able to travel at all let alone outside of the country. That is not something individually we can tackle here but something as a country we will need to evaluate regarding wages for people in our country. When it comes to paid time off the US is one of the lowest in the developed world and many people feel pressured to skip time off even if they have it available. That is also something we would need to tackle as a country to give people the time they need with family and to travel. A few of the common themes we can individually change or take on that I have heard from people are as follows: 1. Its too Dangerous to leave the US, 2. I can do everything I want right here in the US, 3. The people outside the US are rude and hate us 4. A general lack of knowledge about the world outside of the United States

Its too dangerous outside of the United States

This is one of the most common things I hear from people and see in travel related articles that people think we traveling abroad is that the outside world is far too dangerous so we should all stay home. When watching the news you constantly see stories of cartel’s, wars and terrorism outside of the US. For the casual observer that could make you think it is extremely dangerous outside of the US. While in many places you need to take common sense precautions like not showing signs of wealth when out and about and its very wise to review US State Department warnings it is not nearly as unsafe as you might think. In fact many other developed nations actually have lower crime rates than we have in the US. I am not saying the US is an inherently dangerous place but a lot of crime happens here everyday. In many countries petty crime such as pick pocketing are the worst you will most likely encounter and need to watch out for. In a report the US was rated 56th highest crime rate in the world (middle of the pack Source: World Population Review). There are some cities in the US that have the same crime rates of cities and countries that travelers fear. There are many countries that have half the crime rate we do. While there should definitely be some countries that you should not visit due to war and excessive crime but much of the world is much safer than you might expect. When we have visited cities and countries that are said to have issues we have found most people friendly and helpful. The police and security presence is usually pretty good in the tourist areas and like many places there are bad areas you don’t want to go to. So while you should be cautious and do your research before going anywhere (including in the United States) as long as you keep a low profile you will most likely have a great trip and learn a lot about a different culture!

I can do everything in US

The United States is a great country that has pretty much the most diverse geography of any country in the world. We have great cities, attractions, and people around the country. We have the best National Park system in the World. You can do a lot in the US and we do have many distinct cultures such as the South is very different than the North East for example, but there is nothing like seeing a completely different culture abroad. Everyone has preconceived notions about what other countries and peoples are like from what we might see on TV or movies. One example for me is if you watch Jurassic Park in the beginning and Denis the programmer meets a man in San Jose, Costa Rica, it looks like a small and undeveloped beach town. Having visited San Jose its a modern city with companies like Microsoft having large skyscrapers in it. My travels have allowed me to see in person these different countries and have made me think much more differently about them and given me new prospective on my own country I did not have before. Also its given me a chance to talk to so many different people around the world. They often ask me questions about the US (a common question is if the work world in the US is as brutal as it seems) and I get a chance to learn about their country and culture. I have so many stories from meeting and talking to people around the world and their great hospitality towards my wife and I. While the US is a great country I encourage you to get out and explore. Get out of your comfort zone and grow!

The people outside the US are rude and hate us

Its common to think most people out there can’t stand Americans and won’t treat you well while in their country. While there are people who don’t like Americans or people from other countries I have never really encountered anyone in my travels that seemed to hate me or my wife. I find if anything if you are kind and make an effort to mind by their culture and even try to speak a bit of the local language people are very kind and helpful. For example there is a stereotype that the French are rude and not helpful. In their culture its considered rude to say order at a fast food restaurant or speak to someone without saying hello (“Bonjour”). When I would say Bonjour even though they mostly could tell I was not French most locals had a smile on their face and were more than willing to go above and beyond to help. Some would continue to speak in French and would notice the confused look on my face and ask if I spoke English. One of the most helpful times in France was at the airport. We were heading home after our first time in Europe and our tour dropped us off hours before our flight. The agent at United told us we could not check in for a long time. We said that’s ok, thanked him for his help, and started to walk off. He called us back and told me he could do better for us and told us he would get us home faster so we didn’t have to wait as long. He changed our flight and even upgraded us to Economy plus on our way home. He apologized that from Chicago to Houston Donna and I couldn’t sit together. On that Chicago to Houston flight I sat next to a very friendly lady from Paris that was heading to Mexico. We chatted about our different cultures during the flight and I gave her some suggestions for food for her layover to try some Texas flavors. I have many other stories and find that if anything people around the world are more curious about Americans and our culture. We have had some that are shocked to meet Americans in their country or on a trip abroad. In Poland people were surprised we were there. We walked into a small Polish restaurant in Warsaw and they were delighted to have Americans visit. They treated us like royalty and brought out home made vodkas and drinks for us to try for free as their guests. We have seen American’s act badly like a lady in Germany who thought she was being ripped off on her coffee (a full cup in Germany is a coffee filled half way in the cup). She made a huge scene and was screaming at them. That is a way to get the rude treatment that is for sure!

General Lack of Knowledge of the Outside World

If you used to watch the old Jay Leno show (other comedians have done this) you would see in some skits that many Americans just do not know much about geography, and the outside world in general. Its not that people are ignorant I think, its they think “those places are far off, crime ridden and dangerous so I do not care to really learn about it”. I have always liked geography, different countries and cultures. I used to love as a kid Where in the World is Carmen San Diego. I can tell you that I have learned a lot from visiting all the different countries and gives me more empathy and understanding when I see on the news something going on in a place I’ve visited. It will make me wonder how some of the friendly people I have met along the way are doing in that country. For me at least its important to be a life long learner and to continue to grow as a person. While there are many different ways to do that, I find there is no better way than traveling to a different country, getting out of your comfort zone a bit and meeting new people. Go and do more than just eat the food and relax on a beach (that’s great to do sometimes for sure) but get out and see a country. You will be rewarded. In the Dominican Republic it was sad to see we were the only American’s and English speakers on our tour of Santo Domingo. We saw so much history and learned a lot about their country. Many people never left the resort at all. That’s ok but its a missed opportunity. On a cruise to Morocco, the Canary Islands, and some other stops we were stopped by people from around the world partially because we were young and that we were Americans. They would tell us “they are surprised and happy to see American’s see the world as they thought all of us didn’t want to leave home or were too afraid to venture out”. That once again I believe is from a lack of knowledge about the world and the thought its all just wars and poverty out there. That does exist but its not all of the world. So I encourage you to get out there, give the world a chance and learn about the world. The world will not disappoint you!

In Conclusion

The entire moral of this story is if you have the chance and ability to travel internationally, GO DO IT! While on the news it might seem like outside of the US is a scary place and it can be at times, for the most part the world is full of friendly people, amazing cultures and beautiful places to see. Our home country is not always the safest place either so if you do your research and be sensible travel to even some developing nations can be a safe and rewarding experience. We do not know what the future holds for any of us, so take advantage of every day to try to do something new and getting out of your comfort zone to learn something new. There are many ways to accomplish this and international travel is one of those way. I highly encourage you if you do not have a passport to get one and go out and see the world. You will be rewarded for it it ways that will surprise you in the end! I know it has for me!