[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

i'm not having a go! lol sorry, i just thought it was widely known that the UK is a single country.

It might be widely known in the USA, because few US citizens know much about the world outside their state boundaries and even fewer know much about Europe and beyond :

Of the 308 million-plus citizens in the United States, 30% have passports.

That's just too low for such an affluent country, said Bruce Bommarito, executive vice president and chief operating officer for the U.S. Travel Association.

"Americans are comfortable in their own environment," Bommarito said.

There were 61.5 million trips outside the United States in 2009, down 3% from 2008, according to the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. About 50% of those trips were to either Mexico or Canada, destinations that didn't require a passport until 2007.

So, roughly only 15% have passports required for travel beyond North America and most of those will presumably go to the military .....

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

It might be widely known in the USA, because few US citizens know much about the world outside their state boundaries and even fewer know much about Europe and beyond :



So, roughly only 15% have passports required for travel beyond North America and most of those will presumably go to the military .....

because americans don't need passports to travel our entire continent. Europeans might have more passports, but i doubt you'd find many more europeans traveling outside of europe.

You europeans consider it "traveling abroad" when you go to france. Traveling from the UK to france or spain for an american would be like going from new york to new jersey or connecticut.

you really don't understand that actually Americans travel just as much between just as diverse states. It would take an entire lifetime to explore just one region of the US, let alone the entire country.

I think it's so funny and arrogant that Europeans think Americans need to leave the country in order to "see the world" meanwhile how much of the world to they see? i wonder how many europeans go to the Congo compared to how many Americans? i think you'd find it's about the same.

Europeans think because they go to other European countries it makes them "worldly" but it makes them no more worldly than Americans that travel to different American states in the US.

The average Brit knows no more about the Ukraine than the average American. The average German knows no more about El Salvador than the average American.

i challenge any honest person here who considers themselves worldly to say the name of the leader of Guatemala or Kenya or even Japan without Google. All honest people will admit they don't know. but they still consider themselves more worldly than Americans lol.

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by lostalex

because americans don't need passports to travel our entire continent. Europeans might have more passports, but i doubt you'd find many more europeans traveling outside of europe.

You europeans consider it "traveling abroad" when you go to france. Traveling from the UK to france or spain for an american would be like going from new york to new jersey or connecticut.

you really don't understand that actually Americans travel just as much between just as diverse states. It would take an entire lifetime to explore just one region of the US, let alone the entire country.

I think it's so funny and arrogant that Europeans think Americans need to leave the country in order to "see the world" meanwhile how much of the world to they see? i wonder how many europeans go to the Congo compared to how many Americans? i think you'd find it's about the same.

No need to generalise, I see your point, America is so big and diverse there's not that much need to go abroad for different cultures/experiences

[Omah]

Originally Posted by MTVN

No need to generalise, I see your point, America is so big and diverse there's not that much need to go abroad for different cultures/experiences

And everybody takes dollars and speaks American (more or less) .....

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

And everybody takes dollars and speaks American (more or less) .....

and everyone takes euros in europe, what's yur point?

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

and everyone takes euros in europe?

In the EU, Euro is used in 15 countries, so 14 still have their own currencies. Those are:

Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Sweden and the UK.

AFAIK, even in the UK, some Scottish banks still issue their own banknotes, too .....

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

In the EU, Euro is used in 15 countries, so 14 still have their own currencies. Those are:

Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Sweden and the UK.

AFAIK, even in the UK, some Scottish banks still issue their own banknotes, too .....

so on that list, basically only the UK is a major tourist country. France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, all of the places most people travel to in Europe all take the same currency... so it nullifies your argument that America is monocultural just because it has the same currency in multiple states.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

because americans don't need passports to travel our entire continent. Europeans might have more passports, but i doubt you'd find many more europeans traveling outside of europe..
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i challenge any honest person here who considers themselves worldly to say the name of the leader of Guatemala or Kenya or even Japan without Google. All honest people will admit they don't know. but they still consider themselves more worldly than Americans lol.

That, of course, is the typical American response .....

I don't think any European country (sovereign state or otherwise) would like to be compared to American states .....