It’s a good idea to keep a valid passport around no matter if you live in North America or Europe. Doesn’t hurt to be prepared.
Good luck getting one right now, they fired everyone who’s not a cop
Edit: I’ve been corrected, passports are going it seems. I wonder how visas are…
Even when they run at full capacity it takes about 30 to 90 days for the paperwork to process.
Incredible to think that something like 65% of Americans have NEVER left the country, not even to Canada or Mexico. More impressive, even, is that like 40% have left their home STATE.
The state statistic is more daming and informative I think. For someone without big travel money/time, America does have enough natural beauty (or whats left of it in this world) for most of a lifetime of travel and experince. Someone can be decently traveled, and have some corresponding broad ass horizons without having left the US.
I imagine that’s a large part of it, yes, but how many don’t, and just CHOOSE to stay in like, Oklahoma or something?
most people i imagine? How many europeans are born in a country, and just, never leave, move out, go anywhere else. It has to be a statistically significant figure, not as much as america, considering that UK is maybe the size of ONE state. But still.
I mean it’s a very large country with many interesting places, diverse landscapes etc etc, I don’t find it particularly strange to never have left. I wonder how many Europeans have never left Europe, though I guess the cultural differences between countries there is larger than between states in the US.
why would they, sure you could go visit europe, or india, and a lot of people do that.
America is a huge fucking country. If you want to have interesting travel, there are PLENTY of places you can go within america alone. It’s just not really required. Sure if you want to experience other culture, and what not, you’re going other places, nobody is going to stop you. But you can literally just drive across ALL of america, without a passport, it’s so much easier. And again, there are tons of geographically unique places to visit, there is a substantially significant variety of culture within america itself.
It’s just not really needed.
America is a huge fucking country. If you want to have interesting travel, there are PLENTY of places you can go within america alone.
I would love for this to be the answer for why most Americans don’t travel internationally. The US is massive, and it’s one of the most geographically diverse countries on earth. Just look at this list of ecoregions of the US. Also, damn near every nationality you can think of has made a home here, and they brought their culture with them. There are Congolese enclaves in North Carolina, Somalian enclaves in Minnesota, Cambodian enclaves in California, Indian enclaves in New York, Finnish enclaves in Oregon, French enclaves in Alabama… The list goes on and on. It’s actually insane how much beautiful variation there is here, both geographically and culturally.
Unfortunately, the real reason most Americans don’t travel abroad is far more depressing. The numbers that Dogiedog64 was citing come from a survey conducted by OnePoll, which wound up in this Forbes article.
In fact, survey results showed 76 percent of the respondents wanted to travel more than they do currently. The reasons they gave for why they don’t are what you would expect: mainly due to a lack of finances or just feeling unprepared and ill-equipped to venture forth into unknown territory. More specifically, 63 percent of Americans who have never left the country said an international trip would be out of their price range.
When you consider that nearly 40% of Americans can’t cover an unexpected $400 expense, it starts to make sense that so many Americans don’t travel abroad. It’s heartbreaking that we basically invented “grind culture”, and yet most of us can’t afford the same kind of vacation that a minimum wage worker in Denmark gets.
even if this is true, at the very least people are capable of traveling a lot of interesting places, so it’s not all hope lost at least.
If i had to guess, it’s probably less money (certainly right now that’s the case) and more to do with all the bureaucracy. You can wake up tomorrow and drive all the way across america, with basically no paper work. I would be surprised if many people in america even had valid passports to be honest.
Not to mention all the work you have to do in preparing overseas accommodations. And potential language barriers. Traveling outside of the US has got to be like 10x more difficult than traveling inside the US.
I also imagine that if people DO travel outside, they’re going to go on a big trip, to see a lot of things, and it’s going to be more expensive. It’s just how that kind of thing tends to work. It’ll be some shit like a wedding, for example.
its to keep them ignorant, most of them tend to be conservatives, the only time they would leave is joining ht emilitary, that is about it. i never been to mexico, but i been to canada on both coasts different times when i was younger. was in china pre-2000.
unlikely, it’s more likely that most americans just don’t really feel the need to go anywhere outside of america, due to how large it is, and how much cultural variance there is within the country. It’s more than any single european country could imagine, more than every west european country could imagine even.
Go get one, it’s only a question of time when you can’t anymore.
Yes it is for a lot of people. Do you think the system will happily keep working for those it persecutes? This is a mistake a lot of Jews, Democrats, LGBT and others make every time the can’t imagine their country goes fascist, and it always backfires. Right now of those who’re technically eligible for a passport, citizens with migrant origin (or those who “look like it”) as well as trans people are already in danger of not being able to flee anymore. The first are persecuted by ICE, the second are being erased and now they (with Musk at the helm) start framing them as terrorists.
You’re living under a fascist government, act accordingly and do it swiftly.
“Yes it is for a lot of people”
Yes, changing your question will yield a different answer.
“Do you think the system will happily keep working for those it persecutes?”
it never has, why do you think a system will help the people it is persecuting? persecution is inherently harmful.
"…can’t imagine their country goes fascist, and it always backfires. "
well, guess what, you don’t have to guess anymore. your country is actively going fascist (you sound American).
“You’re living under a fascist government, act accordingly and do it swiftly.”
I am definitively not, and I’ve been helping others get out from under the boot heel for a decade and a half.
You’re talking out your elbow.
as you’re an American, I suppose you pay taxes and support that government that you claim upsets you so?
I don’t.
sounds like you’re the problem.
Better hurry and get it before they make it practically or literally impossible for everyone except the most privileged…
or they force you to serve in the military first to earn a passport. kind of like earning your citizenship in starship troopers.
too old to serve?..didnt ask…
The way they talk about how military service should be required for basic privileges is terrifying as a disabled person. No I didn’t join the military to pay for my education, I was never going to be allowed in even if I wanted to
Some of the better arguments abstract it out to civil service requirements and not just military. I understand the urge to make people ‘prove’ their willingness to work for the betterment of the country before you let them vote, but I don’t think mandatory conscription would actually help.
People in the military are less likely to disobey corrupt orders as long as they come from the correct chain of command.
Power comes from a politically consolidated military. The larger the military the greater the reigns of power become.
That’d be one incentive for the people in power to force citizens into the military.
I mean, they basically already have… It cost $165/person for a passport that can go anywhere but Canada and Mexico. Over $600 for a family before you can even go anywhere. For probably 90% of families, that sort of disposable income is a dream when most people can’t afford a $500 emergency expense.
Trump’s Golden Passport, only five millions, for a limited time only! Lets you go visa free to beautiful Puerto Rico, Guam, and soon to Canada and Greenland. Other destinations pending.
Order yours now!
Conditions may apply.
and depending on where you fall on the color chart, potentially sunny Guantanamo Bay.
