Go ahead, struggle.Sorry, but I am struggling here with how and why this is any of your business in the first place.
Go ahead, struggle.Sorry, but I am struggling here with how and why this is any of your business in the first place.
Go ahead, struggle.
Your guess is correct, but I'm not sure what that has to do with anything.I'll hazard that you haven't lived much in lower middle class flyover country or slums nor own your own small business.
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.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.
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.