What makes you want to travel outside of the U.S.?

[Anonymous]

I am an American citizen. My great-grandparents on my mother's side were born in Italy. My grandparents on my father's side were born in Italy. We have been here in the U.S. since the late 1800s. I am the only person in my family to leave the U.S. for travel, and that was a vacation in Italy. My family had no desire to ever go back to Italy to visit or to live there again.

When I was a teenager, airfare was very expensive. I am just curious, with so much variety in geography in the U.S. what makes you desire trips to Europe (after one or two sight seeing visits) or to Mexican beaches and resorts or other countries?

[Anonymous]

Well, there's the "total immersion" factor. There's the food, the culture. If I go to Little Italy in NY, I will not be hearing Italian spoken all around me, and I will not feel it's proper that I should at least try to communicate in Italian before apologizing for my bad language skills and switching to English. But if I go to Italy that's what happens. There's the picking up of suble nuances that are different in different countries.

Also I'm not overly impressed with Americans. As a group, they're (I'm not) loud and inconsiderate of others. It's nice to be in other places where people don't behave that way.

[Anonymous]

Because I love other countries and cultures. Love to speak other languages. Love to see extremely old and historic places. Love seeing the architecture, eating the food, discovering a new way of life in other places.

I've go so many different places I haven't been to yet that I need to start making plans to make sure I get to them all before I die.

We love traveling in the US as well. But traveling abroad is so exciting.

And I'd happily go to Italy every year if I could (in addition to the other trips I want to make).

[Anonymous]

I travel a lot within the US, as well as abroad. Traveling abroad you are exposed to a different language (many places at least), different culture, different foods, and many places, you can stretch your dollar a lot further than you can in the US, so that's appealing as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an American citizen. My great-grandparents on my mother's side were born in Italy. My grandparents on my father's side were born in Italy. We have been here in the U.S. since the late 1800s. I am the only person in my family to leave the U.S. for travel, and that was a vacation in Italy. My family had no desire to ever go back to Italy to visit or to live there again.

When I was a teenager, airfare was very expensive. I am just curious, with so much variety in geography in the U.S. what makes you desire trips to Europe (after one or two sight seeing visits) or to Mexican beaches and resorts or other countries?

You're probably too far removed from Italy if you can trace your roots back to the 1800s. I love traveling to Italy b/c I have family and friends there. Now I will say that when Dad went back (he was born there) 30 years ago, he was so "Americanized" that little thing bothered him - sharing a bathroom with another family while staying at a quaint inn, for example. We aren't inconvenienced in the States.

But those are trivial complaints. Traveling makes you appreciate other cultures (including your own) and makes history come alive. I can remember when people would eat in the Colosseum, which is now banned.

[Anonymous]

Variety, exposure to other cultures and cusines, doing something different, etc

But I do enjoy traveling in the US as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Also I'm not overly impressed with Americans. As a group, they're (I'm not) loud and inconsiderate of others. It's nice to be in other places where people don't behave that way.

Really? Have you ever been to Europe? I've actually found Italian tourists to be the most pushy/rude among all tourists!

[Anonymous]

Desire to learn about the world. Exposing my children to other cultures and peoples so they get a better understanding of the world they live in, that most certainly doesn't revolve only around America. It's fun, entertaining, educational, gorgeous, interesting, etc.

[Anonymous]

If you have to ask OP ... maybe you should stay in the US. What a crazy question

[Anonymous]

tail

[Anonymous]

I like to go places where I feel really rich and people cater to me for being an american with money in my pocket. Like east africa and parts of latin america.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:tail

More abundant or younger outside the U.S.?

[Anonymous]

Because there are cool things to see all over the world. I love traveling within the U.S., too, but I can't stay in the U.S. and see Macchu Picchu (sp), the Coloseum, Sagrada Familia, wild monkeys, or Mayan ruins. And what others said about culture and language.

[Anonymous]

Food!

[Anonymous]

-Adventure
-To experience something new
-It is exciting
-Experience
-There is NOTHING like it
-Fun
-Educational
-Getting FAR away
-Leaving my comfort zone
-Memories
-The more I travel... The more I want to travel
-Vital part of life for me
.....and on & on...