They’re all foreigners abroad

I am currently studing abroad in Costa Rica as well! I have met his mother and his friends they are all so great… but I sometimes forget I might not be able to live here forever. I met someone when I was working abroad in Kenya this year. We dated for 3 months , I fell in love with him, the most in love I have ever felt for anyone in my life. We both cried often before I left back home to Canada, knowing my visa expired. We are both unsure of our future together considering neither of us are financial stable, both just students who graduated.

Secondly its likely my country would never accept him as a resident or citizen because of such strict immigration regulations. As for me, I would go back to Kenya in a heartbeat, I love the country. But I see it all becoming so expensive down the road, plus living in a developing country is not always easy. My best bet is to get dual citizen andlive in Kenya permanently. Not to mention, his work and livimg conditions are poor. It kills me and makes me cry that I cannot be there to help him, and support him through the hardships in his life.

Hi Nicole, I would really like to know how things are right now.

I met a wonderful guy whilst on a solo trip, but it was an unusual dreamy story right off the bat. I decided not to give up. I invited him to visit me, and he came for a month. We travelled around together and fell deeply in love. Fast forward four years, we are getting married next year, lived in three different countries and given up countless things big and small to be together. He is going back to visit one of the places we travelled to together the first time with his sister and booked the same hotel we stayed at.

It lasted 6 years, ready to get married and tying to have a baby. But we were settle together with our own house and everything. Having a relationship abroad is the same as having a relationship with anybody else if there is real love. Check out this great guest post! You may not be in love with him Moving away from home to a foreign land presents a multitude of new experiences that could influence your feelings during this time.

My two biggest pieces of advice: We came up with about five reasons. US citizens need a passport for air and water crossings between the US and Canada. They can still make land crossings without a passport. The latest news is that the deadline for the change has been pushed back to June I totally agree with you on this one Matt. I think it is part of American culture not to be interested in the rest of the world and I think that fear and cultural supremecy have a lot to do with it.

Yes, this is a huge country but so is Brazil and China. I do think that limited vacation time is a very real factor, however. That being said, there are still places that are only hours away in flight time Antigua, Belize, Martinque that Americans just never seem to consider very much. So they stay home. Hopefully, the global changes in power structures will be forcing many out of their bubbles.

When we told our friends and family that we were going to travel around the world for a year, they were jealous but very few of them wanted to do the same. We told some English people that we made the local news in Kentucky because we were traveling the world and they all laughed at us. Perspective is a funny thing. But I actually come from the school of thought that Americans are not that much different than anyone else. The truth is, that Florida is farther away for many Americans than Spain is for most Europeans.

They have everything they need in the EU. I can get food from Thailand, China, and the Philippines all in my hometown which has a whopping population of 12, people. And, as an American, I would rather spend my time with family during holiday. Many parts of Europe cop never even carry fire arms. Their are beautiful beaches throughout Central America that cost the same to get to as trip to Florida… And they will have fewer people, and the local attractions will be cheaper and you will be enlightened. I agree with your point. Ignorance and fear do play a role but geographically unlucky is definitely a huge factor that was left out in the post.

I do believe that more Americans should travel. Very nicely written btw.

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The same people who complain about the cost of travel waste huge amounts of money on other stuff. Taxes, fees, security theater costs plus the weak dollar have fixed that. I think there is a generation gap regarding travel. I have seen many more young Americans in China in the past two years than I did in the two years before that. We were even on national TV — and on the big outdoor screen over the center of Nanjing!

Before China, I only went to France for a week, which took all my savings at the time. Every time my family travels yes, we travels severel times a year, both in Europe, Asia and to our favourite country in the world — USA , we are so impressed of how we are met by nice people everywhere. I never met such politness as in the US, and in…. If we start to speak with a person about anything in, let say an elevator, we are consider crazy Yes, thats crazy.

Thanks for pointing it out! A lot of people seem to be bringing up money but as Lola pointed out, broke is the same in all languages. Why is that countries with less currency value seem to still manage to travel the world? We may complain about the weak dollar but we still have it good compared to these countries. Yet despite distance and cost flights to OZ or NZ are not cheap , they manage to explore the world. I run this site to show you that travel is not expensive.

The problem is Americans have this view of travel as all 5 star inclusive resorts. So they see the prices on expedia and go wow! But the reality is is that travel is not expensive. There are tons of deals out there and if you stay somewhere local, you always get a better room rate. If you want to go somewhere, you can save up for it. It may be expensive taking 5 kids to europe but there are other places where you can take them that are just as close. As all the RTW families show us, you can travel with kids and travel cheaply.

I see your point. Flying to Australia may not be feasible. But why not Jamaica or Belize or Honduras? These countries are cheap when you get there and can be just as amazing as Europe. As many people have pointed it, people still are worried when people go to Paris and, apparently Korea!!

However, as Stevo, said lots of young people are traveling now and I am very hopeful for the future. I am also very happy that this discussion is going on and thank you all for commenting on this post! But while I read your points, all I could think of was: Sure, I think the US can do a lot more to improve its education on foreign affairs and current events.

But the biggest myth of travel is that it somehow makes people smarter, more cultured, or more interesting. Emerson said it best — you take all your issues and problems with you. Lots of them spent their money getting drunk. Why is that a problem? Americans are more likely to celebrate success, be driven, and ambitious to make their goals reality. Am I the friend from Iowa? Well, a lot has happened to me since the whole Thailand thing which I was eventually game for!

Many of my other thoughts have already been posted here—eloquently I might add—but some of your other readers. With our economy in such a rough state, I feel like a traitor taking off to traipse around in Bavaria when New Orleans could probably use my money. With limited time each year to travel, it also becomes tough to weigh my options and choose the best ways to use the time.

As we become more global, family and friends continue to spread out. I hope it continues to become easier for Americans to travel, and I hope more and more people begin to take the plunge. At home AND abroad. Right on the money! Props for mentioning Honduras as a place to visit… anyways, agree with the visiting places that are nearby. I remember when I told a co-worker I was going to Honduras for 30 days, she laughed at me and said.

Poor ignorant and narrow minded fool. Assumes the place is a dump for being a poor country, and just for that she or many another person would pass on going there because its not the americanized Costa Rica or Belize. Honduras has not been exploited cept for the Bay Islands for tourism, and that is what makes it such a great place to visit. It has everything Costa Rica or Belize would have and probably at a cheaper rate.

And your right on this point: Visit something other than cancun in Mexico. Even Mexicans say that Cancun is not the real deal Mexico. Go to some small town in the interior, or go to Monterey, Veracruz or Guanajuato. Look at the populations of the most popular travelling nations — Australia Having lived in the U. Of course only my opinion. Apologies before I proceed. First, traveling within the US is still travel, and the options are vast.

There are plenty of opportunities to explore other cultures right inside our borders. I was sort of stunned at how disinterested the Vietnamese people were in my nationality. Never mind what we did there, they wanted to talk about themselves. Ameri-bashing is too easy. The reality is that they ARE afraid. Looking at many of the comments above- they all cite examples.

And they are ignorant. Yes they do travel in America and I said so. I believe the primary barrier to international travel is economics. Economics combined with the other two factors is a great inhibitor to traveling abroad. We know we are the greatest nation on earth. Most Americans want to see the world. Travel is always near the top on the lifestyle wish lists in surveys of Americans. In reality though, once you have relationships, a job, commitments, and financial obligations, the barriers to international travel are greater.

It is just not that inexpensive to leave the country and most persons traveling are giving up something else. I drove the same car for 20 years until I upgraded two years ago. Our American culture values money above all else. New Zealand and Australia have a culture which encourages people to go out and see the world as a young adult and then come home and start building your country and future. In America, we promote building your wealth from day one. International travel is not a financial wealth builder. Those of us who travel internationally are generally driven by the social and consciousness raising aspects of travel.

Not many of us make money from it. I have lived in many states in the USA. I have traveled through nearly all of them still trying to get to North and South Dakota. I have lived outside the USA about four years. America is an easy place to fall through the social safety net and find yourself struggling to survive. I feel blessed to have earned an education, periodically have lucrative employment, and been in a position to travel frequently most of my life.

I have experienced the downside of months of unemployment and occasionally been homeless while seeking employment. Lots of other Americans find themselves struggling to meet basic needs of home, shelter, and family togetherness. I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head Matt. Even when most Americans do travel, they prefer the Disney effect ie, SuperClubs, Perillo Tours etc… which provides them with all the security and expected perceptions all in one. I agree with you on the education bit. Not everywhere parent can afford to send their kid to a private school that can give those opportunities.

I think that will require government action to force schools to take a multicultural approach and begin educating people about the world. It should be mandatory. In a world so globalized now, we need it more than ever. I agree- American culture values money vs. So while we may not want to do it as long as others, we can still do it a little bit!! Yes, the US is a very wealthy country — but it also has a marked income gap, and a large for lack of a less patronizing word underclass of working poor.

Think of those 50 million Americans without health insurance — are they really going to rush out to get a passport and book a flight to Europe? Traveling the back roads of Mississippi or Louisiana was shocking at times. Matt, I think the reason a lot of people reacted strongly to this post is because it probably accidentally came across as blame-y. Saying its education and money perpetuates the Palin idea that only the educated and rich can afford travel. Blaming poverty is a little bit of a cope out.

But the majority of Americans could travel if they did save a little more. My job paid 12 dollars an hr yet I still managed to save for Europe. Brazilians have a huge wealth gap but everywhere I go I seem to run into Brazilians. Kiwis DO have a huge disadvantage. Even when the Kiwi was strong over the last few years, it still costs them about dollars to fly to Europe and, while Americans complain about the.

I would not go that far. By saying you need money and education to travel, you are falling into that Palin idea that is totally classist. Education has nothing to do with it. Money has nothing to do with it. It simply comes down to desire. I definitely think the world be a different place is US politicians did more traveling when they were younger. I believe that those times are over …. No, obviously, it is not everyone. We have our own kaserne which could be described as a little microcosm of America with the obvious confound of being all military or military-related folks.

There are numerous opportunities to travel, even within the safety of a USO or other American-operated tour at a pretty substantial discount, too across Europe. Ideal location for traveling, really. They are afraid of not being able to communicate. Of not being able to find something good to eat. Of finding grody bathroom facilities. Of being targeted as an American. And nothing or no one is going to convince them otherwise. But by the same token, people from other countries sometimes perpetuate that fear, too.

I do a lot of traveling on my own with my son. It is hardly a strictly American phenomenon. I know I am late in this discussion, went thru all the comments but I still feel what you said is correct. Americans live in their own world. One eye opener for me here. I feel this statement makes them more human as well. In India, as my fellow countryman Priyank said, economic factor plays a greater part.

We can not leave the job as it is very difficult to get one again. Population plays major role here. That said I was thinking of doing four countries of south east asia next year, I wonder how much that going to cost me. There is a higher percentage of Americans who are poor because we lack the social networks SMALL countries have and their size lets them set up. I would love to see a change. I said so in the piece and in the comments. I never said education did not have anything to do with it.

In fact, I said it did. Spanish, and that is only because we have a large Spanish speaking population in the country not because we want to go to Spain. However, you are taking this point to an ultra specific end. I wrote a 1, words. I was speaking in a generality- i. If you want me to break it down for economic bracket, I could write a novel. That is pretty obvious. However, if you want to take the extreme example of the waitress, you are correct. Yes, that person will never be able to afford to travel.

Neither will the refugees living in camps in Chad. Or citizens in the fields of China. But now explain the middle. The majority of Americans who can get by and who could go out to Europe. But those were actually called Portobello burgers. Never mind, carry on. Ever wonder where those attitudes come from? I view education as a solution, not an excuse to stay home. Blaming the state is what we do. Sorry, but I completely disagree. Education has everything to do with the fear and lack of curiosity about the world that yes, sadly too man Americans display.

As for money — of course there is a bottom line financial requirement for travel. To argue otherwise is crazy.

And not in some imaginary I-can-afford-my-flatscreen-tv-but-not-a-ticket-to-Europe kind of way. My money from my part-time job went to college savings, my share of the gas and car insurance, groceries, etc. I seriously doubt she knows or cares about that hypothetical Louisiana waitress.

All the more reason to be grateful, rather than judgmental or self-righteous. You can choose to agree or disagree, obviously. It was your comment downplaying the money issue, which several people had raised, that I was reacting to. Canadians travel, Kiwis travel, etc. Because they come, in some ways, from a very different place. And growing up the station wagon trips to Washington DC or the Grand Canyon were great memories — all in the country.

Its definitely worth it. I engineer my life to be frugal yet rewarding.

Does it say that people ignored the situation? Or did they not realize what was occuring in that full row. Also remember this was one bizarre incident out of thousands and thousands of daily travelers — so its important to educate and make aware without caving to overzealous fear. It leads to a completely different mindset towards travel and the costs and benefits of travel. The average American is 30K in debt has a mortgage a car payment and probably 2 kids. Most Americans get just one week vacation a year which is hardly enough time to go out of the country.

One thing is for sure…Americans that do travel out of the country seem to get the bug and keep exploring. Never mind all the brainwashing, what really matters is how we individually think and this matters more to me. Last year, I finally talked her into renewing the passport and going with me.

Sadly, not anything else. My grandfather was born in America, and I spent lots of my childhood travelling from my home in London to the states. I can remember spending a day at school with my friend in NY aged about 10 and in her geography lesson they were learning the state capitals. This was not some poorly funded public school in a bad neighbourhood, but a very expensive private school. My daughter is six and at her free state school in London she is currently learning about Russia stories, dances and toys etc and has learnt about India, Australia and other places.

The children can learn French, Mandarin, musical instruments etc etc. When their teacher reads them a story it might be a traditional English tale or a traditional Kenyan one. A great emphasis is placed on internationalism, which might be because of our colonial past, but also because the UK is a pretty international place, London in particular.

In her class she has children with one or two parents who are French, German, Spanish, Buglarian, Indian, Sri Lankan, Australian and a child who has recently moved from the Congo because his parents were working there. It is part of our education and becomes part of our culture. But I bet I could blitz any US geography teacher with this game: On one hand, it makes some valid points, but on the other hand, it makes the points with very oversimplified assumptions.

That factors in economics and priorities, which makes it yet another outlying point. Are you there for the people? For the tourist sites? This seems to be a subjective standard that changes the argument. Sorry for being late to the discussion and for writing half a novel here, but thanks for the thought-provoking post, Matt. Australians have an equally big country as the US and are way more isolated than Europe but we are much bigger travellers.

Canadians travel more than Americans on average as well. Sure, there are generalisations in the post but the definition of a generalisation is something that is generally true. I know it is a small case study, but I still think it works. I also disagree with the fear factor. I doubt too many Americans are fearful of foreign travel. Good for you Jen. I love hearing people who are planning to travel. You will thank yourself for doing it.

Ricardo is right — except technically south of Mexico all the way to Panama is part of North America too.

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Most Americans perceive the country to take up a whole continent. I was referring to the fact we go from ocean to ocean. However, most of our friends have also been outside the US, but it involved trips to Mexico or the Caribbean. As a lot of people mentioned above, in the US we generally only get a couple of weeks vacation, and if we have time to get away, we want to do something we really enjoy. I can speak enough Spanish and French to get by in places where those languages are spoken, but everywhere else I try to learn 20 or so basic words please, thank you, etc. With the exception of two people, everyone we talked to in Finland spoke fluent English.

We had similar experiences in Iceland, and Denmark, and Holland, and a couple of other places. I only got to go abroad because I studied abroad and could use financial aid to pay for it. I tend to agree with much of what you state. In Europe, you drive a few hundred miles and you can be in a foreign country,. Many more than once. They also travel widely is Asia and the middle east. Yes, they have more time off. They take advantage of it by going to new places. America is the worlds superpower and therefore there Americans may have the idea that everything needed and wanted is in America so dont see the point in travelling anywhere else.

However I have only recently learnt of the sheer vastness of the USA and so can see how each state differs so much from each other therefore Americans are able to pay less for vacations if they stay in America yet still have the experience of being somewhere completly different from home. Also as Americans have less vacation time available this will most likely limit the amount of Americans travelling experiences.

Really enjoyed your comments, well put. However I have a question for you, if the U. We were always the family that went to exotic places, while our neighbors house-sat for us. Even just one of these things can seem daunting enough to scrap the whole idea.

Again, it comes down to priorities which stems from education and upbringing. As someone else mentioned here, we have deserts, beaches, mountains, lakes, farmland — why would you want to pay so much to see it all somewhere else? Again, this comes down to priorities, education, upbringing. Yes it does seem that the small allowance of vacation time for Americans is an important factor in the limiting of their travels compared to people in other countries, who have more vacation time therefore more time to think about and actually travel.

What is an expat? And who is an expat? Defined that way, you should expect that any person going to work outside of his or her country for a period of time would be an expat, regardless of his skin colour or country. But that is not the case in reality; expat is a term reserved exclusively for western white people going to work abroad. Here are the main conclusions: It depends on social class, country of origin and economic status.

The reality is the same in Africa and Europe.