Will a little travel do Americans good and help them understand the world?

Question

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/columnists/story/0,,1824906,00.html

Answer 1

YES, I travel, and I have learned many things from different parts of the world. But the one thing that remains the same is that people are people.
We all have a Mother and Father, Sister Brother and children. We all love our families and the main goal is to provide for them.

This is why it is so damn hard to understand why there is war.
The "enemy" wants to go home to his wife and children just like you. So why not just simply drop arms, and say no! I am going home. I am not going to die or kill some one else, for your silly cause.

No I won't do it!

If the whole military said that there would be no war and what would the President do? He could do nothing ! He would be a raving maniac and no one would listen.

The President only has power because the people give him the power. If the people take the power away by saying NO. To bad...

So Yes if everyone traveled and saw the other countries people as regular human beings life for all would be better.

Gerald Armstrong USA

Answer 2

That was a very well written article, thank you for sharing it.

The article contains many good points. The author actually underestimates the lack of free time American's possess. How many people ONLY work 8 hours a day any more? On top of that many of us spend at least an hour a day, often 1.5-3 hours a day just in getting to and from work. That turns an 8 hour day into a 10 hour day. A 10 hour day into a 12 hour day. So what happens to most of our vacation time? We use it going to a real estate agent, a lawyer, waiting for something to be delivered. Even those who actually get a full two weeks off often work a side job on thier vacation. We ARE very overworked as a nation.

The second point that really stood out to me was accidental but very true. Think about the people who do travel abroad most often. It's usually the young who have not entered the work force the very wealthy and old folks. Granny Snasnufus from New Jersey is the kind of people they get to see. I've lived in Texas for many years and you know I have seen ONCE I think a Caddy with long horns on the hood. In states like Colorado I see a car with Texas plates and bullhorns at least once every time I'm there. Same with Cali. This loud ignorent and unrepresentive person is the typical American tourist. That is what Europeans get to see. Europeans get to see Americans stressed out by airline delays, lost luggage, tight vacation plans and even tighter budgets. Think about it very few American's are in a posisition to spend at least a month's salary to just travel. Few of us could lose a months salary to anything and still have a place to live. To leisurely view any country in Europe would take at least a months salary for most Americans. Some far more than that.

So I think Europe would benifit as much as America from getting to meet real Americans, not the tourist types. Not the Aunt Edna's from Ohio or the Grandpa Grumpy from Miami.

I tend to agree that we'd actually see improved productivity in some areas with more vacation. With 4 weeks many people would have time to take a vacation. Most companies today mix sick time in with vacation time. You get 2-3 weeks you can spend either sick or on vacation or pretending to be sick to be on vacation. The days of 2 weeks sick time that accumulated or could be sold plus the vacation time which increased with time at the company are fast disapeering. Many younger workers have probably not even heard of such benifits which were pretty much standard in 1990. Many workers today don't get a day of vacation until they are with the company at least a year. Some do not even get sick leave until they are with the company at least 6 months. A fast growing number get niether at all as we work as contractors and every day off is money lost, even holidays are a day without pay.

So when even the rest of us travel we are likely a pretty grumpy lot :)

So yes it would help American's to meet people from around the world. I do so though IM convos and email. I meet people in online games, sites like Myspace, Yahoo 360, forums and such. I have some good friends scattered accross the world now and get to hear some of what people think about Americans. Obviously the biggest American haters won't talk to me since I'm American. Also thier expressions will be tempered. I think this is a more likely way for Americans to meet others. The economy isn't getting better overnight and fewer Americans could travel abroad each year no matter how much vacation you gave us. Unless they design a rowboat and give us a few weeks to row accross and a few weeks there and a few weeks to row back I don't see how many Americans could afford the trip. Europe is expensive. Very expensive. Some parts of Asia as well. So it doesn't matter how much time off we had, we just could not afford to even travel there if there was a magical transporter. We can afford to talk to them on computers, soon even voice and video conferencing. It's not quite like being there but you get to talk to people and many of the illusions disapeer about people from other parts of the world for both Americans and non-Americans.

Answer 3

Yes it would do them good, but consider this. You have to fly 7 hours to get to Europe if you live on the east coast. You have to fly 24 to get to Australia, 14 to get to Asia, 11 to Hawaii, 4 to get to the Caribbean and 5-6 to get to Mexico.

If I live in Frankfurt, it takes 2 hrs to get to Spain, 1.5 to get to London, etc.

Basically, if I'm European, I can experience a different culture in a very short time. If I'm American, I have to cover a LOT of distance to experience a different culture and flying costs a lot more in the US than it does in Europe. They do not have el-cheapo charters. Only 1 or two that I know of came into existence in the last few years and they have very limited domestic !! routes.

Answer 4

no longer continuously. I have travelled to Spain, France & Portugal & do not talk any of those languages except hi, thanks & different pleasantries. I frequently experience somewhat embarassed, besides the undeniable fact that, that i do not talk the different languages. besides the undeniable fact that . . . . . contained in the united kingdom I were requested why we Brits do not talk different languages regularly. i imagine that we were offered as a lot as comprehend that English is spoken by maximum individuals besides. If we were going to make your recommendations up on a language then which one would you recommend? Welsh? Breton? Hindi? Urdu? the united kingdom is a huge mix of languages & inspite of the actual undeniable reality that Spain is close, in various of our cities Polish is fairly a fave one now. Asian languages were on the upward push too. properly! Which do you recommend?

Answer 5

Certainly.However a good number of them resides in bigotryville,USA and utters the prayer GOD BLESS AMERICA only as such most of the world is not blessed enough for them to travel to

Answer 6

I think that the Kennedy Peace Corp. was a great way to build Patriotism in American youth it should be revived in a big way because American youth today are self centred spoiled brats.

Answer 7

Yes, but only if they open their eyes and minds and realize that most of the world is a beautiful, modern and wonderful place where people live in prosperity and freedom.

Answer 8

only if they stop talking long enough to realise that the United States isn't the only place on earth where people have a history in most cases much longer than the USA has existed.

Answer 9

definitally.
but make it not just a little.....make it A LOT of travelling, and that is, not just to Paris, Rome, London, but also to the not so nice-hip places.
Havana, Cuba is not that far, and a completetlly different world.
and east European countries, middle east, Isreal will do it,
and then Asia.

Answer 10

Yes, I am ready to show the world what wonderful people Americans are. It's not about us you know, it's about YOU.