Could not believe this? 64% of Americans do not have a passport

Grokmaster said:

Which means OVER 150,400,000 Americans DO have passports...and?


Jazz, Blues, Rock n Roll blue jeans, muscle cars, Harley-Davidson, PERSONAL COMPUTERS and SMART PHONES...ALL SHARED WTH THE WORLD from the US....and that's just SOME "cultural stuff".


The WORLD COMES TO US....because we're just COOL LKE THAT....


150,000,000+ visit overseas (have passports by your math) ....and?

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Ohhhhh thanks for that Sir, apart from Harley Davidsons ( Triumph Bonneville) is better by the way, all those were invented outside of the USA

Grokmaster said:

Which means OVER 150,400,000 Americans DO have passports...and?


Jazz, Blues, Rock n Roll blue jeans, muscle cars, Harley-Davidson, PERSONAL COMPUTERS and SMART PHONES...ALL SHARED WTH THE WORLD from the US....and that's just SOME "cultural stuff".


The WORLD COMES TO US....because we're just COOL LKE THAT....


150,000,000+ visit overseas (have passports by your math) ....and?

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Please name a smartphone or computer manufactured in the U.S. Oh, yeah and Harley Davidsons are not exported thanks to #45 - foreign market Harleys are manufactured overseas.

I'm surprised it is that high given a majority of people don't have a spare $500. The USA is massive and diverse. Why see other countries until you've seen the whole USA?

RaleBulgarian said:

An absolute truth. Visiting different regions in the U.S. and traveling throughout Europe has been one of my greatest pleasures, and best learning opportunities. When I read news from someplace in the U.S. or abroad that I have visited, my experience there helps me to better understand the significance of it to the people who live there, and sometimes for the rest of us too. I wouldn’t trade my travel memories for anything.

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But if you travel, go to listen and learn. Please don't spend your time telling them how we do it better in the U.S.

perthbum said:

Who on here has never been outside of the USA or Canada

Sixty four percent of the population of the richest and most influential country in the world have never been abroad. Our citizens can be our best diplomats by showing the world who we really are, but we have to leave our own country first.

According to the State Department, there are 113,431,943 valid passports in circulation, which means 36% of Americans own a valid passport (and therefore 64% do not). Let’s assume that those with a valid passport have used it and those without have never been abroad — that means that a healthy majority of the population has never left the United States. Why not? How we decide to use our time and money are major factors in our failure to get abroad, as is a general lack of travel ambition.

Americans received an average of 12 days of vacation in 2012 (down from 14 in 2011), but used only 10. Moreover, 68% of American vacationers admitted to checking in with the office either “regularly” or “sometimes” during their vacations, which suggests that most Americans are still prioritizing work during their time off. Europeans receive between 25 and 30 days of vacation a year and typically use every day; few check back in with the office. From a practical standpoint, ten days just doesn’t offer a lot of flexibility for international travel — from a cultural standpoint, we Americans are clearly a little overly concerned with our jobs.

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Let me try to help. With a whole bunch of american families four hundred dollars away from financial disaster, that might have a little something to do with it???

joko104 said:

I'm surprised it is that high given a majority of people don't have a spare $500. The USA is massive and diverse. Why see other countries until you've seen the whole USA?

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That is just an excuse to be ignorant about the world.

You can do both at the same time you know...you don't have to do them one at a time.:roll:

bongsaway said:

let me try to help. With a whole bunch of american families four hundred dollars away from financial disaster, that might have a little something to do with it???

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64% in poverty?

AncientGeek said:

But if you travel, go to listen and learn. Please don't spend your time telling them how we do it better in the U.S.

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Of course, nobody appreciates a disrespectful “ugly American”. With few exceptions, folks I’ve met when traveling have been very gracious and happy to share the history of their towns/cities, lifestyle, etc..., and when they ask questions about America (they always do) I do my best to answer in the most positive and honest way (a good habit carried over from a couple of decades in the military as an “ambassador for America”).

perthbum said:

64% in poverty?

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Poverty is a relative term. I just saw our congress grilling the ceo's of several big banks. A single mother of one working for one of the banks full time ends up five hundred dollars in the red every month. She laid out her bills which were only the essentials we all need. Housing, insurance, child care so she can work, utilities, food, auto. Her time and money are eaten up just trying to survive. That's with a full time job. The ceo of the bank had no idea of how he could possibly make things easier for her.

beefheart said:

Not really, you can go to Europe for a few hundred bucks if you do it right, hell, you can go to Asia for about 600 bucks if you get a sale.

Worth the cost, worth the time. Travel expands your mind.

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Times 2, most folks don't travel alone...and those cheep tickets? Add another 5+ hours of layover and flight swaps to the travel time. And...a few hundred? I guess...prove that? Last time I hopped the Atlantic was 10 years ago, to go to Venice, Italy. Round trip tickets were 1,500 apiece, and that was for crammed in like sardines economy class, with...you guessed it, at least 5 hours of layover.

kitsune said:

Citizens of the EU don't need passports to travel between member countries.

We travel regularly to Asia and we have found no shortage of European tourists. Everything from 20-something backpackers, to retired couples escaping Northern European winters. I guess everyone's experience differs.

We have never paid $1,500 for an economy ticket to anywhere except once when we had to go to Japan at the last minute.

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I figure Asia for you guys is like Mexico for the US. And 10 years ago, you needed passports to go from country to country,....or was it 20?


Did I just date myself?

KevinKohler said:

Because for americans, getting out of the states means a 1,000+ mile journey. Think about it. How many Europeans have gone to Asia or the americas? Yeah, Europeans have passports, but that's because their countries are the size of Texas. For an American to get outside of the US, the 2 closest non island options are Canada and Mexico. And both of those are VERY far away for the majority of us. And Europe? That's a 20+ hour, 1,500+ dollar plane ride, just to get there.

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The majority of Euros make it over here at some point with one of the many vacations they take. Of course they stay in Europe for most of their vacations, but they have the time, and the means to get here....even on a middle class income. (I have several Euro friends, where many are certainly not rich).

It is a 10-12 hour flight to Europe, and there are deals to get there for much less than $1500.....I do concur it is more expensive then getting anywhere within the US.

I was 40 before I got my 1st passport. I have now traveled 3 times to different countries in Europe, and there is really no way to describe how it is to see different cultures, foods,..and the history.....going back a few 1000 years, is truly remarkable.

I understand why some people do not want to do it......and that is fine.

I also enjoy visiting different places in the states as well. I am going to Hawaii for the 1st time this summer.

$1000 said:

Plane tickets are expensive.

A $500 surprise expense would put most Americans into debt - CBS News

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That is an economics issue.....

Not only do people in Europe get 4-6+ weeks of vacation, they earn enough to actually be able to take one. And these are basic middle class folks. Not having to pay for medical insurance, college, and retirement savings are part of the reason.

jmotivator said:

It's not really accurate to call the US "one place". Someone visiting the US and only going to NYC would not know the country and the culture beyond the city borders. You can get a full life of cultural discovery and never leave the country. Moreover, Americans, more than pretty much any other country in the world, get a sample of the whole world without leaving the US.

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We once took our kids to Disney World; place was chock-full of foreigners. All of them could claim later on they have been to the US of A ... but none of them actually saw the US of A.

My first "experience" of the US of A was a 4-week leisure trip between Nashville and New Orleans. Shortly afterwards a close friend went on a business-combined-vacation trip to Los Angeles and surrounding area. Except for having experienced the same language and having seen mobile homes, we might as well have visited two different countries.

"Culture" is overrated ... unless you are into 500-year old castles and 1000-year old fortresses, in which case Europe is worth a visit.

Ive been traveling overseas since I was a little kid, so I guess Im one of the exceptions. Many Americans Ive met overseas are usually retirees or in the military.

jnug said:

Lately, what diversity we have, mixed Capitalism and what is left of our Constitutional Republic is just about the only good things we have going. Don't tell Donald....it will be a major disappointment for him.

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It's always funny to me to see Americans who think Americans should see the world and clearly have no concept of the country they live in.

Barnacle said:

We once took our kids to Disney World; place was chock-full of foreigners. All of them could claim later on they have been to the US of A ... but none of them actually saw the US of A.

My first "experience" of the US of A was a 4-week leisure trip between Nashville and New Orleans. Shortly afterwards a close friend went on a business-combined-vacation trip to Los Angeles and surrounding area. Except for having experienced the same language and having seen mobile homes, we might as well have visited two different countries.

"Culture" is overrated ... unless you are into 500-year old castles and 1000-year old fortresses, in which case Europe is worth a visit.

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Well, history is worth the travel, but largely "culture" is the kind of thing that foreign tourists avoid when visiting America.

jmotivator said:

It's always funny to me to see Americans who think Americans should see the world and clearly have no concept of the country they live in.

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Its always funny to see Amercians flout their xenophobia.

KevinKohler said:

Times 2, most folks don't travel alone...and those cheep tickets? Add another 5+ hours of layover and flight swaps to the travel time. And...a few hundred? I guess...prove that? Last time I hopped the Atlantic was 10 years ago, to go to Venice, Italy. Round trip tickets were 1,500 apiece, and that was for crammed in like sardines economy class, with...you guessed it, at least 5 hours of layover.

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Last year there were $69 each way sales to Europe from many east cost cities. Lots of discount carriers, lots of screaming deals.

Check out The Points Guy – Maximize your travel.

You don't know what you don't know.

Doesn't surprise me. Wouldn't have surprised me if even less had passports. I have family members who have never left Texas.

I do think travel is a good way to expand your horizons but most people who travel are doing so for vacation and therefor usually go someplace that is fun and comfortable, and usually not TOO much of a culture shock. But they tell themselves they are "worldly" because they have been to Bangkok or Cancun or because they saw the Pyramids in person instead of photos. Visiting popular tourist destinations is not the same as getting to know the country. Going to the restaurants that cater to tourists is not broadening your horizons.

I'm sorry, but I have seen the Pyramids and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Great Wall, and like so many tourist attractions they were fun and cool and all, but as far as self edification, looking at pictures and reading about them would have been as effective. Not as cool or fun to brag about, but as edifying.

Now, as far as sight seeing goes, there ARE places where photos can't do justice. They are usually natural formations, like the Grand Canyon, or Victoria Falls or Machu Piccu and many other natural wonders. Places like that take your breath away when you see them in person. They are awe inspiring. They can renew your appreciation for the world we live on. And then there are places of great human tragedy where the true weight of it doesn't really set in until you visit in person. Ground Zero in NYC. The Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng in Cambodia. Auschwitz in Germany.

The way most people vacation in foreign countries they would learn more about the country if they simply watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown" episode about the destination. If your reason for traveling is to broaden your horizons stay away from most of the attractions and restaurants that appeal to most tourists. Eat where the locals eat. Travel the way the locals travel. Do what the locals do for fun. No, you probably won't ENJOY it as much and you will feel uncomfortable and awkward. But you will get to know the REAL people and culture. Oh, and as an added perk...it is cheaper too.

People who just do the tourist stuff really can't claim to be much more worldly than people who never travel. They just spend more money on vacation.

perthbum said:

Who on here has never been outside of the USA or Canada

Sixty four percent of the population of the richest and most influential country in the world have never been abroad. Our citizens can be our best diplomats by showing the world who we really are, but we have to leave our own country first.

According to the State Department, there are 113,431,943 valid passports in circulation, which means 36% of Americans own a valid passport (and therefore 64% do not). Let’s assume that those with a valid passport have used it and those without have never been abroad — that means that a healthy majority of the population has never left the United States. Why not? How we decide to use our time and money are major factors in our failure to get abroad, as is a general lack of travel ambition.

Americans received an average of 12 days of vacation in 2012 (down from 14 in 2011), but used only 10. Moreover, 68% of American vacationers admitted to checking in with the office either “regularly” or “sometimes” during their vacations, which suggests that most Americans are still prioritizing work during their time off. Europeans receive between 25 and 30 days of vacation a year and typically use every day; few check back in with the office. From a practical standpoint, ten days just doesn’t offer a lot of flexibility for international travel — from a cultural standpoint, we Americans are clearly a little overly concerned with our jobs.

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About the same as people who don't believe in evolution.
The dumbest ugly American race ever.
Founded by convicts and slave rapists.
What do we expect?

perthbum said:

Who on here has never been outside of the USA or Canada

Sixty four percent of the population of the richest and most influential country in the world have never been abroad. Our citizens can be our best diplomats by showing the world who we really are, but we have to leave our own country first.

According to the State Department, there are 113,431,943 valid passports in circulation, which means 36% of Americans own a valid passport (and therefore 64% do not). Let’s assume that those with a valid passport have used it and those without have never been abroad — that means that a healthy majority of the population has never left the United States. Why not? How we decide to use our time and money are major factors in our failure to get abroad, as is a general lack of travel ambition.

Americans received an average of 12 days of vacation in 2012 (down from 14 in 2011), but used only 10. Moreover, 68% of American vacationers admitted to checking in with the office either “regularly” or “sometimes” during their vacations, which suggests that most Americans are still prioritizing work during their time off. Europeans receive between 25 and 30 days of vacation a year and typically use every day; few check back in with the office. From a practical standpoint, ten days just doesn’t offer a lot of flexibility for international travel — from a cultural standpoint, we Americans are clearly a little overly concerned with our jobs.

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There are two primary reasons Americans do not have a passport. One, we do not consider it a right of passage as Europeans do. If we need one for travel outside the US, we obtain one, then afterwards, toss it in a desk or file drawer unless we travel outside the US on a regular basis. Two, America is so vast, we can spend a lifetime traveling in our own nation and not see everything. Personally, I h ave never had a passport, however in my youth, I traveled to Canada, Mexico and Europe, spending two years in Europe. At the time, my military ID card served as my passport. As for today, there are not that many places outside the USA I would care to visit as many Western European nations citizens claim to not like Americans. There are a few exceptions. And I would not turn down a chance to visit Australia or Israel. Perhaps after retirement.

KevinKohler said:

Because for americans, getting out of the states means a 1,000+ mile journey. Think about it. How many Europeans have gone to Asia or the americas? Yeah, Europeans have passports, but that's because their countries are the size of Texas. For an American to get outside of the US, the 2 closest non island options are Canada and Mexico. And both of those are VERY far away for the majority of us. And Europe? That's a 20+ hour, 1,500+ dollar plane ride, just to get there.

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Yep. Just the difference in distance between where I live now in the US and where I previously lived in the US is roughly 2000 miles. After 4 transatlantic trips in my youth, that distance of travel is out of my system.

beefheart said:

Its always funny to see Amercians flout their xenophobia.

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*sigh* No, lack of xenophilia isn't xenophobia. You do have a case of oikophobia, it seems.

Don't have one anymore. I have no desire to travel outside the US. Therefore I have no need for the passport.