Posted: 10/10/2017 | October 10, 2017
We’ve all heard the alarming statistic—only 40% of Americans own a passport.
That number is rising, however only since Americans are now needed to show a passport when going to Mexico as well as Canada. Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin very first got her passport last year as well as has only traveled overseas to armed forces bases in Iraq as well as Germany. In fact, she’s implied that traveling is for the rich:
“I’m not one of those who perhaps come from a background of, you know, youngsters who maybe graduate college as well as their parents get ’em a passport as well as provide ’em a backpack as well as state go off as well as travel the world. Noooo. I worked all my life…I was not, uh, a part of, I guess, that culture.”
So why is it that the world’s superpower, a country with 300 million people, turns a blind eye to the rest of the planet, as well as political figures tout their lack of overseas travel as a plus? I believe there are a few reasons:
First, there’s size. fail to remember about post-9/11 politics for a moment. a lot of household holidays in America are to other parts of America. Por quê? since the us takes up the width (and a great deal of the height) of a whole continent, as well as we have all the world’s environments in our states. requirement beaches? Head to Florida. The tropics? Havaí. Deserto? Arizona. chilly tundra? Alaska. Temperate forests? Washington. This mindset about America having all you requirement is finest summed up by a action I got from a buddy in Iowa: “Why would you want to go to Thailand? It’s far as well as scary. If you want beaches, just go to Florida.” Americans just don’t see the requirement to go anywhere else when they can do everything in their own country, particularly when they’re terrified of the world.
Which brings me to my second point—fear. Americans are just afraid of the world. I mean, truly scared. perhaps even petrified. In this post-9/11 world, Americans have been taught that the world is a big, frightening place. There are terrorists outside every hotel waiting to kidnap you. people don’t like you since you’re American. The world is violent. It’s poor. Está sujo. It’s savage. Canada as well as Europe are OK, however if you go there, they’ll still be disrespectful to you since you’re American. nobody likes us.
Even before 9/11, the media produced an atmosphere of fear. If it bleeds, it leads, right? prior to 9/11, the media played up violence at house as well as abroad. photos of riots in foreign streets, dangers against Americans, as well as general violence were all played as much as depict a volatile as well as hazardous world. After 9/11, it only got worse. Politicians now tell us “they dislike you,” as former nyc Mayor Rudy Guiliani did during his campaign. It’s us vs. THEM!!!
Bombarded by this for decades, Americans believe this myth is truth as well as don’t want to leave the States.
People always ask me why I want to leave the us to travel. Isn’t the us just as good? ”No one likes us out there,” people say. To Americans, the world is a frightening place, as well as it’s a understanding only reinforced by the media as well as politicians.
Finally, it’s since of cultural ignorance. Yes, I stated it—Americans are ignorant. Ignorant as in they just don’t understand what is going on outside their own borders, not that they’re dumb. I don’t blame them, really. When you’re told the world is scary, why would you want to care about it? Why would you want to go to locations where they supposedly want to kill you?
So Americans don’t put an emphasis on discovering about the world. We don’t take languages, we prevent overseas programs, as well as we don’t talk about our world in schools. Our institutions show one foreign language: Spanish, as well as that’s only since there’s a big Spanish-speaking population in the country, not since we want to go to Spain—or Mexico ideal next door. The media doesn’t focus on the world unless it associates with something bad, as well as our politicians motivate us to erect walls, not break down barriers.
Some people suggest that it’s since America is “far” from the rest of the world, as if there’s an insurmountable distance to go to get places. However, new Zealand is farther geographically from everything, yet new Zealanders are motivated to go out as well as check out the world. In the age of the Internet, Twitter, YouTube, as well as airplanes, it’s simple to go places. distance is no excuse.
Americans don’t travel since of culture, not location. Sure, it’s not universal. There are lots of Americans available checking out the world as well as breaking down cultural barriers. They come back, dispel myths, as well as motivate their buddies to ended up being a lot more conscious of the world. however even in the a lot more liberal locations in America, you see the mindset that America is the world’s only risk-free countryAlém disso, muito do mundo é bastante assustador. Os americanos têm uma imagem do mundo que é absolutamente divorciada da realidade.
A infeliz ironia é que produzimos o mundo de que temos tanto pavor. A pressão da América por um mundo globalizado trouxe muitos jogadores ao palco. Ajudou o dragão chinês emergir de sua gaiola, levou a Índia ao jogo, ajudou o clima econômico do Brasil a crescer e derrubar o comunismo. Agora, olhamos para o mundo e também aterrorizamos que não o compreendemos mais ou nossa localização nele. Em vez de tentar descobrir mais, erguemos barreiras e enterram nossas cabeças na areia.
No entanto, estou esperançoso. O futuro do mundo precisa de muito mais integração, assim como jovens americanos que crescem nesta atmosfera pós-11 de setembro são realmente muito mais pensando em descobrir sobre outros países do que evitá-los. Eles querem viajar e conferir o mundo. Acredito que o futuro será brilhante, desde que os líderes políticos não nos tenham totalmente antes disso.
Para muito mais sobre por que os americanos não viajam, aqui estão alguns artigos de acompanhamento que eu compus alguns anos depois disso:
Por que os americanos ainda não viajam para o exterior
Por que os americanos fingem que são canadenses?
Como viajar pelo mundo por US $ 50 por dia
Meu guia de brochura muito popular do New York Times para viagens mundiais mostrará exatamente como dominar a arte da viagem para garantir que você saia do caminho batido, economize dinheiro e, além de ter uma experiência de viagem mais profunda. É o seu guia de planejamento A a Z que a BBC chamou de “Bíblia para viajantes do Plano de Orçamento”.
Clique aqui para descobrir muito mais, além de começar a lê -lo hoje!
Reserve sua viagem: idéias logísticas e truques
Reserve seu voo
Encontre um voo barato utilizando o Skyscanner. É o meu mecanismo de navegação preferido, pois pesquisa sites e companhias aéreas ao redor do mundo, para que você sempre entenda que nenhuma pedra é deixada sobre o uso.
Reserve sua acomodação
Você pode reservar seu albergue com o Hostelworld. Se você deseja ficar em algum lugar que não seja um albergue, utilize o booking.com, pois eles consistentemente retornam as taxas mais baratas para as pousadas e os hotéis.
Não deixe de lembrar o seguro de viagem
A cobertura de seguro de viagem garantirá a doença, lesão, roubo e cancelamentos. É uma segurança detalhada na situação, tudo dá errado. Eu nunca viajo sem ele, pois tive que utilizá -lo muitas vezes no passado. Meu negócio preferido que oferece o melhor serviço e valor são:
Segurança (melhor para todos)
Assegure minha viagem (para aqueles com mais de 70 anos)
MedJet (para cobertura extra de evacuação)
Pronto para reservar sua viagem?
Confira minha página de recursos para obter o melhor negócio para utilizar ao viajar. Eu listo todos os que utilizo quando viajo. Eles são os melhores da sala de aula, assim como você não pode errar, utilizando -os em sua viagem.
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