A tea bagger friend--actually my high school boyfriend (40 years ago)

[mnhtnbb]

just admitted to me that he's never been out of the country. Why? He's afraid bad things will happen to him.


I find that fascinating. How else do you create a frame of reference that doesn't put Americans
in the center of everything? I know that when I first started to travel outside the U.S. I found
it infinitely fascinating. There is so much to see in the world; so much to learn; so much to experience.

I'm curious whether there are any DU'ers who wouldn't travel outside the U.S. because they might
be afraid bad things could happen to them.

Forget finances. Would you travel outside the U.S. if you could?

[SpiralHawk]

1. Youbetcha

It's a big and beautiful world.

Teabaggites and republicons in general are mightily afflicted with fear. They live in fear, breed fear, and attempt to spread fear. That's why they are so fanatical about their guns and why they are afraid to go out of the USA.

To live large, to have a Big Spirit, you must be a true American, for this is the Home of the Free and the Land of the Brave (not the land of the sniveling Republicon Chickenhawks like Bush, Cheney, Limbaugh, Romney, Beck, Hannity, O'Reilly and the rest of them).

Teabaggers and Republicons have foresaken that key part of America, the bravery part, and chosen instead to cower in their freaking Daddy-Protect-Me-Fascist Homeland concept -- the festering psychic nest that gives birth to Republicon-Corporate Totalitarianism.

[mnhtnbb]

5. Wow. Love your sig line. Fits right in with the OP. Wouldn't a person of

faith be inclined to banish fear of bad things happening?

[C_Lawyer09]

42. The only gun fanatic of those you mentioned is Cheney

Owning and liking guns doesn't relate to a festering psychic (I think you meant psychotic) nest.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Not only would I travel, but both my husband and I do!

And it is as you say: there are so many cool things to see, learn, experience!

Cool new foods, new people, new climates!

I love to travel!

[JI7]

3. conservatism, particularly in America is about fear/hate of differences

[Juche]

4. Yes

Where all did you go out of curiosity?

I have never left the US. I would like to though to see other areas.

[mnhtnbb]

7. I just got back from Peru on Thanksgiving night. I've been to Germany, Austria

Switzerland, France, Italy, Great Britain, many Caribbean islands, Panama, Mexico, Canada, Belize, New Zealand...

My youngest son is a German major planning studies in Germany next summer. We'll probably go visit.
I'd love to see some of the rest of Europe (Scandinavia? Greece?) while he's there.

[Juche]

9. How did you do it?

Did you find a job that allowed travel or did you do it as a vacation?

[mnhtnbb]

12. Vacation. I was in my 30's and had a good job that accrued 4 weeks vacation/year

when I first went to Europe in the early 80's. My job also paid me enough to be able to save money for travel.

[pitohui]

14. i'm unemployable so i do it all on my own dime, i will offer some ideas

if you have never been out of the country AT ALL, then depending on where you live, then your first step should be canada and mexico, no air plane needed, when younger i simply drove into canada and walked into mexico -- in fact the trips to mexico paid for themselves because i have gone there for medical and dental care (uninsured many years for regular health care, still uninsured for dental)

both countries are quite large, and their provinces/states are as varied or more varied than our provinces/states, so you can visit either/both several times and still never feel you've seen all you want to see

for airfare, keep in mind, in many frequent flyer programs, you can spend the same number of miles to travel within the "lower 48" or to go to canada, i almost always use these cheap tickets you get from applying for credit cards to go to canada, let me explain

for example, i got 25K to apply for a credit card, as i am married, i had my husband apply for the same credit card separately -- a "domestic" flight including canada and the lower 48 (but not hawaii, northwest/delta have an interesting definition of "domestic") -- so since to go to canada would be a way more expensive ticket, we spent the 25,000 miles on free tix to canada -- and we've done this multiple times, by applying for the credit card, getting the miles, cxling the card, and then re-applying later -- it's called "churning" and IT WORKS

the ticket is not totally free, you pay the taxes, but the taxes have been as little as $10 and i'm thinking it was $35 per person for the taxes to fly to quebec

also in addition to doing frequent flyer mile gimmicks, have a junk mail email address where you have all the travel offers sent your way, you see a good offer, just grab the fucker, such as my $300 flight to paris not too long ago...

have an idea of what countries you would need to get visas for and what countries you can just "show up," just "show up" countries are really good because if you see a cheap flight you just go ahead and book and don't worry about getting a visa

south america is most difficult because for many of the south american countries it's complicated for usa citizens to get visas

look for africa (yah, they have visas, but you just pay a fee when you land, no one is investigating you), japan (no fee and they issue the visa on sight when you land as long as you're not like falling down drunk infected with swine flu), europe (they couldn't give a care who flies into europe)...central america is cool too, but some countries like costa rica you pay a fee on the way out...you'll still get in tho and it's worth it

well i'm rambling but the point is if you have time but no money you CAN travel, it isn't just hippies, i may be a hippie in spirit but i look pretty straight in person

:-)

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. We travel but unfortunately your friend is

in the majority... most Americans do NOT have a passport.

[alarimer]

23. I don't have a passport because I've never been able to afford to go anywhere.

And it wasn't necessary for Canada and Mexico, where I have been.

Soon I hope to go somewhere.

[pitohui]

8. what are these unspecified bad things?

i traveled out of the usa even as a kid so i'm prob. not a good data point

usa is one of the most violent countries in the world, at least for women, i always figure that my risk of being raped/killed has dropped a mile everytime i fly out of the country

some of the warnings are just funny, i remember being scared to go to europe because of the pickpockets, until i realized, WAIT. the whole reason they have pickpockets, a class of skilled thieves, is because they can't just easily get a gun and stick it in my face to rob me...now i hop on a plane and go to any european country that has a cheap airfare, i don't give a fuck, these people are just totally no clue when it comes to the old ultra-violence...you can walk around at night as a solo woman and nothing happens and it isn't weird at all because everybody does it!

before i went to madagascar one of my friends told me that i would be killed by al queda (can't spell it) really? in MADAGASCAR????? fuck, even south africa proved less criminous than i'd been led to believe

being low income i go anywhere there's a deal and a steal and figure out how to make it work later, and almost always, well, except for south africa itself, after buying the ticket and doing the research, EVERY country has had a lower violent crime rate than where i live (new orleans) and in south africa i had plenty of work arounds so i was never in any fear "no worries" as they say

[mnhtnbb]

11. Good point. Crime with guns happens more frequently in the U.S.

than in many other Western countries because the access to guns is severely limited.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

13. I posted that observation once

That America is a very dangerous place for girls and women, even provided some research. Boy did I get set straight. But it is true and the argument
that we need to be in Afghanistan to liberate the women, never rings true.

[pitohui]

15. well emerald, i've been a victim of violence at home but never knock on wood abroad

"boy did i get set straight"

just because you got set straight don't assume you were wrong

most accidents occur in the home or within one mile of the home, i'm betting the same is true of violence, i truly believe most violence is perpetrated by people who know you

[47of74]

10. Already did

I went to Canada in 2001 and last summer I went to Italy for a week. When I actually got to Italy I'll admit I was apprehensive at first - like "oh f---, what did I do?" But that didn't last long - by the end of the week I had mixed feelings about leaving because I have fallen in love with Italy. I wasn't back home a week and I had booked a trip for next year, using the money left over from my trip to put some money down for that trip. Next fall I'm going on a 12 day trip.

[SutaUvaca]

16. Loved to see another land..

My late SO and I used to holiday in the UK every year since '85. Thought we'd start there, then the continent then Africa, but fell in love with the north of England and Scotland and never went anywhere else year after year.

The former mother in law always declared "Why would anyone want to go somewhere other than the good ole USA?" Finally she went with us one trip. First stop was the city of York, and we guided her into an ancient guild chapel near the York Minster, and there in the floor of the window glazer's little church was her family name, Briggs - some ancestor from centuries earlier. She was hooked by her own roots and fell down crying to see her family name in a 12th century holy place in another country!

Got to see a lot of the Pacific Ocean area as a Navy brat growing up. 'Tis a shame so many fellow citizens never have seen how life goes on abundantly in entirely different cultures.

Wish I had gotten to France before the sweethearts passed on. And Florence, Italy.

[mnhtnbb]

28. Hubby and I spent 6 days in Florence last March. It was wonderful.

[bridgit]

17. Out of high school I had a settlement and hitchhiked with my backpack and two friends...

round Yucatan and Honduras then back home. Met tons of cool people with big hearts but that was a while back too. Traveled working in the music industry fairly routinely, and had a bf that was acting like a shit so I laid the guilt on him and made him put me up in a Paris hotel for a month without him...in addition to working like a charm that was fun

But, today? Sure. The world is a tad more crazy and presents a different set of considerations but yeah

I kinda hear this friend of yours talking though, cause there are some parts of this world where you'd better show up with a purpose, an entourage, or a security detail - maybe all three

[WorseBeforeBetter]

18. Would I travel outside the U.S. if I could?

Of course! I've made it to Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America.

That is a major difference between Dems and Rs: Rs have a major victim mentality and live in fear. What a sad way to go through life.

[DebbieCDC]

19. Not only travel but would live in Europe

Just give me the $$ and I'm gone.

[Historic NY]

20. Just got back from Ireland & No. Ireland. Where should I go next?

[demosincebirth]

21. How about Italy? Great food!

[47of74]

27. Try to avoid the summer though if you can

Reason: It is HOT over there during the summer, especially in August. I learned that the hard way this past summer.

[demosincebirth]

51. Definitly...hot and muggy

[Angry Dragon]

22. I was in the UK in April

[a la izquierda]

24. Hell, I live outside of the country part of the time...

in Mexico, a place many consider "dangerous". I love traveling (though I don't like the flying part). Next summer, two weeks in Belize and Guatemala. Sick!! The year after that, when I graduate with my PhD, three weeks in Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, France and the UK.

I don't have kids, so I'm very fortunate that I can spend my early 30s traveling with my honey.

[bikebloke]

25. I first traveled out of the country in 1977.

And saw something that was closer to my own values - social democracy. I probably should have married one of the women who made the offers, and I'd be in Europe now - and probably miserable with an unsuitable partner.

Plus, it encouraged me to see more of the world, which I have - six continents have felt my hooves.

I've seen an election-time bomb explode on a street in Bangladesh. Been in Israel during war time and farmed amongst mine fields. Hitchhiked through the West Bank. Travelled to Morocco a month after 9/11. Joined a march in Denmark against US interference in Latin American . Hitchhiked and slept rough in Europe. Bike trekked New Zealand and Australia (and roads in Europe and Scotland, tenting most of the time.) Just travelled to Turkey in September during Ramadan. While trekking Nepal, I watched a landslide rush towards me, before ducking behind a boulder - it stopped before it reached us.

No, I ain't a'scared.

When I first began my travelling, I had "friends" who said I was wasting my money, because when I returned I had nothing - except for the experiences and knowledge in my head. I should have been spending my savings on teevees and stereo systems.

[Greyhound]

37. "I should have been spending my savings on teevees and stereo systems"

Sums it up perfectly.

[Lex]

26. Republicans thrive off of fear of anything/anyone different.

They are fear-driven bed wetters. That's why they love Faux News--it feeds their fear 24/7.

[anonymous171]

29. If I knew the language of the country I was going to, then yes. nt

[G_j]

30. If I could afford it, I'd be traveling. nt

[AllentownJake]

31. I'm not a traveler

I'm not afraid to leave the country, I just hate traveling. I could move somewhere for a year and be happy, I just wouldn't like jumping in and out.

My mom is on a cruise right now to 6 countries. I'd be miserable.

[Vidar]

32. I lived in Europe for the best year of my life.

[alittlelark]

33. I know of 2 ppl who have the $ but will not travel outside of the US

One believes that there is nothing to see outside of this country - the other knows better, but has (really weird when you chat w/him) fears regarding leaving the country.


I am sad for both of them.


Next time I travel abroad I will invite both of them (again).

[mr blur]

38. "nothing to see outside of this country"?

that's incredibly sad. And, it has to be said, ignorant/arrogant.

[cowcommander]

34. Americans take too many things for granted

Don't restrict yourself to only going to Europe. Personally, I think people should go to the poorer countries as well, just to understand what real poverty is like and to realize that what we have here in America is something that shouldn't be taken for granted. It's a real eye-opener to understand what the rest of the world is really like.

[OutNow]

35. Travel - Sure

I heard that Bush never had a passport until the 2000 election campaign. That figures.

I put myself through college and was hired by a large computer company in 1982. At the conclusion of my first large project my manager asked if I'd like to discuss the project at a meeting of technical peers. "Sure", I said. "When is the meeting?" Next week in Paris.

I hopped on the plane and have been traveling around the world ever since. My job took me to most countries in Europe several times and also China. With almost a million frequent flyer miles I took my family to Europe one summer and sailing in Greece another. Since I've retired we've been to Southeast Asia, and Central America.

It's a good idea to read the travel books, i.e. "How to live in Europe on $5 a Day" etc. And you can find good bargains if you're retired and can travel on short notice.

BTW - we went to Las Vegas last week. On the trip down we sat with a woman who had never been to Las Vegas (or anywhere else I suspect). She was freaked out when she saw a well dressed man with a turban get on the plane and said "well, if we get hijacked I'll know who did it". Oh, the man with the turban was a Sikh. That's one of the reasons people should travel.

[Greyhound]

36. Of course. I think the most disturbing thing Americans wold discover is

that the rest of the world has moved on. Nobody cares what we think or do any more, they've caught on to the fact that we are simply fat, stupid sheep with a dramatically over-inflated sense of relevance.

We're not even in the top 20 anymore, and good riddance to bad rubbish.

[ceveritt]

39. travel and Rs

Slightly off-topic. ...

One thing I've noticed is that when Rs and/or affluent Americans do travel, they tend to stay in the bubble, so to speak. That is, they stay in whatever Hilton/Marriott/big American chain hotel they can; once in-country they tend to travel in small groups with other Americans; or they hardly leave the hotel at all. They rarely get any real experience or feel of the countries they visit.

It just seems one has much richer experiences and a better feel for the country and its people if one gets a bit closer to them, if you will, by doing the exact opposite. And as for the person who mentioned wanting to travel where the people speak English—ahhh, actually, you'll probably find most people in other nations speak English better than we do. There really is no need to speak English REALLY SLOWLY AND LOUDLY to get them to understand.

When my wife was alive, we traveled as much and as far as we could afford. It was glorious. Now, travel is one of the few things left that make life seem worth living.

I'm rambling. Sorry. I'll go now.

[Vinca]

40. I don't care for traveling, but it's got nothing to do with a fear of bad things happening.

What a pity the Bush/Cheney years created so many paranoid people.

[Tracer]

41. Traveling IN the U.S.

For the past 4 years in her job, my daughter has traveled every other week to every state in the U.S. (except LA and AL). From Alaska to Puerto Rico, from big cities to one-horse towns.

And, other than the landscape --- nothing changes. It's the same WalmartBurgerKingKentuckyFriedChickenHomeDepotTargetMcDonald everywhere she goes. Quite depressing and forgettable, she says.

On the other hand, we both LOVE traveling overseas.

I lived in Paris for a year and absolutely didn't want to go home!

[C_Lawyer09]

43. I'd like to go to Thailand

My favorite place yet has been S. Korea, I really enjoyed the people and the food. Thailand has an internal problem with an Islamic insurgency in the South near Malaysia. I did some research on the phenomenon. I'd like to see some of the large Muslim schools, and experience the difference between the southern border area which is poor and the appx. 90% Buddhist North.

[Swamp Rat]

44. I would live outside the USA in more than a dozen different countries if I could.

I'd have at least 2 apartments in Brasil (North and South), one in Buenos Aires, Santiago, San José, Oaxaca, etc., and a few cabinas on various islands in the Carib. I'd like a place on Victoria Island, BC, and an apartment on Toronto. I'd have an apartment in Köln, München (and one near Lake Konstanz), Innsbruck, Oslo, Verona, Barcelona and Madrid (and Maravilla), O Porto (and Cape Verde), Brugge, Groningen, Bordeaux or San Sebastian, Praha, Istanbul, Palau, Okinawa, South Island New Zealand, and a house in New Orleans. So, no places in the USA :D

Oh, and a few sailboats.

[seeinfweggos]

45. the more likely a person is to say

"america is the greatest country on earth" the less well traveled they probably are.

[dysfunctional press]

46. there are plenty of places i have no desire to go to...

not because i'm afraid of anything 'bad' happening to me, so much as it just being an unpleasant experience. india is a perfect example- a very long trip to get to a very unpleasant destination. no thanks- i'd rather bicycle across iowa on a bike with no gears.

[Initech]

47. Went to Europe a few months ago, had a blast.

[verdalaven]

48. Yes!

LOL, I will never have enough money to go anywhere, but I dream of being a world traveler.

[GoCubsGo]

49. Why is that surprising?

He and his ilk are afraid of EVERYTHING. Why do you think KKKarl's fear-mongering worked so well all these years?


Yes, I have traveled outside the U.S. Wish I could afford to do so again. Yes, there are places I would not go right now, (e.g. the "stans", parts of the Middle East and parts of Africa), but what I wouldn't give to visit Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, South Africa, all those Belgian breweries...

[depakid]

50. Funny you would mention that

Several of the teabaggers who I spoke with at one of their protests held signs railing against European socialists or European healthcare.

None of them had ever been to Europe- and one woman in particular outright refused to believe that most Europeans enjoy 4 weeks or so paid vacation.

[CRF450]

52. I'd love to go visit Japan some day.

They got all kinds of cool shit their. Might wanna learn the language though...