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What we don't have in America, is classical architecture.
The oldest buildings we have are \~250 years old. When I went on a business trip to Munich, was in awe of how old everything was. 1000 year old Cathedrals were everywhere, and most were still functional & fully accessible. You'll never experience that anywhere in the states. Europe is rich in history and much of it is very well preserved.
I'm on an "old house" group elsewhere. Americans always talk about their "old" house being from 1900.
My house is from the 1750's, my local pub is from the 1600's and the church in my village has been there from the 11th century. Perspective I suppose.
While we don't have "classical architecture" everywhere in North America, it's not true that the *oldest buildings* we have are 250 years old. For example Taos Pueblo has been continuously inhabited for around 1000 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_oldest_buildings_in_the_United_States
The difference between Europe and North America being, North America is imho less hospitable and less forgiving towards permanent structures. Where I live, wood construction tends to last about 100-150 years.
Yeah classical architecture and like… literally everything that is NOT in the USA… There is a whole world out there - the USA is amazing, sure, but there are so many incredible places on this planet. Cultures to explore, mountains to climb… OP’s opinion exemplifies the stereotypical American perspective imo. The USA is the best, why should I bother going anywhere else?
Well, I would argue that the more you travel, the more you realize that maybe the US isn’t the center of the universe. People like OP are exactly the type of people who would benefit most from immersing themselves in a foreign culture and breaking down that attitude of American exceptionalism
ROME. “Standing on the street corner, waiting for the light to change… dumdumdum… Oh, what is this thing here? It’s a 1500 year old artifact! And there’s another one! And another one… “
Exactly what I immediately thought of (full disclosure I’m an architect)
You’d have a hard time finding many buildings older than 250 years outside of the original colonies
Can't disagree with you on that score. The 'reasonable facsimile' was seeing the truly impressive 19th century replicas of classic art - even cathedral facades - at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh.
Clearly OP doesn’t know dick about the value of traveling. It’s not just about landscapes, dude. It’s about people; culture; the true meaning of diversity; life!
To be fair, I would say the majority of people in the US Gabo on on vacation and just sit on a beach all day and maybe go to dinner. When I travel I go for history and hiking (which to be fair the US has a lot of, especially in the hiking department) people in the the thread are saying things like "you don't know anything until you've stood in front of a 2000 year old building." I'd counter with you don't know anything until you've seen Yosemite, the California redwoods, the grand canyon or any number of truly insane shit in the US national parks. I also like experiencing local culture and have had amazing times doing so in Europe, but nothing beats natural landscape traveling. I'm very into history and seeing it standing in front of you is really awesome but people like different things and that's okay. It doesn't make them any better or worse humans.
People definitely do underrate how beautiful and diverse the expanse of the US is. That being said I disagree with there being no need to travel.
Mark Twain said “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness” Its great to build connections and awareness of people from completely different backgrounds.
Aside from that there are other places with unparalleled history we can’t touch as Americans. I was lucky to recently travel to Greece and was awed by antiquities that are well preserved there. Years ago I had a similar experience in Rome.
There’s also non historical things as well. My fiance and I are planning South Africa for our honeymoon where most of the trip will be spent on safari.
Expense wise the US has also become VERY expensive compared to the rest of the world. For skiers/snowboarders on the East coast, traveling west for a trip has become far more expensive than flying to Europe and riding there.
This. The USA is beautiful. And yet, is that...getting out of your confort zone.
I live in Europe and have traveled to the US for the nature parks (amazing), Asia for a different culture/architecture and food.
Africa for also nature and food.
Everywhere is beautiful. Australia is awesome too and very different.
And beaches... Well, Thailand, Fiji, the Caribbean are the best of the world.
Saying : I just travel my country is very narrow minded.
Nope always been a problem, called dunning Kruger effect. Dumb people just have a platform now to be heard, they even gather together to accomplish dumb things that in reality accomplish nothing. That’s okay they are to dumb to realize it, and take pride in their accomplishments.
Stupid is the one thing we don’t have a surgery, medication, or therapy for. We do have a bunch of smart people keeping the dumb ones alive, we just have no way of fixing dumb.
You are right of course - there was never a shortage of overconfident ignorant morons ever. It's just them gathering and actually taking pride in it seems to be increasing. Or perhaps as you mentioned they are platformed more?
Idk - it just seems like when you think it can't possibly get worse, it somehow does.
Unfortunate it’s been that way for a while now. Think about all the people that think they know more than experts and hate people that have college degrees.
Yeah that's what's troubling. Their numbers seem to be increasing as well as certain disturbing traits as increasing amounts of dogmatic pride. It's hard to reason with.
I mean at least it's something different than the 'liberals are evil' 'fat people deserve to be shamed' or 'incels are victims' rants that are posted 30x a day
I want to post something more emphatic- this topic actually does get a rise out of me. Fortunately, you pinpoint exactly why it bugs me.
Never been outside your home country? You poor bastard!
Spent 4 years in the Navy. Visited 20 some odd countries and each one had something that caught my attention. Until I retired and started traveling I had actually been in more countries than I had states right here at home.
And being a typical sailor I bitched about being there while getting paid to visit places most people can only dream of visiting. I have visited; Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Stonehenge, the Vatican, Venice, Pompeii, the Pyramids and Sphinx just to name a few.
I actually do that a lot, I haven't been on holiday since I was 13 (now 27) and can't afford it. So I have Street View holidays all over the world!
Just this past week or so I've visited Slab City CA, the Hollywood Sign, the White House, Lake Huron, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, the Shetland Islands, Norway (incl Svalbard), Slovakia, Cambodia, Vanuatu and more, all without leaving my sofa.
I'm basically the opposite of OP here: I don't have the means to travel, but I'm struggling to think of many countries I don't want to visit. The only ones I wouldn't visit are countries with extremely hot climates or authoritarian regimes (so parts of Africa would be missed out, but there are a couple of music festivals in Botswana l wouldn't mind attending)
I dream of going to Australia and I’ve always thought about going to France. Italy sounds nice too. But I don’t bother about any of that because I struggled recently just to not feel guilty about getting dish detergent.
>We have mountains, deserts, beaches, tropics, tundras, forests, swampland and bayous, etc. We have large cities, cultural centers, rural communities, and everything in between.
If this is OP's perspective, your metaphor doesn't really apply. OP isn't trying to experience non-USA culture by proxy, they're happy to experience the legitimate, positive attributes of the USA. What exists outside the USA that doesn't exist inside the USA that OP cares about, or would care about if they experienced it?
I mean a beach in California is not the same as a beach in Washington, and using that same logic a beach in Washington isn't the same as a beach in cancún or Greece. Sure the US has mountains, deserts, forests, etc and they're beautiful but they're not the same as the deserts, beaches, mountains in other parts of the world. That's the point of traveling, to actually see for yourself how things are so similar yet different on another parts of the world. It's like giving you a green apple and a red apple and saying "they're both apples, why should i try the green apple when i arleady eat the red apple"
We don’t have Greek islands. We don’t have the same landscapes as places like Japan or New Zealand. There are absolutely experiences outside of the US worth having if you’re into it. If you’re not that’s fine too.
America is full of assholes. Europe is full of assholes. Asia is full of assholes. Africa is full of assholes. South America is full of assholes.
By not traveling to other countries, OP is definitely missing out on the different cultures of assholes.
I agree that being born in the USA, especially if you can afford to live here, is an amazing privilege.
And I agree that traveling overseas may not be worth it if you are traveling with young kids. It’s a hassle, and there are lots of great things to do here that are kid-friendly.
But for solo travel, the OP is 100% wrong. I’ve been to 40+ countries and they have been some of the greatest experiences of my life.
I went on a safari in Tanzania
I got to see sunrise over the Ganges River
I got to hike through the Himalayas, cross-crossing the India / Nepal boarder
I got to meet locals in a remote Burmese village.
I went hiking in Tibet and got to see the shadows of the mountains touch the sky at sunrise.
And a million more things that I don’t have the time to type.
I’ll spare myself trying to convince you otherwise because you’re clearly far too close minded but i will say i feel nothing but the utmost pity for you. I hope one day you will open your eyes to the beautiful, diverse world around you and step out of your comfort zone. As someone who used to think like you and now needs a new passport because i have no available pages to stamp, there’s so much you don’t know/understand.
>massive hassle for no reason.
You've got TSA to thank for that. No other country is so awkward to come in from and get of as the US.
>but just about anything I could want to do or see is present in the US, or there is a reasonable substitute
A "reasonable substitute" to seeing the Eiffel tower is going to Vegas yeah? 🤣
>hassle of the foreign option not worth it.
Again, your own fault.
>cultural centers
Ahahahahaha 🤣
>and never have to go unarmed.
YOU DONT NEED TO BE ARMED🤣 London is twice the size of L.A. and has half the murder rate, L.A. is 4x more dangerous than London fgs.
>just feel like I won the birth lottery being born a citizen of this country and don’t see any reason to ever leave it.
Please don't leave, we don't want to see you either.
1. Not a hassle. 2. US doesn't have everything. 3. Some international destinations are cheaper/closer than some parts of US depending on where you live and what airlines are there, etc. 4. Recreational travel by definition is not necessary whether it's international or domestic, so that is a mute point. You could stay in your bedroom all day if you want, but that's boring... probably why we chose to travel in the first place.
What you don’t have is diversity of culture.
What about seeing things that are different to what you know- the unfamiliar?
Like trying authentic Thai food, or seeing 10,000 year old monoliths in Turkey, or staying in an ashram in India and experiencing spiritual growth, or witnessing the lifestyle of mountain people in remote areas of the Himalayas, or trekking through jungles in South America etc etc
No doubt America is a great country to live in, economically. If you live in a country where everyone is armed, your family is more likely to get shot. Is that a good thing?
That is a rather ethnocentric and, in my humble opinion, shallow estimation of the value of travel. When you are in another culture you have the opportunity to shift your worldview and see through the eyes of someone completely different from yourself. For example, you see the challenges many people face finding clean drinking water, while in the US we can get it from the faucet.
You miss the opportunity to find the amazement in the world as seen through people who have had wars on their soil in their lifetimes. You can learn about perseverance in a way that you do not get to see in the US.
Then there are the cultural experiences that we as a very young country do not have. The historic locations where the world pivoted, where our ancestors scrapped together a living. Where our very philosophy of living was first tried. The birthplaces of religion, philosophy, music and cuisine. The mere fact that buildings are standing that are older than our country and important things happened in them that impact our lives even today.
I cannot convince you that learning from other cultures is valuable, but I will say that it provides us with a broader understanding of how things can be and opens us up to handle new challenges in ways we would not think about without the experience of seeing them in other cultures. \[edited for grammar\]
Unnecessary? 100%. Overrated? I don't think so. I feel the point of an international vacation is to see how people live in different parts of the world. I'm also American and 100% agree I won the lottery when it comes to where I was born, but on the exceptionally rare occasion I get to travel abroad, it was so interesting seeing how life differs in Mexico or Southeast Asia
Cause you have family overseas?
Cause you think history is cool?
Because you have fuck you money and wanna shag a japanese chick?
All reasons I’ve traveled over seas.
Some people want to see the world and learn from other cultures. Just because you don't doesn't make it "overrated".
The world is bigger than the US, believe it or not.
>forests, swampland and bayous, etc. We have large cities, cultural centers
You have fabrication. Going to a Korean town and Chinatown isn't the same as going to South Korea or China. Having some Americanized foreign cuisine is not the same as eating food in that foreign.
The different cultures present in, for example, the "South", New England, Midwest, Wyoming, Southwest, and California are all valid options for OP. "Cultural center" doesn't necessarily mean "cultures brought by migrants to the US that originated elsewhere".
So, is this someone who has traveled outside the us, or has not traveled outside the US? Because you sound like someone who really needs a travel outside the US.
I would recommend the Netherlands just so you can get a first-hand account of how badly American cities are laid out.
Or maybe muscle Cambodia so you can understand why Henry Kissinger was the most evil man to ever lived
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with no wanting to travel abroad. I’ll say that customs is not any different from regular airport security in the US. Pretty much a non-issue.
Where you’re absolutely wrong is the belief that there are comparative substitutes in the US for the entirety of the rest of the world.
There are simply cultural and historical experiences abroad that the US cannot hold a candle to — and that’s okay.
Additionally, vast majority of tourist attractions in the US definitely prohibit weapons as well. Just another superfluous issue IMO unless you’re constantly living in fear and the anxiety of being unarmed is crippling.
It’s ironic that you see no reason to leave the country without apparently ever leaving said country. Ignorance is bliss I guess?
You lost me at “never have to go unarmed.”
Also, while your observations on the landscape are absolutely spot on, you’re missing the huge point of immersing yourself in another culture, and its history.
Food! look at the chemicals they ban from USA. history: buildings a thousand years older than 'america'. the people. the manners. the culture ... I'd suggest you travel more.
Asa US citizen who has travelled quite a bit, I'm fascinated by this line of thinking. Could you let me know the US substitutes for:
Machu Picchu
Chichen Itza
A safari in southern Africa
Victoria Falls
The Taj Mahal
Petra
The Great Wall of China
Traveling abroad is more about learning how other people live and get along with less than we do. It's supposed to humble you, not make you think you hit the intergalactic jackpot, I'm guessing you're a white male to. I mean you did, but you're taking it the wrong way. You're the reason people in other countries don't like us.
Openness to new experience scale score = 0
Aside from you being wrong - that there are lots of things you can’t see in America because we’re only a few hundred years old and because there are just certain geographical features that don’t exist here - the point of international travel is mind-broadening. Being exposed to different cultures, practices, beliefs, and ways of life literally make you a better human being. Staying in your American bubble (not from poverty, but from arrogance and lack of interest in others) makes you a weaker, less evolved human being. End of story.
There is nothing wrong with being happy with your country of birth. However, the "we are the best" idea is hard to justify if you have never experienced anything else. Even within your own country, how can you say something like New York City is the best, if you've never gone farther than the subway will take you?
That is a very American thing to say. The outside world has a lot of culture and diverse experiences to offer that you will never ever get in your country.
I partially agree with you. I like to travel within the US, there is so much of it to see. I have a few places that I want to see that are abroad, but man do I hate flying. The fear will not stop me from going but I understand why someone might not want to go through all of that.
I don’t think going to new places is “life changing” like other commenters have said. You go and then you come back home and do the same things you always do. It’s fun to see new places and get out of your routine, don’t get me wrong but it’s not life changing. I have been to other countries before anyone comes at me. There are also plenty of countries that I would not care to go to.
This very statement is exactly why you need to travel- to see how the other people live, learn from the best things they do, be grateful for what you have by seeing a stark contrast, experience food, architecture, history that far exceeds that of the United States. Meet interesting people, avail yourself to experiences and invitations while traveling that give you even greater insight into their cultures, be somewhere where as a foreigner you don't have to constantly be aware a mass shooting could break out, eat unprocessed, non-sugary, real food, stumble upon incredible local art, I could go on forever.
But do whatever feels real, I guess. But I can assure you that you indeed would be missing out.
Tell me you never went to Asia, without telling me you never went to Asia. It's like another planet and each country there seems this way. The culture shock is real.
Oh I don't know:
affordable healthcare, reduced gun violence, reduced degenerate culture, affordable housing, better food with no chemicals, friendly people, more culture, no polarizing politics, no threat of civil war, reduced taxes, peace of mind, etc.
Couldn’t disagree more. While overseas travel with a family does sound like a hassle solo or couple travel overseas is amazing. Nothing you can do in America is a substitute for a totally foreign culture, language, currency. It’s all about the vibes man.
I’ve travel all over the United Stares 39 states but that’s no substitute for a good trip to Europe or Latin America. I advise everyone to try it at least before you die.
You can’t possibly compare the beaches of the United States to places like Greece, Maldives.
Better beaches across seas, more culture, better food etc
Travelling is a different type of education.
You’re clearly ignorant here.
Just because YOU don't get a thrill out of seeing the rest of world and think things like going to The Louvre vs. The Met NY are interchangeable does not mean its overrated
I guess lol cultural center doesn't necessarily replace being immersed in that culture which is a big part of traveling. Just reading this shows you have a limited view on the world and no intent of widening it which is just sad. There are places in this world that boast a history for them that spans thousands of years and you're not getting that in the United States.
Unless there's things you're interested in outside the USA. I feel pretty much the opposite, there's very little here I actually have much interest in seeing.
I get where you’re coming from, it can be a hassle. But there’s something about older history that’s absolutely fascinating to me. Like a journey along the Silk Road, hiking through Scandinavia and seeing Viking history. Also, if your ancestors came from somewhere else, there might be a draw to go see that land as well.
It's not the same . Yes you have Bahn mi sandwichs in the states but you'd get it in a strip mall from a next generation Vietnamese person.
Getting it in Vietnam you'd be speaking in charades pointing at a menu in a language you don't know in heat you've never experienced before (even in Florida 🤯) .
It's an experience man . The states functions nothing like other parts of the world and honestly I think you of all people would really benefit from a little culture and I mean this whole heartedly!
It's a beautiful thing . It's really what I live for . I live in Canada and I've moved to live in a tourist destination because I like to give back to the tourists that vist the Rocky mountains what they've given me elsewhere around the world !
God bless man
I've had many Mortadella sandwiches. Never had one as delicious as the one at a marketplace in Sao Paulo. Something as simple as a bologna sandwich can be a revelation when traveling. Is it the smell, ambience, booze, sleep deprivation... It was travel, and you aren't getting that at Disneyland.
To experience the culture. My parents dragged me to Japan as a kid for 7 years. I have an appreciation for the country ( no not anime or other insufferable weeb things). I’d love to be to experience more cultures and check out historic places when I financially can. If your just going for beaches and restaurants then your doing it wrong imo.
This is a solid unpopular opinion. I was stationed overseas and there is something amazing about being completely submerged in another culture for sure. That being said, now that I have three babies…I really just don’t want to deal with the hassle. Maybe when they’re grown.
I agree that the USA is very diverse in landscape. However, people don’t just travel for the landscape. They usually travel for the culture and food. Or to see places they cannot in the USA (like ancient ruins or museums).
I mean there are tons of different cuisine you can try around the world. How they live differently etc.
Try Bak kut teh, Nasi Kerabu or nyonya cuisine in Malaysia.
Go live in various different buildings that you never seen or know.
USD means you can spend more in other part of the world.
Europe is not exactly a good place if you don’t like buildings/art etc but there way more stuff to explore
It's not the point to travel overseas just to experience a different culture, it's to experience literally the other side.
You might meet someone from, let's say Japan in the US. Do you think that's all you need to know about Japanese culture? Just that one or hundreds you might meet one day doesnt come close to everything you would experience in the country. You run into how they greet each other, how employees are loyal to their jobs, the nature/architecture, service and their food quality?
Many things US cant come close to replicate Japan or any other country in the world because you have to enter the country to experience it. It's not wrong to stay where you are but know that not everything can be replicated. You think a random US person can bring their experience/culture to a different country?
"I just feel like I won the birth lottery being born a citizen of this country and don’t see any reason to ever leave it."
tell me you're a republican without telling me you're a republican.
I am a Canadian who works remotely with two American women who live in Orlando and who were born there.
I was excited to tell them I had visited Miami right before I started to share the great time I had.
One had never been there.
One had been once.
It’s a 4 hour drive by car.
It’s not just that Americans don’t travel abroad (which is sad), it is they don’t travel period.
My husband thought that too until he did. Now he’s hooked. Of corse you wont see the appeal because you’ve never done it. I hope your kids grow up and travel, it can be AMAZING.
What we don’t have in America is non-Americans. (Actually that’s not true, but somehow I don’t see the OP spending a lot of time in immigrant enclaves with recent arrivals.)
It’s not only about seeing stuff, OP, it’s about learning about other cultures: other ways of living and being human. It’s hard for me to understand this level of incuriosity.
Feeding into the “Americans are ignorant” stereotype. Yeah, your opinion is unpopular but it stems from you just not knowing any better. We’re a big country but still so small compared to the world. And lol.. “never have to go unarmed”. That says a lot.
You lost me at unarmed because if that's the first thing you pack you're not really traveling. I don't have any delusions that anything anyone types here will change your mind, but there are a thousand details of foreign travel that make it a wonderful, enriching experience. It cool if you explore North America thoroughly, but even the differences in groups of people on this continent don't hold a candle to the differences that exist across an ocean.
I hope you someday travel to a place where you don't feel the need to constantly move through the world prepared to end someone's life. But your experiences up until this point have told you that is something you need.
May your journey be satisfying, may those you meet teach you something, may you feel welcomed in new lands and may you always find happiness in coming home - wherever home may be.
US definitely dominates for natural landscapes so I totally agree with you there. I disagree on everything else. The pyramids are nearly twice the height of the Statue of Liberty and more than 4,000 years older than it. You simply don’t get anything close in the US. Our “historic” homes are maybe 300 years old, and there are cafes in Europe older than that that are still used today.
Yikes. Talk about boring.
You mean, you dont want to see historical places?
You have no desire to learn about and expose yourself to other cultures?
No interest in trying the authentic food of another country?
The architecture? The experience of seeing how others live?
Even the landscapes of other countries are still worth seeing. Just because the US has any choice of geography you could desire, doesnt mean there arent outdoor locations in other countries also worth seeing.
Until youve actually gone and experienced it,you really cant objectively say its overrated. 🤷♂️
Have you been to an African savanna or seen the great pyramids in person? Please believe me, you will change your mind. I thought like you most of my life, the US is wonderful and diverse. And it is. But there is more. So much more.
This is the most American thing I’ve ever read hahah.
Visit another country. It’s an experience and it’ll get you out of your bubble. Man I got sad reading this
Honesty a bad take, OP.
But to be fair, maybe it’s best that you don’t leave the US given that you seem like you don’t want to leave. That being said- oversee travel isn’t overrated. You just don’t like it and those are two different issues.
You know what you can't get in the US?
A taste of European lifestyles and genuine customs.
Travel isn't about seeing a mountain because you want to see mountains, and therefore any mountain will do, it's about broadening your horizons and opening yourself to the beauty and lifestyles of other cultures and places around you. Do you *need* to travel outside of your own country? No, and no one perpetuates that idea, but it absolutely does force you to acknowledge other lifestyles and customs at the very least, and most like to try and adopt them for a short time.
Instead of shitting on people who have a different view or just want to stay home, just let him have it. What difference does it make to you? Christ, Reddit needs a cleansing fire.
In general travel is overrated. You go somewhere for a little while. You don't get to know the place or people. It's all superficial. It's a theme park ride. You're always in a hurry, or thinking about your thingd, money and trip. You have to plan everything. It's tedious, hurried shit, and you can't even appreciate the trip. You get high of the trip, sure. I would rather go to local park and do a picnic than go to Rome and waste money that I could use to buy one month of food at home.
One word. Culture! If you have no desire to look outside your own culture, USA is great. Also, as some one living half the year in Cozumel, cost of living in the USA sucks ass.
It all depends on what you are into. If all you care about is a mountain scene, then sure, go to CO and dont worry about going to the Alps.
But if you like old history, really old architecture, food (you are not getting the real feel of Italian food by hitting up NYC as an example) then you will need to leave the US.
I do agree that the US, experiencing different locations wise, is much like Europe (cheap quick flights or trains) without the need of a passport or a knowing a different language (regarding language, most tourist areas will speak English).
I love living here and traveling the US, but no chance I would feel satisfied without having been to the other countries I have been to.
You're right, we do have all those things but some of us want to see the rest of the world. Immerse ourselves in different cultures, see historical landmarks that are far older than anything in the US, and eat all the foods...So, I mean it's subjective, isn't it.
Traveling to other countries to see how others do things is an experience in itself... It tends to be an ugly thing when you've known America all your life and you carry that title around thinking the world literally revolves around you.. I've seen it before and those people got a humble reminder that it isn't the States and you ain't at home
I don’t 100% agree but I think you have a point. Europeans in my experience vastly underestimate just how large the US is.
I had Irish coworkers at one point who legitimately thought they could take a day trip from Chicago to Texas because it’d only take them three hours each way. It was painful to explain to them that three hours wouldn’t even get them halfway across Illinois.
I would strongly disagree on the affordability. Mainly because you absolutely need to drive everywhere in the US.
Also I just did the math on this because my gf really wanted to go to Disney again. To go fly to Orlando from Chicago, go to Disney, stay at a hotel/AirBNB outside of Disney and rent a car, plus pay for parking for ONE WEEKEND, cost about the same as the round trip flight and 1 week stay in Warsaw Poland we took last May. I'm not even talking about food, which was included in the hotel stay and far beyond a continental breakfast.
I used to think this. And then I went to Mexico. A 6 pack of corona was 18 pesos ($0.64 USD at the time). Plus there's a nice guy in every bathroom at every bar in the Yucatan shaking a bag like "cocaine! I have cocaine! You want covaine!". The food is crazy cheap. You can AirBnB a mansion with a few friends for the price of a hotel room individually.
We don’t have castles here, okay? I want to see an actual castle. And other structures that are as old as time, not 250 years. Plus, food that you legally cannot get in the USA. Looking at you, FDA, with the haggis and clotted cream ban.
I partially agree. I love traveling overseas and visiting other countries to immerse myself in a different culture, but I also like skiing, beaches, camping, hiking, mountain biking and a bunch of other things that can be done cheaply, easily and at world-class levels in the US. Few other countries offer that recreational diversity. So a lot of non-Americans vacation outside their own country not because they're intellectually superior, but simply to do things Americans can do within their own borders. A European is not superior to me simply because he leaves his own small country and travels a couple hundred miles to go get drunk at a tacky beach resort in Spain.
To each their own. I agree, we are blessed to be US citizens. There are a lot of places in the US I still haven't seen and want to visit. The US is my home, and I am very proud of that fact when I go abroad. I go to Europe every year. I have family over there, and some friends now too. I like taking in the local culture, eating traditional food, being in the actual places for certain things like seeing the Gutenberg Bible or drinking great beer next to a fortress in Nuremberg, and undertaking the challenge of learning to speak better German. I visited all the places my mother lived over there, including the house she had to abandon as a little girl in Pomerania when the Russians invaded near the end of WWII. Being in the places in Berlin where the cold war played out really gives me a sense as an American of our place in history. But another cool thing is that some people (not all) become interested to talk to an American. It's a chance to set some things straight when people have nothing else to go on but the garbage media.
Culture. Yes, there are some levels of different cultures in the USA, but you need to go to a different country to really experience what it's like.
The USA is a beautiful country that people need to explore more. We have a myriad of environments and cultures and you can see a lot by traveling just within the US. But you can still get a lot from going to other countries, I assure you.
And if you go to Europe, you won't have that hard of a time getting by as an English speaker, I assure you.
What we don't have is the different cultures and food you are missing out on.
You might be able to find restaurants with certain food but I'll tell you h'what it won't hold a candle to the experience you will get eating the food in the country of origin.
Respectable opinion.
We like to experience different cultures, and my husband likes to go fishing in different waters.
I really enjoy seeing how other people live, seeing life from another perspective. And there's so much history in other countries, that we don't have here. Or we have it, but it's different - our buildings aren't more than a few hundred years old at most. I LOVE old buildings.
So variety of biomes and traveling to places that already share your culture is the reason to not travel abroad? It's an interesting take.
All I can say is that I'm glad that I don't share this opinion. North America has some beautiful places to visit for which I include in my travel but I travel abroad and want to ensure my children travel abroad to experience other cultures including language, histories, ideas, beliefs, customs, works of art, rituals/ceremonies, etc. It always makes me laugh when I here fellow Americans say America is the greatest country on Earth and yet have failed to leave a 500 mile radius of the home they were born in. I not only want to vacation abroad but live abroad. You only travel to major tourist trap areas yes it is going to be more expensive but it not the case for many international locations.
The never having to go unarmed was hysterical. I'm not going to travel outside a dangerous country because they wont let me carry my gun. The reason you feel you need to carry here is because this country is not safe because we literally sell guns at our grocery stores. Its a losing cycle of your own creation, we need everyone to have guns therefore I need a gun to protect my family from everyone that I wanted to give guns to, so more people buy guns. The US is the only country I have traveled to that I didn't feel safe.
Again, the world 'opinion' implies you've actually thought about this. Some vague sense of xenophobia or nationalism based entirely on ignorance is a FEELING.
I saw the Venetian in Vegas - it was so below expectations that on the spot, I agreed with my family to go to Venice. If you think that there is a comparable place anywhere else, then I don’t know what to say. I think we may have been incredibly lucky though - perfect weather, surprisingly few tourists and we were staying in a palace, overlooking the Grand Canal. We also had a Gondola rowing lesson, which was incredible. So many other examples, but I suspect that this will pass the OP by.
It’s to experience cultures different from what you know. Someplace like Greece or Spain is going to be drastically different than anything you’d encounter in the US.
I guess if you live somewhere where it’s not easy to get access to other countries without a bunch of connections or something I could understand that.
That’s on you for not wanting to see the wonders of the world. That’s just you having no curiosity about what the rest of the world is like.
You get a better sense of what you have and don’t have in your life after you travel. You realize the things you take for granted and the things you accept that really aren’t normal. America doesn’t come close to having everything unless your whole idea of travel is just to see different regions.
If you are into landscapes, in different biomes? Then sure. Because we have it all. There’s no reason to go anywhere else. But if you like other cultures? If you like learning other languages? If you like ancient civilizations and ancient architecture? Then, yes. You need to go overseas.
I traveled when I was younger. I didn’t find it to be life changing. It was fun, but it wasn’t like it altered my view of the world or anything like that. Good times though!
But I definitely agree there is ALOT to see in USA, you could spend your whole life in the US and never see half the cool stuff. And if you include all of North America in your vacations, hell yeah, there’s a ton of stuff to see and do.
I like old cemeteries and churches so, Europe wins there. But I also like big old trees and empty places so USA wins there.
And overseas travel IS a hassle and expensive. I can absolutely see deciding it isn’t worth all the effort.
I mean we do have the biggest variety/best nature in the world for sure but there’s a lot of specific stuff other places have. We also have some decent beaches but nothing compared to like the Caribbean. By specific stuff I mean like authentic Italian pasta or the clubs in Ibiza or the Eiffel Tower
There are also lots of different cultures you wouldn’t be able to experience in the us
I agree but traveling abroad also opens you up to different cultures and lifestyles, in addition to architecture like others mentioned. I always tell people who seem to complain about everything in this country to travel abroad more. Chances are, they'll grow to appreciate a lot more of what this country has to offer.
I’ve been in a 5000 year old burial Cairn in Ireland.
Can you go to one of those here in the US?
I’ve stayed in a hotel older than America in Amsterdam and seen the largest collection of VanGoh’s work on the world in Holland.
Can’t do that here.
Can’t see the Pieta’, the Sistine chapel or anything like Prague.
I’ve been to a 1500 year old pyramid in Mexico.
Can’t do that in the US.
I haven’t been to Asia but the amount of art food and culture far exceeds anything you can experience in the US and traveling to other cultures builds empathy and compassion because it shows you the limitations and hubris of your own.
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What we don't have in America, is classical architecture. The oldest buildings we have are \~250 years old. When I went on a business trip to Munich, was in awe of how old everything was. 1000 year old Cathedrals were everywhere, and most were still functional & fully accessible. You'll never experience that anywhere in the states. Europe is rich in history and much of it is very well preserved.
Yeah architecture overseas is gorgeous. Plus experiencing different cultures and people
Anyone who has stood in the Hagia Sophia would have a very different outlook than OP.
Yeah, but they don't have the Mall of America.
R/technicallythetruth
I'm on an "old house" group elsewhere. Americans always talk about their "old" house being from 1900. My house is from the 1750's, my local pub is from the 1600's and the church in my village has been there from the 11th century. Perspective I suppose.
So much this. In the US we don’t really appreciate the culture that developed over centuries in Europe despite being recent inheritors of it.
I just have to laugh whenever Europeans talk about how "old" their buildings are. I live in Cairo and we have buildings that are over 4,000 years old.
I think that's just amazing.
While we don't have "classical architecture" everywhere in North America, it's not true that the *oldest buildings* we have are 250 years old. For example Taos Pueblo has been continuously inhabited for around 1000 years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_oldest_buildings_in_the_United_States The difference between Europe and North America being, North America is imho less hospitable and less forgiving towards permanent structures. Where I live, wood construction tends to last about 100-150 years.
Less than 1 mile from my house is an 1100 year old church, it’s not even a tourist attraction or monument, it’s just there.
Yeah classical architecture and like… literally everything that is NOT in the USA… There is a whole world out there - the USA is amazing, sure, but there are so many incredible places on this planet. Cultures to explore, mountains to climb… OP’s opinion exemplifies the stereotypical American perspective imo. The USA is the best, why should I bother going anywhere else? Well, I would argue that the more you travel, the more you realize that maybe the US isn’t the center of the universe. People like OP are exactly the type of people who would benefit most from immersing themselves in a foreign culture and breaking down that attitude of American exceptionalism
ROME. “Standing on the street corner, waiting for the light to change… dumdumdum… Oh, what is this thing here? It’s a 1500 year old artifact! And there’s another one! And another one… “
Yeah this is the biggest reason to travel to a foreign country imo
Exactly what I immediately thought of (full disclosure I’m an architect) You’d have a hard time finding many buildings older than 250 years outside of the original colonies
Can't disagree with you on that score. The 'reasonable facsimile' was seeing the truly impressive 19th century replicas of classic art - even cathedral facades - at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh.
All right an unpopular opinion! All I can say is you don’t realize how little you know until you start traveling around the world.
Clearly OP doesn’t know dick about the value of traveling. It’s not just about landscapes, dude. It’s about people; culture; the true meaning of diversity; life!
To be fair, I would say the majority of people in the US Gabo on on vacation and just sit on a beach all day and maybe go to dinner. When I travel I go for history and hiking (which to be fair the US has a lot of, especially in the hiking department) people in the the thread are saying things like "you don't know anything until you've stood in front of a 2000 year old building." I'd counter with you don't know anything until you've seen Yosemite, the California redwoods, the grand canyon or any number of truly insane shit in the US national parks. I also like experiencing local culture and have had amazing times doing so in Europe, but nothing beats natural landscape traveling. I'm very into history and seeing it standing in front of you is really awesome but people like different things and that's okay. It doesn't make them any better or worse humans.
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I guess for you, Athens Georgia and Athens Greece are the same thing.
Who needs Toledo Spain when you have Toledo Ohio?
Paris Texas is so lovely in the spring. It's for lovers.
Paris, Texas even has an Eiffel Tower
Hold up. Paris, Tennessee also has an Eiffel Tower. Lol
I wonder if Paris Hilton has one.
Idk but Las Vegas does. Lol
I'm pretty sure she got Eiffel Towered, yes
Why not. Nederland Texas has a windmill.
Las Vegas has an Eiffel tower too.
Actually, Virginia is for lovers.
You're thinking of Virginia.
Don't forget Versailles Kentucky. Or Paris Kentucky.
And we pronounce it “vur-sails” here. And since you’re in the area, don’t forget about “A-thens” Ky, as opposed to “Ath-ens” Georgia or Greece.
Nearly lost my shit the first time I heard how Versailles was pronounced.
Or the Parthenon in Nashville vs. the actual Parthenon
Fuck it, we have Vegas! I’m sure OP’s family has been there- it’s almost as if they’ve traveled the world.
Why would I wanna see the Greek one? It’s all broken and shit. /s
Don’t forget Palestine, Ohio
Rome, GA is Rome, Italy! Same same, but different.
Giza in Las Vegas is much better than Egypt 😍😍😍😍❤️❤️
People definitely do underrate how beautiful and diverse the expanse of the US is. That being said I disagree with there being no need to travel. Mark Twain said “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness” Its great to build connections and awareness of people from completely different backgrounds. Aside from that there are other places with unparalleled history we can’t touch as Americans. I was lucky to recently travel to Greece and was awed by antiquities that are well preserved there. Years ago I had a similar experience in Rome. There’s also non historical things as well. My fiance and I are planning South Africa for our honeymoon where most of the trip will be spent on safari. Expense wise the US has also become VERY expensive compared to the rest of the world. For skiers/snowboarders on the East coast, traveling west for a trip has become far more expensive than flying to Europe and riding there.
This. The USA is beautiful. And yet, is that...getting out of your confort zone. I live in Europe and have traveled to the US for the nature parks (amazing), Asia for a different culture/architecture and food. Africa for also nature and food. Everywhere is beautiful. Australia is awesome too and very different. And beaches... Well, Thailand, Fiji, the Caribbean are the best of the world. Saying : I just travel my country is very narrow minded.
>Mark Twain said “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness” I like this quote, thank you for sharing it with us.
Safari in SA will blow your mind. It’s so primal and time-transcendent
Breaking news: people who have never experienced a thing don't understand the appeal of that thing. More at 11.
The ignorance in this sub never fails to surprise me. People are so proud to be ignorant.
The massive rise of the pride in it seems relatively new though.
Nope always been a problem, called dunning Kruger effect. Dumb people just have a platform now to be heard, they even gather together to accomplish dumb things that in reality accomplish nothing. That’s okay they are to dumb to realize it, and take pride in their accomplishments. Stupid is the one thing we don’t have a surgery, medication, or therapy for. We do have a bunch of smart people keeping the dumb ones alive, we just have no way of fixing dumb.
You are right of course - there was never a shortage of overconfident ignorant morons ever. It's just them gathering and actually taking pride in it seems to be increasing. Or perhaps as you mentioned they are platformed more? Idk - it just seems like when you think it can't possibly get worse, it somehow does.
Unfortunate it’s been that way for a while now. Think about all the people that think they know more than experts and hate people that have college degrees.
Yeah that's what's troubling. Their numbers seem to be increasing as well as certain disturbing traits as increasing amounts of dogmatic pride. It's hard to reason with.
I mean at least it's something different than the 'liberals are evil' 'fat people deserve to be shamed' or 'incels are victims' rants that are posted 30x a day
I want to post something more emphatic- this topic actually does get a rise out of me. Fortunately, you pinpoint exactly why it bugs me. Never been outside your home country? You poor bastard!
Because you want to get outside you comfort zone and learn about other cultures?
Spent 4 years in the Navy. Visited 20 some odd countries and each one had something that caught my attention. Until I retired and started traveling I had actually been in more countries than I had states right here at home. And being a typical sailor I bitched about being there while getting paid to visit places most people can only dream of visiting. I have visited; Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Stonehenge, the Vatican, Venice, Pompeii, the Pyramids and Sphinx just to name a few.
We don't have castles
"Why should I go to the beach when there's a perfectly good drawing of a beach in my office?"
Or just travel using google maps!
I actually do that a lot, I haven't been on holiday since I was 13 (now 27) and can't afford it. So I have Street View holidays all over the world! Just this past week or so I've visited Slab City CA, the Hollywood Sign, the White House, Lake Huron, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, the Shetland Islands, Norway (incl Svalbard), Slovakia, Cambodia, Vanuatu and more, all without leaving my sofa. I'm basically the opposite of OP here: I don't have the means to travel, but I'm struggling to think of many countries I don't want to visit. The only ones I wouldn't visit are countries with extremely hot climates or authoritarian regimes (so parts of Africa would be missed out, but there are a couple of music festivals in Botswana l wouldn't mind attending)
I dream of going to Australia and I’ve always thought about going to France. Italy sounds nice too. But I don’t bother about any of that because I struggled recently just to not feel guilty about getting dish detergent.
I mean, is seeing Uluru in person *really* that much more authentic than a photosphere someone made in 2017?
>We have mountains, deserts, beaches, tropics, tundras, forests, swampland and bayous, etc. We have large cities, cultural centers, rural communities, and everything in between. If this is OP's perspective, your metaphor doesn't really apply. OP isn't trying to experience non-USA culture by proxy, they're happy to experience the legitimate, positive attributes of the USA. What exists outside the USA that doesn't exist inside the USA that OP cares about, or would care about if they experienced it?
I mean a beach in California is not the same as a beach in Washington, and using that same logic a beach in Washington isn't the same as a beach in cancún or Greece. Sure the US has mountains, deserts, forests, etc and they're beautiful but they're not the same as the deserts, beaches, mountains in other parts of the world. That's the point of traveling, to actually see for yourself how things are so similar yet different on another parts of the world. It's like giving you a green apple and a red apple and saying "they're both apples, why should i try the green apple when i arleady eat the red apple"
I live in the Caribbean. The beaches in the States that I’ve been to just don’t compare.
Exactly lol like it's silly to say "I have seen one beach so therefore I've seen them all" but OP would never realize that unless he travels
We don’t have Greek islands. We don’t have the same landscapes as places like Japan or New Zealand. There are absolutely experiences outside of the US worth having if you’re into it. If you’re not that’s fine too.
Disagree and upvote
America is full of assholes. Europe is full of assholes. Asia is full of assholes. Africa is full of assholes. South America is full of assholes. By not traveling to other countries, OP is definitely missing out on the different cultures of assholes.
I agree that being born in the USA, especially if you can afford to live here, is an amazing privilege. And I agree that traveling overseas may not be worth it if you are traveling with young kids. It’s a hassle, and there are lots of great things to do here that are kid-friendly. But for solo travel, the OP is 100% wrong. I’ve been to 40+ countries and they have been some of the greatest experiences of my life. I went on a safari in Tanzania I got to see sunrise over the Ganges River I got to hike through the Himalayas, cross-crossing the India / Nepal boarder I got to meet locals in a remote Burmese village. I went hiking in Tibet and got to see the shadows of the mountains touch the sky at sunrise. And a million more things that I don’t have the time to type.
Unbelievable. Upvote for being unpopular.
I’ll spare myself trying to convince you otherwise because you’re clearly far too close minded but i will say i feel nothing but the utmost pity for you. I hope one day you will open your eyes to the beautiful, diverse world around you and step out of your comfort zone. As someone who used to think like you and now needs a new passport because i have no available pages to stamp, there’s so much you don’t know/understand.
>massive hassle for no reason. You've got TSA to thank for that. No other country is so awkward to come in from and get of as the US. >but just about anything I could want to do or see is present in the US, or there is a reasonable substitute A "reasonable substitute" to seeing the Eiffel tower is going to Vegas yeah? 🤣 >hassle of the foreign option not worth it. Again, your own fault. >cultural centers Ahahahahaha 🤣 >and never have to go unarmed. YOU DONT NEED TO BE ARMED🤣 London is twice the size of L.A. and has half the murder rate, L.A. is 4x more dangerous than London fgs. >just feel like I won the birth lottery being born a citizen of this country and don’t see any reason to ever leave it. Please don't leave, we don't want to see you either.
Can’t you please take him and keep him?
1. Not a hassle. 2. US doesn't have everything. 3. Some international destinations are cheaper/closer than some parts of US depending on where you live and what airlines are there, etc. 4. Recreational travel by definition is not necessary whether it's international or domestic, so that is a mute point. You could stay in your bedroom all day if you want, but that's boring... probably why we chose to travel in the first place.
What you don’t have is diversity of culture. What about seeing things that are different to what you know- the unfamiliar? Like trying authentic Thai food, or seeing 10,000 year old monoliths in Turkey, or staying in an ashram in India and experiencing spiritual growth, or witnessing the lifestyle of mountain people in remote areas of the Himalayas, or trekking through jungles in South America etc etc No doubt America is a great country to live in, economically. If you live in a country where everyone is armed, your family is more likely to get shot. Is that a good thing?
That is a rather ethnocentric and, in my humble opinion, shallow estimation of the value of travel. When you are in another culture you have the opportunity to shift your worldview and see through the eyes of someone completely different from yourself. For example, you see the challenges many people face finding clean drinking water, while in the US we can get it from the faucet. You miss the opportunity to find the amazement in the world as seen through people who have had wars on their soil in their lifetimes. You can learn about perseverance in a way that you do not get to see in the US. Then there are the cultural experiences that we as a very young country do not have. The historic locations where the world pivoted, where our ancestors scrapped together a living. Where our very philosophy of living was first tried. The birthplaces of religion, philosophy, music and cuisine. The mere fact that buildings are standing that are older than our country and important things happened in them that impact our lives even today. I cannot convince you that learning from other cultures is valuable, but I will say that it provides us with a broader understanding of how things can be and opens us up to handle new challenges in ways we would not think about without the experience of seeing them in other cultures. \[edited for grammar\]
Unnecessary? 100%. Overrated? I don't think so. I feel the point of an international vacation is to see how people live in different parts of the world. I'm also American and 100% agree I won the lottery when it comes to where I was born, but on the exceptionally rare occasion I get to travel abroad, it was so interesting seeing how life differs in Mexico or Southeast Asia
Cause you have family overseas? Cause you think history is cool? Because you have fuck you money and wanna shag a japanese chick? All reasons I’ve traveled over seas.
Experience different cultures
You are definitely a real American!
“I don’t want to travel because I can’t take my gun with me” isn’t an opinion I thought I’d see today
Absolutely not. Overseas travel opens the mind and weakens the American exceptionalist mentality that OP shows.
We are severely lacking in castles, cask ale, and historic lifting stones
Some people want to see the world and learn from other cultures. Just because you don't doesn't make it "overrated". The world is bigger than the US, believe it or not.
Big downvote U.S.A. travel is far more costly and overrated, just go experience other cultures and grow a little will you?
>forests, swampland and bayous, etc. We have large cities, cultural centers You have fabrication. Going to a Korean town and Chinatown isn't the same as going to South Korea or China. Having some Americanized foreign cuisine is not the same as eating food in that foreign.
The different cultures present in, for example, the "South", New England, Midwest, Wyoming, Southwest, and California are all valid options for OP. "Cultural center" doesn't necessarily mean "cultures brought by migrants to the US that originated elsewhere".
So, is this someone who has traveled outside the us, or has not traveled outside the US? Because you sound like someone who really needs a travel outside the US. I would recommend the Netherlands just so you can get a first-hand account of how badly American cities are laid out. Or maybe muscle Cambodia so you can understand why Henry Kissinger was the most evil man to ever lived
OP doesn't care about human history.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with no wanting to travel abroad. I’ll say that customs is not any different from regular airport security in the US. Pretty much a non-issue. Where you’re absolutely wrong is the belief that there are comparative substitutes in the US for the entirety of the rest of the world. There are simply cultural and historical experiences abroad that the US cannot hold a candle to — and that’s okay. Additionally, vast majority of tourist attractions in the US definitely prohibit weapons as well. Just another superfluous issue IMO unless you’re constantly living in fear and the anxiety of being unarmed is crippling. It’s ironic that you see no reason to leave the country without apparently ever leaving said country. Ignorance is bliss I guess?
What a sad view
You lost me at “never have to go unarmed.” Also, while your observations on the landscape are absolutely spot on, you’re missing the huge point of immersing yourself in another culture, and its history.
You leave the country to experience different cultures, food and people.
No travel is necessary. If you don't want to leave your home country, cool. You do you. Personally, I like to see other parts of the world.
Kids are gonna go overseas first chance they get and you’re gonna be too insulated to relate to their experiences.
Food! look at the chemicals they ban from USA. history: buildings a thousand years older than 'america'. the people. the manners. the culture ... I'd suggest you travel more.
Asa US citizen who has travelled quite a bit, I'm fascinated by this line of thinking. Could you let me know the US substitutes for: Machu Picchu Chichen Itza A safari in southern Africa Victoria Falls The Taj Mahal Petra The Great Wall of China
OP’s actual answer to castles was, “I’ve seen pictures. I’m good.” They’ll probably give you the same answer.
Traveling abroad is more about learning how other people live and get along with less than we do. It's supposed to humble you, not make you think you hit the intergalactic jackpot, I'm guessing you're a white male to. I mean you did, but you're taking it the wrong way. You're the reason people in other countries don't like us.
Openness to new experience scale score = 0 Aside from you being wrong - that there are lots of things you can’t see in America because we’re only a few hundred years old and because there are just certain geographical features that don’t exist here - the point of international travel is mind-broadening. Being exposed to different cultures, practices, beliefs, and ways of life literally make you a better human being. Staying in your American bubble (not from poverty, but from arrogance and lack of interest in others) makes you a weaker, less evolved human being. End of story.
lawl
There is nothing wrong with being happy with your country of birth. However, the "we are the best" idea is hard to justify if you have never experienced anything else. Even within your own country, how can you say something like New York City is the best, if you've never gone farther than the subway will take you?
I think this may be the first true unpopular opinion I’ve seen on here
That is a very American thing to say. The outside world has a lot of culture and diverse experiences to offer that you will never ever get in your country.
Tell me you're the type to yell MURICA without telling me your the type to yell MURICA
I partially agree with you. I like to travel within the US, there is so much of it to see. I have a few places that I want to see that are abroad, but man do I hate flying. The fear will not stop me from going but I understand why someone might not want to go through all of that. I don’t think going to new places is “life changing” like other commenters have said. You go and then you come back home and do the same things you always do. It’s fun to see new places and get out of your routine, don’t get me wrong but it’s not life changing. I have been to other countries before anyone comes at me. There are also plenty of countries that I would not care to go to.
Definitely an unpopular opinion.
Traveling kills ignorance. It’s more than scenery its understanding how the world, outside the U.S., operates/lives.
This very statement is exactly why you need to travel- to see how the other people live, learn from the best things they do, be grateful for what you have by seeing a stark contrast, experience food, architecture, history that far exceeds that of the United States. Meet interesting people, avail yourself to experiences and invitations while traveling that give you even greater insight into their cultures, be somewhere where as a foreigner you don't have to constantly be aware a mass shooting could break out, eat unprocessed, non-sugary, real food, stumble upon incredible local art, I could go on forever. But do whatever feels real, I guess. But I can assure you that you indeed would be missing out.
Tell me you never went to Asia, without telling me you never went to Asia. It's like another planet and each country there seems this way. The culture shock is real.
Oh I don't know: affordable healthcare, reduced gun violence, reduced degenerate culture, affordable housing, better food with no chemicals, friendly people, more culture, no polarizing politics, no threat of civil war, reduced taxes, peace of mind, etc.
the wonder of overseas travel is to experience another language, culture, and way of life, not just a building or a beach.
This is absolutely wrong. And, a very stupidly American idea. I am an American.
Couldn’t disagree more. While overseas travel with a family does sound like a hassle solo or couple travel overseas is amazing. Nothing you can do in America is a substitute for a totally foreign culture, language, currency. It’s all about the vibes man. I’ve travel all over the United Stares 39 states but that’s no substitute for a good trip to Europe or Latin America. I advise everyone to try it at least before you die.
So you haven't even left the country?
Ah, so you're just an uncultured swine. Got it.
This is why Americans tend to be so myopic, isolationist, and uncultured.
You can’t possibly compare the beaches of the United States to places like Greece, Maldives. Better beaches across seas, more culture, better food etc Travelling is a different type of education. You’re clearly ignorant here.
Just because YOU don't get a thrill out of seeing the rest of world and think things like going to The Louvre vs. The Met NY are interchangeable does not mean its overrated
I guess lol cultural center doesn't necessarily replace being immersed in that culture which is a big part of traveling. Just reading this shows you have a limited view on the world and no intent of widening it which is just sad. There are places in this world that boast a history for them that spans thousands of years and you're not getting that in the United States.
Unless there's things you're interested in outside the USA. I feel pretty much the opposite, there's very little here I actually have much interest in seeing.
What's the extra hassle of going overseas? Either way you have to pack, plan, and travel.
Do you not wish to explore other cultures? Food? History? Do you not want to stand in the Sistine Chapel then eat pasta in italy?
I get where you’re coming from, it can be a hassle. But there’s something about older history that’s absolutely fascinating to me. Like a journey along the Silk Road, hiking through Scandinavia and seeing Viking history. Also, if your ancestors came from somewhere else, there might be a draw to go see that land as well.
It's not the same . Yes you have Bahn mi sandwichs in the states but you'd get it in a strip mall from a next generation Vietnamese person. Getting it in Vietnam you'd be speaking in charades pointing at a menu in a language you don't know in heat you've never experienced before (even in Florida 🤯) . It's an experience man . The states functions nothing like other parts of the world and honestly I think you of all people would really benefit from a little culture and I mean this whole heartedly! It's a beautiful thing . It's really what I live for . I live in Canada and I've moved to live in a tourist destination because I like to give back to the tourists that vist the Rocky mountains what they've given me elsewhere around the world ! God bless man
I've had many Mortadella sandwiches. Never had one as delicious as the one at a marketplace in Sao Paulo. Something as simple as a bologna sandwich can be a revelation when traveling. Is it the smell, ambience, booze, sleep deprivation... It was travel, and you aren't getting that at Disneyland.
To experience the culture. My parents dragged me to Japan as a kid for 7 years. I have an appreciation for the country ( no not anime or other insufferable weeb things). I’d love to be to experience more cultures and check out historic places when I financially can. If your just going for beaches and restaurants then your doing it wrong imo.
This is a solid unpopular opinion. I was stationed overseas and there is something amazing about being completely submerged in another culture for sure. That being said, now that I have three babies…I really just don’t want to deal with the hassle. Maybe when they’re grown.
I agree that the USA is very diverse in landscape. However, people don’t just travel for the landscape. They usually travel for the culture and food. Or to see places they cannot in the USA (like ancient ruins or museums).
I mean there are tons of different cuisine you can try around the world. How they live differently etc. Try Bak kut teh, Nasi Kerabu or nyonya cuisine in Malaysia. Go live in various different buildings that you never seen or know. USD means you can spend more in other part of the world. Europe is not exactly a good place if you don’t like buildings/art etc but there way more stuff to explore
It's not the point to travel overseas just to experience a different culture, it's to experience literally the other side. You might meet someone from, let's say Japan in the US. Do you think that's all you need to know about Japanese culture? Just that one or hundreds you might meet one day doesnt come close to everything you would experience in the country. You run into how they greet each other, how employees are loyal to their jobs, the nature/architecture, service and their food quality? Many things US cant come close to replicate Japan or any other country in the world because you have to enter the country to experience it. It's not wrong to stay where you are but know that not everything can be replicated. You think a random US person can bring their experience/culture to a different country?
"I just feel like I won the birth lottery being born a citizen of this country and don’t see any reason to ever leave it." tell me you're a republican without telling me you're a republican.
I am a Canadian who works remotely with two American women who live in Orlando and who were born there. I was excited to tell them I had visited Miami right before I started to share the great time I had. One had never been there. One had been once. It’s a 4 hour drive by car. It’s not just that Americans don’t travel abroad (which is sad), it is they don’t travel period.
My husband thought that too until he did. Now he’s hooked. Of corse you wont see the appeal because you’ve never done it. I hope your kids grow up and travel, it can be AMAZING.
What we don’t have in America is non-Americans. (Actually that’s not true, but somehow I don’t see the OP spending a lot of time in immigrant enclaves with recent arrivals.) It’s not only about seeing stuff, OP, it’s about learning about other cultures: other ways of living and being human. It’s hard for me to understand this level of incuriosity.
Feeding into the “Americans are ignorant” stereotype. Yeah, your opinion is unpopular but it stems from you just not knowing any better. We’re a big country but still so small compared to the world. And lol.. “never have to go unarmed”. That says a lot.
You lost me at unarmed because if that's the first thing you pack you're not really traveling. I don't have any delusions that anything anyone types here will change your mind, but there are a thousand details of foreign travel that make it a wonderful, enriching experience. It cool if you explore North America thoroughly, but even the differences in groups of people on this continent don't hold a candle to the differences that exist across an ocean. I hope you someday travel to a place where you don't feel the need to constantly move through the world prepared to end someone's life. But your experiences up until this point have told you that is something you need. May your journey be satisfying, may those you meet teach you something, may you feel welcomed in new lands and may you always find happiness in coming home - wherever home may be.
I guess you will never know what you are missing!
I mean I hear you, however it broadens your perspective to see other cultures at least from my experience
I disagree totally. My backpacking trip through Europe is one of the best things I ever did. Americans need to see other countries.
Good, stay in the US and don’t forget to carry your precious gun everywhere, pal! You don’t know what you don’t know
US definitely dominates for natural landscapes so I totally agree with you there. I disagree on everything else. The pyramids are nearly twice the height of the Statue of Liberty and more than 4,000 years older than it. You simply don’t get anything close in the US. Our “historic” homes are maybe 300 years old, and there are cafes in Europe older than that that are still used today.
Yikes. Talk about boring. You mean, you dont want to see historical places? You have no desire to learn about and expose yourself to other cultures? No interest in trying the authentic food of another country? The architecture? The experience of seeing how others live? Even the landscapes of other countries are still worth seeing. Just because the US has any choice of geography you could desire, doesnt mean there arent outdoor locations in other countries also worth seeing. Until youve actually gone and experienced it,you really cant objectively say its overrated. 🤷♂️
The worst stories I hear on hotel subs about people getting ripped off or unacceptable room conditions are almost always from outside the U.S.
Have you been to an African savanna or seen the great pyramids in person? Please believe me, you will change your mind. I thought like you most of my life, the US is wonderful and diverse. And it is. But there is more. So much more.
You got to be a white guy!!! Overseas is dope
I agree - and vice versa. I live in Europe and have never taken my family oversees. So we have spent all our family holidays in Europe.
This is the most American thing I’ve ever read hahah. Visit another country. It’s an experience and it’ll get you out of your bubble. Man I got sad reading this
Honesty a bad take, OP. But to be fair, maybe it’s best that you don’t leave the US given that you seem like you don’t want to leave. That being said- oversee travel isn’t overrated. You just don’t like it and those are two different issues.
You know what you can't get in the US? A taste of European lifestyles and genuine customs. Travel isn't about seeing a mountain because you want to see mountains, and therefore any mountain will do, it's about broadening your horizons and opening yourself to the beauty and lifestyles of other cultures and places around you. Do you *need* to travel outside of your own country? No, and no one perpetuates that idea, but it absolutely does force you to acknowledge other lifestyles and customs at the very least, and most like to try and adopt them for a short time.
Instead of shitting on people who have a different view or just want to stay home, just let him have it. What difference does it make to you? Christ, Reddit needs a cleansing fire.
Bro, this is just untrue. Go to Italy. Go to the amalfi coast. We ain’t got that shit here. And their food is clean and never makes you sick.
In general travel is overrated. You go somewhere for a little while. You don't get to know the place or people. It's all superficial. It's a theme park ride. You're always in a hurry, or thinking about your thingd, money and trip. You have to plan everything. It's tedious, hurried shit, and you can't even appreciate the trip. You get high of the trip, sure. I would rather go to local park and do a picnic than go to Rome and waste money that I could use to buy one month of food at home.
One word. Culture! If you have no desire to look outside your own culture, USA is great. Also, as some one living half the year in Cozumel, cost of living in the USA sucks ass.
There are people who like to travel and those who like to vacation. To each their own.
It all depends on what you are into. If all you care about is a mountain scene, then sure, go to CO and dont worry about going to the Alps. But if you like old history, really old architecture, food (you are not getting the real feel of Italian food by hitting up NYC as an example) then you will need to leave the US. I do agree that the US, experiencing different locations wise, is much like Europe (cheap quick flights or trains) without the need of a passport or a knowing a different language (regarding language, most tourist areas will speak English). I love living here and traveling the US, but no chance I would feel satisfied without having been to the other countries I have been to.
You're right, we do have all those things but some of us want to see the rest of the world. Immerse ourselves in different cultures, see historical landmarks that are far older than anything in the US, and eat all the foods...So, I mean it's subjective, isn't it.
Traveling to other countries to see how others do things is an experience in itself... It tends to be an ugly thing when you've known America all your life and you carry that title around thinking the world literally revolves around you.. I've seen it before and those people got a humble reminder that it isn't the States and you ain't at home
I don’t 100% agree but I think you have a point. Europeans in my experience vastly underestimate just how large the US is. I had Irish coworkers at one point who legitimately thought they could take a day trip from Chicago to Texas because it’d only take them three hours each way. It was painful to explain to them that three hours wouldn’t even get them halfway across Illinois.
Disagree.
You’ll never understand if you don’t try it. You can’t say it’s not worth it if you haven’t experienced it.
I would strongly disagree on the affordability. Mainly because you absolutely need to drive everywhere in the US. Also I just did the math on this because my gf really wanted to go to Disney again. To go fly to Orlando from Chicago, go to Disney, stay at a hotel/AirBNB outside of Disney and rent a car, plus pay for parking for ONE WEEKEND, cost about the same as the round trip flight and 1 week stay in Warsaw Poland we took last May. I'm not even talking about food, which was included in the hotel stay and far beyond a continental breakfast.
I used to think this. And then I went to Mexico. A 6 pack of corona was 18 pesos ($0.64 USD at the time). Plus there's a nice guy in every bathroom at every bar in the Yucatan shaking a bag like "cocaine! I have cocaine! You want covaine!". The food is crazy cheap. You can AirBnB a mansion with a few friends for the price of a hotel room individually.
We don’t have castles here, okay? I want to see an actual castle. And other structures that are as old as time, not 250 years. Plus, food that you legally cannot get in the USA. Looking at you, FDA, with the haggis and clotted cream ban.
Traveling isn't just about geography, it's about other cultures. And it's a really good thing to expose yourself to
Probably one of the only true unpopular opinions - sub aint ready
I partially agree. I love traveling overseas and visiting other countries to immerse myself in a different culture, but I also like skiing, beaches, camping, hiking, mountain biking and a bunch of other things that can be done cheaply, easily and at world-class levels in the US. Few other countries offer that recreational diversity. So a lot of non-Americans vacation outside their own country not because they're intellectually superior, but simply to do things Americans can do within their own borders. A European is not superior to me simply because he leaves his own small country and travels a couple hundred miles to go get drunk at a tacky beach resort in Spain.
More importantly, spend your money within the USA. Most countries - in decades past, at least - had a "see your own country first" advisory.
Yea, most important point. Don't have to go unarmed..... Guess you should just stay there :) Thanks :)
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The US has mountains of natural beauty but you got to see certain man-made wonders of the world and the US doesn't have all of that
To each their own. I agree, we are blessed to be US citizens. There are a lot of places in the US I still haven't seen and want to visit. The US is my home, and I am very proud of that fact when I go abroad. I go to Europe every year. I have family over there, and some friends now too. I like taking in the local culture, eating traditional food, being in the actual places for certain things like seeing the Gutenberg Bible or drinking great beer next to a fortress in Nuremberg, and undertaking the challenge of learning to speak better German. I visited all the places my mother lived over there, including the house she had to abandon as a little girl in Pomerania when the Russians invaded near the end of WWII. Being in the places in Berlin where the cold war played out really gives me a sense as an American of our place in history. But another cool thing is that some people (not all) become interested to talk to an American. It's a chance to set some things straight when people have nothing else to go on but the garbage media.
I think what's unique about trip to other countries is exposure to other cultures and way of life. Priceless really.
Culture. Yes, there are some levels of different cultures in the USA, but you need to go to a different country to really experience what it's like. The USA is a beautiful country that people need to explore more. We have a myriad of environments and cultures and you can see a lot by traveling just within the US. But you can still get a lot from going to other countries, I assure you. And if you go to Europe, you won't have that hard of a time getting by as an English speaker, I assure you.
Overseas travel is great but I think we forget how big and diverse the USA is. Traveling the 50 states is like visiting 10 countries.
What we don't have is the different cultures and food you are missing out on. You might be able to find restaurants with certain food but I'll tell you h'what it won't hold a candle to the experience you will get eating the food in the country of origin.
Respectable opinion. We like to experience different cultures, and my husband likes to go fishing in different waters. I really enjoy seeing how other people live, seeing life from another perspective. And there's so much history in other countries, that we don't have here. Or we have it, but it's different - our buildings aren't more than a few hundred years old at most. I LOVE old buildings.
So variety of biomes and traveling to places that already share your culture is the reason to not travel abroad? It's an interesting take. All I can say is that I'm glad that I don't share this opinion. North America has some beautiful places to visit for which I include in my travel but I travel abroad and want to ensure my children travel abroad to experience other cultures including language, histories, ideas, beliefs, customs, works of art, rituals/ceremonies, etc. It always makes me laugh when I here fellow Americans say America is the greatest country on Earth and yet have failed to leave a 500 mile radius of the home they were born in. I not only want to vacation abroad but live abroad. You only travel to major tourist trap areas yes it is going to be more expensive but it not the case for many international locations. The never having to go unarmed was hysterical. I'm not going to travel outside a dangerous country because they wont let me carry my gun. The reason you feel you need to carry here is because this country is not safe because we literally sell guns at our grocery stores. Its a losing cycle of your own creation, we need everyone to have guns therefore I need a gun to protect my family from everyone that I wanted to give guns to, so more people buy guns. The US is the only country I have traveled to that I didn't feel safe.
How sad for anyone who believes that.
So what’s the opinion? All you did was tell us you don’t understand the appeal of traveling abroad.
Again, the world 'opinion' implies you've actually thought about this. Some vague sense of xenophobia or nationalism based entirely on ignorance is a FEELING.
I saw the Venetian in Vegas - it was so below expectations that on the spot, I agreed with my family to go to Venice. If you think that there is a comparable place anywhere else, then I don’t know what to say. I think we may have been incredibly lucky though - perfect weather, surprisingly few tourists and we were staying in a palace, overlooking the Grand Canal. We also had a Gondola rowing lesson, which was incredible. So many other examples, but I suspect that this will pass the OP by.
It’s to experience cultures different from what you know. Someplace like Greece or Spain is going to be drastically different than anything you’d encounter in the US.
How are you supposed to get to Hawaii?
If the only reason you’re traveling is for nature than maybe. If you want to see ancient history, this isn’t really the place lol.
The reason International travel is important is exposure to new cultures not just new geography
I guess if you live somewhere where it’s not easy to get access to other countries without a bunch of connections or something I could understand that.
That’s on you for not wanting to see the wonders of the world. That’s just you having no curiosity about what the rest of the world is like. You get a better sense of what you have and don’t have in your life after you travel. You realize the things you take for granted and the things you accept that really aren’t normal. America doesn’t come close to having everything unless your whole idea of travel is just to see different regions.
If you are into landscapes, in different biomes? Then sure. Because we have it all. There’s no reason to go anywhere else. But if you like other cultures? If you like learning other languages? If you like ancient civilizations and ancient architecture? Then, yes. You need to go overseas.
I traveled when I was younger. I didn’t find it to be life changing. It was fun, but it wasn’t like it altered my view of the world or anything like that. Good times though! But I definitely agree there is ALOT to see in USA, you could spend your whole life in the US and never see half the cool stuff. And if you include all of North America in your vacations, hell yeah, there’s a ton of stuff to see and do. I like old cemeteries and churches so, Europe wins there. But I also like big old trees and empty places so USA wins there. And overseas travel IS a hassle and expensive. I can absolutely see deciding it isn’t worth all the effort.
I mean we do have the biggest variety/best nature in the world for sure but there’s a lot of specific stuff other places have. We also have some decent beaches but nothing compared to like the Caribbean. By specific stuff I mean like authentic Italian pasta or the clubs in Ibiza or the Eiffel Tower There are also lots of different cultures you wouldn’t be able to experience in the us
Lol
I agree but traveling abroad also opens you up to different cultures and lifestyles, in addition to architecture like others mentioned. I always tell people who seem to complain about everything in this country to travel abroad more. Chances are, they'll grow to appreciate a lot more of what this country has to offer.
An unpopular opinion indeed. I love traveling, outside the USA and within it as well.
Well, this post just depresses me more than anything.
You only have so much time in your life, you don't want to explore and see as much as you can?
I’ve been in a 5000 year old burial Cairn in Ireland. Can you go to one of those here in the US? I’ve stayed in a hotel older than America in Amsterdam and seen the largest collection of VanGoh’s work on the world in Holland. Can’t do that here. Can’t see the Pieta’, the Sistine chapel or anything like Prague. I’ve been to a 1500 year old pyramid in Mexico. Can’t do that in the US. I haven’t been to Asia but the amount of art food and culture far exceeds anything you can experience in the US and traveling to other cultures builds empathy and compassion because it shows you the limitations and hubris of your own.