What everyone here needs to understand

[Gurm]

Has KvH ever been outside America?

Don't know, but most (literally about 99%) Americans haven't.

I thought America was a pretty multicultural country itself?

HA! We have pockets of multiculturalism, but most of the country is homogeneous whitebred.

[Jessterw]

That about sums it up. Large cities are overwhelmingly multicultural, while smaller towns and rural areas are still the domain of "whitey".

Of course, that's ignoring the cultural differences that even groups of white folk have. Though that's lessened dramatically over the decades/centuries, with the strongest remnants found in the, you guessed it, large cities. Save for say groups like the Amish or the like.

And no, we as a country don't travel much. Hence why we make fools of ourselves when we do. Of course it would be so much easier if those damned foreigners would just speak English

[GT98]

While Cities are more or less multicultural, also have to keep in mind that they where often segregated by ethnic groups..like the Little Italy section, Chinatown etc...its not one great big melting pot. You get exposed to different cultures, but to say they live mixed together, is far from the truth

[Jessterw]

Quite true, but the exposure is there, which is more than can be said for many of the rural areas.

[Brian Ellis]

Of course it would be so much easier if those damned foreigners would just speak English

Yep! I agree, if only Americans could speak English, real English - and spell colour correctly!

[Jon P. Inghram]

Don't know, but most (literally about 99%) Americans haven't.

Hey, I've seen Mexico, and mailed stuff to Canada!

[Dr Mordrid]

KvH had the unique ability to say "good morning" in a way that just pissed you off to no end

[Dr Mordrid]

Don't know, but most (literally about 99%) Americans haven't (been outside America)

Balderdash.

The US Bureau of Travel Statistics says that ~45 million people in any given year travel outside the US. Most of these are to Canada and Mexico because of proximity, but a lot go overseas.

On a personal level most of my wifes fellow teachers travel to Mexico or the Caribbean over the winter or spring breaks, as have we. Even in slower economic times Detroit Metro's new international terminal is busy.

HA! We have pockets of multiculturalism, but most of the country is homogeneous whitebred.

Maybe where you are, but here in the upper/lower midwest, the west coast, the south and much of New England the population centers are very mixed. Some small/medium cities may not be, but overall...

[Brian Ellis]

It means 45 million crossings have been made. In some cases, it is the same person travelling every working day (e.g., I know an American who works in Burlington, ON, and he is not exceptional) or at least once per week to once per month on business. I agree 99% seems excessively high, but so is the 15% you imply. I seem to remember reading somewhere that 80% of Americans have never even travelled outside their own State.

[Dr Mordrid]

http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=4321929

This Economist 10 Sept. 2005 article reports that 34% of Americans over 18 own passports.

The latest survey contained two other findings that suggest many Canadians and Americans will not soon go back to their previous friendly habit of dropping in on each other. One is that America is phasing in a new requirement for its citizens travelling to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean to have passports. Since only 34% of Americans over the age of 18 have a passport (compared with 41% of Canadians), tourism officials north of the border fear that potential visitors will be deterred by the extra paperwork. More worryingly, respondents gave anti-Americanism among Canadians as the second most important reason they were inclined to stay at home.

While lower than the passport rates in other countries this indicates that you're way off since I doubt they're being used for anything but international travel.

IMO this also blows away any notions that 80% of Americans don't leave their home states since they'd have to do that to use their passports.

That whole idea is patent crap anyhow given the huge amount of holiday travel and interstate tourism, two of our largest industries

The anti-Americanism I've experienced myself in Montreal, several times and all before 9/11, Iraq etc. Not going back.

[cjolley]

They might also get them for cruises.
If you count cruise stops or not it might significantly change the numbers.
I have no idea and no ax to grind either way.

We spent a couple of nights in Montreal a few years ago. I remember at a nice restaurant the waiter all but ignored us the entire time. We thought they hated us because we were Americans. It turned out to be a French thing. After the meal was finished he came over and talked to us for a good 15 minutes about his city and what cool things there were to do there.
This was about 15 years ago and the Canadian dollar was not doing well. We ran into more than a few Americans being VERY boorish to the Canadians. It was embarrassing. So, it can work both ways.

[gt40]

and mailed stuff to Canada!

yes, but you got the address wrong
so it doesn't count

[Dr Mordrid]

Capper from the US household travel survey;

How Far We Travel

* Americans total 1.3 trillion person-miles (that's ~ .23 light year) of long distance travel a year on about 2.6 billion long distance trips.

* The median distances on these trips are:
o Air - 2,068 miles
o Bus - 287 miles
o Personal vehicle - 194 miles
o Train - 192 miles

Why We Travel

* 56 percent of long distance trips are taken for pleasure — vacations, sightseeing trips, visiting friends or relatives, outdoor recreation

* Business trips are 16 percent of long distance trips

* Commuting to work is 13 percent of long distance trips

So much for staying home & business travel being dominant

[Brian Ellis]

Americans total 1.3 trillion person-miles (that's ~ .23 light year) of long distance travel a year on about 2.6 billion long distance trips.

This means that every man, woman, child, baby or anything in between, poor or rich, in the USA travelled an average of 4,333 miles in long-distance (i.e. not daily commuting/shopping/driving kids to school/going to cinema etc.) travel. Is this credible?

[ND66]

While Cities are more or less multicultural, also have to keep in mind that they where often segregated by ethnic groups..like the Little Italy section, Chinatown etc...its not one great big melting pot. You get exposed to different cultures, but to say they live mixed together, is far from the truth

You know, going to China or Greek town it’s like going to a different country ….. .

There is one thing that Europeans or rest of the world don’t understand about United States and its need for travel.

As a country, United States has more attractions to offer then the whole Europe does! It doesn’t matter what you like to do, there will be a place for you to go to without leaving the country.

Look at the length of the coast line, or the variety, from sand, shell or black sand (Hawaii) beaches, while many Europeans countries don’t even have access to the sea! And with the Caribbean & Mexico near by, who needs to spend 8~9 hours minimum (and more if going to Asia or Australia) on the airplane if they can get there in 2 or 3?

It has even more to offer if you’re not a beach lover. Look at all the National Parks this land has to offer:
Arches & Canyonlands in Utah. Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Zion, Death Valley, Yosemite National Parks.
Also Grand, Black & Bryce Canyons with full range of colors. We even have, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with active Volcanoes!

The whole Europe combined cannot offer all the Nature attractions as the US does.

For many, this is more then enough reasons to go anywhere.

There is only one thing that US doesn’t have comparing to the rest of the world: THE HISTORY!
The architecture, art, culture and traditions going back thousands of years, is what US is missing on.


EDIT: Don't forget all the mountain ranges if you prefer skiing or hiking. The Smoky, Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains. Not to mention the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.


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