Americans have a touristic stereotype of being loud and assuming while abroad in a foreign country. As a people, we tend to talk a lot and not at a quiet volume. I’ve read countless times on the internet how people can always spot an American abroad because of the way they act and how talkative they will be with random strangers. Though, strangely enough, we also have a stereotype that we don’t tend to travel outside of our own bubble too often. However, it’s not just a stereotype, and there are reasons and data to back up this fact.
Lack Of Passports
In a survey in 2020, just 40% of Americans had passports. Of that 40%, 16% had used their passport to go to Mexico or Canada (and I’m sure the overwhelming majority in Mexico went to resorts). This leaves approximately 25% of passported Americans (or about 10% of the population) that have traveled outside of the Mexico, US, and Canada bubble- a very low number. Conversely, 70% of Europeans have passports. Granted though, European countries are much easier and cheaper to travel between, but that’s one of the next points.
The US Is Big…Really Big…
The United States is big, really big. In fact, it’s the 3rd biggest country in the world. Not only is it big, but it is also very geographically diverse. I believe there is every climate except for rain forest here. An American doesn’t have to travel relatively far to experience a completely different climate or geography from the one they live in. There are deserts, forests, mountains, prairies and grasslands, tundra, beaches and coasts, canyons, rivers, and lakes. The list continues. Personally, I think the size and diversity of the US are things that the average American doesn’t realize and takes for granted.
Ignoring the many cities we have and all that they have to offer, the size and diversity enable Americans to do practically any activity without leaving the country. Want to ski? Go to any of Colorado, Utah, Vermont, New Hampshire, etc. Want to relax on the beach? Pick practically any coastal state. Want to hike mountains? Go out West. The possibilities are endless.
Americans Can Experience Different Cultures, At Home
Along with its large size, America is also full of many differing cultures. While we are all American and embody a set of cultural values with it, sub-cultures can also be found not only amongst regions but sometimes among the different states. Coming from the New Jersey and New York region, my behavior could be considered rude in the deep southern states such as Mississippi or Alabama. There is certain hospitality and an “old-fashioned” way of living down there that simply doesn’t exist up in New Jersey. My area also has a fast-paced lifestyle, one that is certainly different from many others. If you grew up in Alabama, going on vacation to New York City or one of the major Californian cities is practically like traveling abroad.
While we don’t have dialects per se, we most certainly do have accents. One doesn’t have to travel very far to encounter different accents in this country. I suppose this is also something that other countries experience, but the difference in accents can be drastic at times.
Skepticism & Fear Of The Outside World
Switching gears, there is a mental or emotional factor at play here as well. Americans tend to have skepticism of foreign countries. I think this originates from how we are raised and our cultural values therein. We are constantly taught in school that America is the greatest country, founder of modern democracy, leader of the free world, etc. There is a certain elitism that is unfortunately instilled in our culture, and this definitely trickles into our thoughts of foreign countries and foreigners.
I also think our government and media play a large role in this skepticism and “fear”. Foreign countries are usually only ever in the News here for negative reasons. Natural disasters, tragedies, and acts of terrorism are the events that normally put foreign countries into the American news cycle. Naturally, this creates a negative and unsafe bias in the minds of most Americans when it comes to these foreign countries. On a government level, the State Department website lists travel advisories for every county. These days the advisories are either level 3 or 4 due to COVID, but prior to COVID, Italy had a level 2, with an explanation to travel cautiously due to “acts of terrorism” in Italy. This is crazy and a prime example of government influence.
Working Is A Greater Priority
Our cultural priorities also play a role in why we don’t travel. Working, careers, and making money are massive priorities in the US and in American culture. Personally, I think it’s also a massive problem that we have. Americans tend to place work at the top of the priorities list, and an entire “hustle culture” has evolved and taken over.
In fact, the US is one of the only developed countries where there are no government-mandated paid vacation days or paid time off (PTO). That is insane! While there is no mandated PTO, American companies do usually give employees 2 weeks of paid vacation time. Though compared to other countries, 2 weeks is nothing. Diving into some numbers, in 2018, an average of 17.4 days were taken as PTO. Interestingly (but not really), 54% of employees feel guilty about taking time off. Also in 2018, there were 768 million paid days off that were left untaken, and 55% of employees did not use all of their vacation time. There is an insane work culture in the US that prohibits Americans from taking long vacations and making the trip across the ocean seem worth it.
