Poll:Do you travel internationally?

[gerntz]

Sorry, but I am struggling here with how and why this is any of your business in the first place.

Go ahead, struggle.

 

[Bryan Barnfellow]

Go ahead, struggle.

I wonder, gerntz, if you understand what online harassment is. I made a simple comment in this thread supporting someone's statement about how many places in the US are worthy of visiting -- as someone who has moved abroad and now regrets not visiting more of them when I lived in the US I gave that person's post a "+1" and noted that regretfully now it's costs more to visit the US. Pretty innocuous stuff. Factually correct also.

Somehow you are turning that simple post into a weird set of comments about where I live and your uninformed, stereotyped assumption about my financial status because it is Switzerland. I tried to make light of your intrusive first response and then tried to politely ask you to stop after your second; but you seem to want to mix it up with me for some unknown (to me, and perhaps to yourself) reason.

Perhaps you can explain to me and others on this otherwise really helpful board what you are on about?

-BB

 

[JustCurious]

I'll hazard that you haven't lived much in lower middle class flyover country or slums nor own your own small business.

Your guess is correct, but I'm not sure what that has to do with anything.

 

[kcowan]

Might this poll be skewed by Canadian snowbirds? Wintering in Phoenix counts as annual international travel, but to me, isn't quite what the OP is asking.

Why not? They need a passport and have to endure the stupidity of removing their belts and shoes at the airport. Apparently they still have to remove the iPads for special x-ray screening.

Have you noticed how other countries are much more logical in their screening?

 

[Meadbh]

Might this poll be skewed by Canadian snowbirds? Wintering in Phoenix counts as annual international travel, but to me, isn't quite what the OP is asking.

If you really want to know, wintering in Phoenix has become less attractive to many Canadians due to some recent changes in US immigration policy and other issues.

 

[MBAustin]

Folks, let's keep it friendly please!

 

[kcowan]

If you really want to know, wintering in Phoenix has become less attractive to many Canadians due to some recent changes in US immigration policy and other issues.

Yes I have a friend who owns a home in the Phoenix area and he has to file every year with the IRS even though he spends most of his time in Canada. No other country makes snowbirds do that.

 

[scrabbler1]

Hmmm... It's unfortunate that you found my reply condescending and judgmental. That wasn't my intention, but I suppose it might have come across that way due to the brevity of my remarks.

Clearly I don't think that every American who doesn't travel internationally has a limited, insular worldview. As others have pointed out, there are obvious reasons why people would not travel overseas, such as limited vacation time, limited travel funds, the perceived inconvenience and hassle of long distance travel, etc. But I do think that if those factors are not issues for someone in the US, and they still decide not to travel overseas, then maybe it IS due to a rather insular mindset. I have seen this firsthand in a number of family members and acquaintances over the years. They just seem to have little (or no) interest in other cultures and places outside the US... and sometimes even outside their own state or region. Personally, I do find this mind boggling, as I stated before. But I don't think any less of them as people for feeling this way. Having said that, I do think it's quite regrettable that so many Americans have never traveled overseas. Experiencing other cultures and languages and ways of life can be very eye opening and good for the mind and soul.

To me, you are still being condescending and judgmental. Why can't someone simply not be interested in doing something without being labeled as someone with an "insular mindset?"

There are many things I have no interest in doing, such as skiing and stamp collecting. Do stamp collectors and skiers think that someone who has no interest in their favorite activities has an insular mindset? Similarly, many people have no interest in doing things I like doing. I wouldn't tag them as having an "insular mindset."

Those of us who don't like to travel are simply making the same, rational decision everyone makes when they decide not to do something. They weighed the positives and negatives and decided accordingly. Why do you get to decide that "experiencing other cultures and languages and ways of life can be very eye opening and good for the mind and soul?" I see no positive value to travel, especially internationally. So, I won't do it. I have no interest in it. And you don't get to label me in a negative way for it.

 

[CardsFan]

If you really want to know, wintering in Phoenix has become less attractive to many Canadians due to some recent changes in US immigration policy and other issues.

Given a few previous posts in this thread, by others, I want to start by saying I am asking this out of true curiosity, and not to start any discussion on the merits.

What has changed recently to US immigration policy that would affect Canadian snowbirds? I have heard there have been some changes to how the Canadian Health Care can be affected but longer stays. But as a US Citizen, I obviously do not see what a visitor needs to go though to enter, and stay for several months, into the US.

If the "other issues" are political, please no comments.

 

[HFWR]

Folks, let's keep it friendly please!

Rolling some now...

 

[kaudrey]

Yes, I love to travel internationally. With w*rk, it's usually once a year or every other year.


As of now, at 49, I have been to 30 countries, and on deck is Ireland in June and New Zealand in January 2019.


I plan to travel extensively for the next 20 years if I can!

 

[Sojourner]

To me, you are still being condescending and judgmental. Why can't someone simply not be interested in doing something without being labeled as someone with an "insular mindset?"

There are many things I have no interest in doing, such as skiing and stamp collecting. Do stamp collectors and skiers think that someone who has no interest in their favorite activities has an insular mindset? Similarly, many people have no interest in doing things I like doing. I wouldn't tag them as having an "insular mindset."

Oh boy. I can see I've hit a nerve here, and I'll reiterate that that was not my intention at all. This is a forum where people can express their opinions, however, and that's honestly all I've been doing. And it is my opinion that, generally speaking, people who have the means to travel internationally but who choose never to do it could be reasonably seen to be somewhat insular in their thinking.

To be clear, insular is defined as "ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one's own experience." I would suspect (although I could certainly be wrong), that if one polled people who could afford to travel internationally (both time-wise and money-wise) but who never do such travel, there would be a statistical tendency for such people to be somewhat insular in their thinking about other cultures, languages, etc. Obviously, there would be many exceptions to this, for example, people who have a fear of flying. However, I do think there would likely be some statistical correlation. Do you actually think there would be zero correlation between these two?

Those of us who don't like to travel are simply making the same, rational decision everyone makes when they decide not to do something. They weighed the positives and negatives and decided accordingly. Why do you get to decide that "experiencing other cultures and languages and ways of life can be very eye opening and good for the mind and soul?" I see no positive value to travel, especially internationally. So, I won't do it. I have no interest in it. And you don't get to label me in a negative way for it.

I am not labeling you, personally, as anything. I am simply trying to make a general observation about patterns of behavior. I know perfectly well there are people all over the place (including several here at E-R.org) who don't like to travel much at all, including internationally, and I'm not saying that any one of them specifically has an insular mindset. And I "get to decide" that experiencing other cultures and languages and ways of life can be very eye opening and good for the mind and soul because that is my sincere opinion based on first-hand observations of myself, my friends, and many others who have had such experiences, in addition to the fact that it seems fairly obvious when you think about it. You have every right to disagree, which I suspect you do, but I really don't think it's fair to continue to disparage my replies as judgmental and condescending.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

We have two international trips so far this year, one in May, one in September, pretty typical for us. However, I have to say I could not disagree with you more. People who prefer not to travel do not necessarily have a “very limited insular worldview,” and people who do like to travel can be pretty narrow minded. Great if people like to travel and are able to do so physically and financially, but it is not sonething everyone enjoys.

+1. We know many people who travel and those that don't enjoy it as much and I don't see a big correlation between open mindedness and passport stamps. One thing I have noticed is that people who monopolize conversations at social events with their personal travel stories are usually the type who have have less friends than people who are friendly and good listeners, whether the good listeners travel a lot or not. We were at a social event where one guy brought all his travel brochures to talk about and I noticed he wasn't invited to the next event where everyone else at our table was. Maybe he thought we were all too insular and was glad to not be included anyway.

On the research front, some personalities types enjoy travel more than others, but I don't think that makes those who do not enjoy it closed minded, inferior human beings:

Can Money Buy Happiness?
https://globalnews.ca/news/3558697/money-happiness-personality-spending/

"Extroverts, for example, would get a kick out of being able to spend on entertainment and travel. Introverts, on the other hand, drew great pleasure from paying home insurance and accountants’ fees."

 

[scrabbler1]

Oh boy. I can see I've hit a nerve here, and I'll reiterate that that was not my intention at all. This is a forum where people can express their opinions, however, and that's honestly all I've been doing. And it is my opinion that, generally speaking, people who have the means to travel internationally but who choose never to do it could be reasonably seen to be somewhat insular in their thinking.

To be clear, insular is defined as "ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one's own experience." I would suspect (although I could certainly be wrong), that if one polled people who could afford to travel internationally (both time-wise and money-wise) but who never do such travel, there would be a statistical tendency for such people to be somewhat insular in their thinking about other cultures, languages, etc. Obviously, there would be many exceptions to this, for example, people who have a fear of flying. However, I do think there would likely be some statistical correlation. Do you actually think there would be zero correlation between these two?

Yes, I do think there would be zero correlation. All they did was choose not to travel. I would not try to conclude anything else about them.

I am not labeling you, personally, as anything. I am simply trying to make a general observation about patterns of behavior. I know perfectly well there are people all over the place (including several here at E-R.org) who don't like to travel much at all, including internationally, and I'm not saying that any one of them specifically has an insular mindset. And I "get to decide" that experiencing other cultures and languages and ways of life can be very eye opening and good for the mind and soul because that is my sincere opinion based on first-hand observations of myself, my friends, and many others who have had such experiences, in addition to the fact that it seems fairly obvious when you think about it. You have every right to disagree, which I suspect you do, but I really don't think it's fair to continue to disparage my replies as judgmental and condescending.

You put it out there with your original remarks. If I were to say, "All of you people who don't play Scrabble like I do are closed-minded and not interested in improving their word skills," then I would deserve to be attacked for making such a disparaging remark. I do not feel that way about anyone who doesn't play Scrabble, of course, and would never, ever make such a remark. And no, I don't think it is "fairly obvious" that experiencing other cultures is necessarily "good for the mind and soul." You are overlaying your assumptions from your own experiences onto others who do not agree with them, then making a judgment about them. That's what I find condescending.

 

[MichaelB]

Everyone's had their say on this (people that don't travel) , so why not let the discussion get back on topic, which is a poll about forum members and their international travel frequency.

 

[Sojourner]

If I were to say, "All of you people who don't play Scrabble like I do are closed-minded and not interested in improving their word skills," then I would deserve to be attacked for making such a disparaging remark.

I never said anything like that, nor would I. You are distorting what I originally said and have been saying, which is simply that I suspect there is a statistical correlation between lack of international travel and lack of interest in other cultures.

Everyone's had their say on this (people that don't travel) , so why not let the discussion get back on topic, which is a poll about forum members and their travel frequency.

Agreed, and my apologies for veering OT.

 

[Sunset]

.....

Sadly, Australia is off my bucket list. I won't fly it in Coach and Business Class is crazy expensive. Could I come up with the money without jeopardizing my finances? Yes. Is that a good use of the $$$$ compared to what other travels I could buy with it? No way.

Personally, I hate flying probably because I fly coach and the planes are more crowded than decades ago when I fly a bunch.

My hope is to replace flying over the ocean with ships. I know the Cunard line does a pretty regular NY -> UK and back, so going over to Europe is workable.

Any chance there is something similar to Australia from CA , and then one returning from somewhere near there later.

Of course a lot of this depends upon my ability to withstand an ocean crossing, which we are doing this year.

 

[candrew]

Since our E.R. 1-1/2 years ago, DW & I have spent nearly the entirety of that time traveling outside of the U.S. We've been in Central America since early January and will be returning to the U.S. sometime in October.

 

[Just_Steve]

Given a few previous posts in this thread, by others, I want to start by saying I am asking this out of true curiosity, and not to start any discussion on the merits.

What has changed recently to US immigration policy that would affect Canadian snowbirds? I have heard there have been some changes to how the Canadian Health Care can be affected but longer stays. But as a US Citizen, I obviously do not see what a visitor needs to go though to enter, and stay for several months, into the US.

If the "other issues" are political, please no comments.

I am also curious.

 

[Meadbh]

Given a few previous posts in this thread, by others, I want to start by saying I am asking this out of true curiosity, and not to start any discussion on the merits.

What has changed recently to US immigration policy that would affect Canadian snowbirds? I have heard there have been some changes to how the Canadian Health Care can be affected but longer stays. But as a US Citizen, I obviously do not see what a visitor needs to go though to enter, and stay for several months, into the US.

If the "other issues" are political, please no comments.

First let me state that I have a great deal of respect for most of the American members of this forum, as individuals.
To answer your question...
1. There have been several reports in reputable international media of people being treated disrespectfully at US Immigration or being refused entry without any legal basis for that decision. For example, a lady from Montreal who was traveling with friends to a bachelorette party in the US was singled out and refused entry without a visa because she was a visible minority. As a Canadian, she does not require a visa.
2. People who require visas to enter the US will now be required to submit details of all their phone numbers, addresses, and online handles and passwords for the last 5 years. While I, as a Canadian citizen, do not require a visa to enter the US, I am very uncomfortable with giving out that kind of information.
[mod edit]
By the way, I’m not planning to go to India either.

 

[Alan]

Thanks for the interesting discussion.