Who's never traveled outside of the United States?

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Bailey28

Joined
Sep 30, 2004
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Location
Gainesville FL
I will admit,I am over 50, was born in New Jersey and moved to Florida at age 10. I have been to St. Thomas when I was 5 for a week which I fondly remember, but I have never been 'traveling'. Traveling to a foreign country on a big vacation, Italy, France, Ireland, Asia, Middle East, Austrailia, etc. I have not even been to most of the US. Been to a few places in the US like Vegas, NC, Colorado years ago.

Who has not been abroad and why?

My why is partly lack of interest in these places I can see their highlights on the internet or TV.
Also, a fear of getting hurt and not having insurance to pay for an injury sustained abroad. Friends of mine have tales of success and happy vacations abroad as well as disasters from food poisioning, injuries while white water rafting, spider bites, theft, being stranded, etc. To me getting stranded or lost in a foreign land is not an 'adventure'... it would be sheer panic and frustration.

If you've been outside of the US, did you do a guided tour group? Did you go on your own?
 
Well, since you’re looking for those who haven’t traveled, I won’t list all the places I’ve been, as part of a guided tour, on my own, on liberty/port call, as part of work.
 
Bailey28 said:
I will admit,I am over 50, was born in New Jersey and moved to Florida at age 10. I have been to St. Thomas when I was 5 for a week which I fondly remember, but I have never been 'traveling'. Traveling to a foreign country on a big vacation, Italy, France, Ireland, Asia, Middle East, Austrailia, etc. I have not even been to most of the US. Been to a few places in the US like Vegas, NC, Colorado years ago.

Who has not been abroad and why?

My why is partly lack of interest in these places I can see their highlights on the internet or TV.
Also, a fear of getting hurt and not having insurance to pay for an injury sustained abroad. Friends of mine have tales of success and happy vacations abroad as well as disasters from food poisioning, injuries while white water rafting, spider bites, theft, being stranded, etc. To me getting stranded or lost in a foreign land is not an 'adventure'... it would be sheer panic and frustration.

If you've been outside of the US, did you do a guided tour group? Did you go on your own?
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never left us soil and proud of it
 
The greatest thing I ever did with my youth was to travel the world. I've learned more than any classroom could teach and experienced things that a library full of books could never tell. I've met Presidents and Queens, been pick-pocketed by a pregnant woman and helped deliver a baby in the back of a farm cart.

Post cards and television shows are wonderful for memories and entertainment but you haven't lived until you've experienced it all in color.
 
I dipped my toe in Tijuana as an 18 year old, but outside of that, I have never left the continental US. I've been to many states, though, and there are a lot of places in Europe that I would love to visit! Just never had the opportunity (yet).
 
I never have except for an afternoon in Nuevo Laredo. That was enough for me. Have no desire to travel abroad so y'all have at it. I'm staying put. LOL
 
I have been to and inside pyramids, Egyptian temples and tombs, the lost city of Petra in Jordan, all over Italy including Rome, Florence, Pisa and Pompeii, climbed Mt Vesuvius, been up the Eiffel Tower, toured the World War 1 battlefields, crossed the Atlantic on a ship where you saw nothing but ocean for days.

Seeing these places on television is a poor substitute for actually being there.
 
I never have and don’t ever plan too. One thing I won’t step foot on an airplane but also I have no interest in traveling by air or anywhere outside of the US. I do want to at least visit 48/50 states though so far I’ve visited I think 17 states. They gave us the option to go to Paris, Rome and somewhere else in high school but hardly anyone went and I would never go anyway. I’m perfectly fine with staying in the US and traveling by car or I’ll do trains but nothing else.

I’ve never understood the appeal of wanting to go outside the US. If I went somewhere outside the US I probably couldn’t get fast food as easy meaning I’d starve on the trip because I don’t eat anything else when I travel.
 
Astro14 said:
Why would that make you proud?

That’s like saying, “never read a book and proud of it”.

I don’t see how you can be proud of narrow horizons, proud of meager experience, proud of limited perspecti157333157333why should I. I have everything I need here America has beautiful land, cultures and places to see.
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America has beautiful places, cultures and land to visit. No need to go abroad.
 
AutoMechanic said:
I never have and don’t ever plan too. One thing I won’t step foot on an airplane but also I have no interest in traveling by air or anywhere outside of the US. I do want to at least visit 48/50 states though so far I’ve visited I think 17 states. They gave us the option to go to Paris, Rome and somewhere else in high school but hardly anyone went and I would never go anyway. I’m perfectly fine with staying in the US and traveling by car or I’ll do trains but nothing else.

I’ve never understood the appeal of wanting to go outside the US. If I went somewhere outside the US I probably couldn’t get fast food as easy meaning I’d starve on the trip because I don’t eat anything else when I travel.
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I’m genuinely saddened by this.

There are other countries and cultures in the world - each special, and amazing, in their own way.

I’ve been to all 50 states (traveled to, and then spent the night, or more, changing planes absolutely does not count) and to over 40 countries.

“Would never go” denies the cultural significance and richness of other places.

This is a very myopic and limited attitude.

If it’s a fear of flying, then take a ship. Then take trains. You could get all across Europe if you wanted to.

But the fact that you don’t want to saddens me.
 
factorytuned2012 said:
America has beautiful places, cultures and land to visit. No need to go abroad.
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I’ve visited nearly every National Park, and spent time in every state, I’ve seen the beautiful places here. I agree. This is a wonderful country. That said…

You're wrong. There is a need to go abroad. You won’t find thousand year old cathedrals here, for example, or art and culture that pre-dates the founding of the United States. Food that you can’t find here. Vistas that have to be experienced first hand. People with perspectives, histories and traditions that are different than yours.

And the sad thing is - you will never know how wrong you are.
 
I had a meager childhood.

We did go to Mexico to camp. My dad threatened to leave me there. So Not so much outside USA travel

Then I got married and we would go to Canada (moved to the PNW), then England. THEN work sent me to China an Brazil. For extended periods. Cool, exciting, boring and dirty, good food and sometimes the sheetz. Retirement opened up France and Italy and beyond for us.

We might even camp in Canada if they cool down a bit.
 
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