Passport??

[Blind groper]

I was reading a magazine article the other day, which said that Americans tend to be parochial and stay at home types. In fact, most Americans do not even have a current passport. Is this true?

So as a matter of interest, here are some questions for you.

1. Nationality.
2. Do you have a current, up to date, passport?
3. How many countries, apart from your own, have you visited?
4. Why that number?

I will kick off.
1. New Zealander.
2. Yes, I have a current passport.
3. Outside NZ, I have visited 19 countries.
4. Why? Because I did not have enough money to visit more. The world is a fascinating place. Give me a million dollars and I will double my count within a year.

[Bella Fortuna]

1. American
2. Yes
3. UK, Spain, Italy
4. Lack of money and time off. Plus, flying to anyplace from the States takes SO long you have to add days to your holiday - which we get few enough of, anyway.

[Svartalf]

1 French
2 Yes
3) I've been to 10 countries outside France
4) because I don't have the money to travel as much as I'd like... I've seen mosst of those places as a child or teenager than since I started living as an adult.
.

[Rum]

1. British
2.. You have just reminded me that my passport expired about 9 months ago!
3. I'm not sure but in the region of 30 I would think.
4. My parents were expats in Hong Kong and we travelled back and forth for 'leave'. A wonderful education for me as a kid! Later on caught the bug and did the hippie trail and then more recently France and Europe a lot!

[JimC]

1. Australian
2. No passport
3. Zero other countries
4. Just cos...

[HomerJay]

British
have passport
dunno. i drove through 10 different countries on one trip.
never been outside of the united states of europe.

[MiM]

Finnish
Yes
about 30, most of them in Europe (going to two of them tomorrow, having a meeting in Vienna in the afternoon and then continuing to Luxembourg in the evening)
About one third of those I have visited only on business travel. Collecting countries in the EU is more and more like collecting states in the USA, so not that big a deal.

Can I count the Soviet Union and Russia as two different countries

[Seabass]

I was reading a magazine article the other day, which said that Americans tend to be parochial and stay at home types. In fact, most Americans do not even have a current passport. Is this true?

So as a matter of interest, here are some questions for you.

1. Nationality.
2. Do you have a current, up to date, passport?
3. How many countries, apart from your own, have you visited?
4. Why that number?

I will kick off.
1. New Zealander.
2. Yes, I have a current passport.
3. Outside NZ, I have visited 19 countries.
4. Why? Because I did not have enough money to visit more. The world is a fascinating place. Give me a million dollars and I will double my count within a year.

Oh, Jesus Christ on a fucking motorcycle with sidecar. It's pretty obvious where you're going with this.

Yes, it's true 'Merkins travel less than some nationalities (never mind that we travel more than some nationalities, because that's irrelevant). I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that the U.S. is situated between the world's two largest oceans, thousands of miles from Asia and Europe, with Canada being the only safe neighbor to travel to. And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact the U.S. is an enormous, culturally diverse country with many interesting places to explore within its own borders.

Surely Americans travel less because we're stupid, fat, uncivilized, and backward. We might even be subhuman. We're a bit like C.H.U.D.s but fatter.

[Hermit]

Australian / German
Yes
14
Because I am a parochial, stay at home type at heart.

[JimC]

Australian / German
Yes
14
Because I am a parochial, stay at home type at heart.

Shit, what does that make me?

[Blind groper]

To seabass

Bella responded quickly as being an American who travels. Mind you, Bella is one of my favorite respondents, since she is always pleasant about her responces, and it was good to see her input.

Outside of that that, my question about Americans is sincere. It would be good to see more Americans respond here.

A couple of Europeans pointed out that travel in Europe between nations is easy. Like travelling between states in the USA. We need to take that into account.

I have to say that, as a New Zealander, it is much more difficult to travel than in many other places, since we are so isolated. But I have been to Australia many times, to various Pacific Island Nations, to several Asian, to Canada, USA and Argentina, to UAE, to 8 European countries. They say that travel broadens your mind. I hope that is true.

[rachelbean]

American living in the UK
Yes (obviously)
Mexico, Holland, France, England/Scotland/Wales
What Bella said

[DaveDodo007]

1, UK/Turkey.
2, Yes.
3, Lost count but as a guess between 50 and 60.
4, Travel broadens the mind, meeting different people and discovering different cultures, I love countries that have ancient building and all highbrow stuff like that. It has nothing to do with me wanting to shag as many different foreign women as possible before I die, no siree.

[Hermit]

Australian / German
Yes
14
Because I am a parochial, stay at home type at heart.

Shit, what does that make me?

A hex nut that has rusted on to Melbourne.

[Scott1328]

1. Nationality.
2. Do you have a current, up to date, passport?
3. How many countries, apart from your own, have you visited?
4. Why that number?

1. I am American
2. Yes
3. Mexico, Canada, England, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica,Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Crete, Greece. Next year I will be visiting New Zealand and Australia.
4. Because I haven't been to any others