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Posted on 3/16/25 at 9:56 am to Artificial Ignorance
I’ve been a decent number of countries. I was planning on living for 2-3 months in a couple of Latin American countries in the years ahead (remote working), and then doing that in about a decade in a European country while traveling to nearby countries via train.
Unfortunately that is something I’ll won’t be able to do at this point.
However, I’ve been to a decent number of places and will continue to travel. It’ll just be short term trips for the most part (1-2 weeks) rather than something longer.
Unfortunately that is something I’ll won’t be able to do at this point.
However, I’ve been to a decent number of places and will continue to travel. It’ll just be short term trips for the most part (1-2 weeks) rather than something longer.
This post was edited on 3/16/25 at 10:24 am
Posted on 3/16/25 at 10:23 am to Keys Open Doors
I’ve been to the following places:
Japan: stayed for a week with a friend. Great experience. However, I realize how good I had it with a native speaker and lifelong resident of Tokyo by my side.
France: touristic experience with my parents when I was 12. Loved it.
Went with some friends when I was 19. Surprisingly, I liked it less the second time around, but it was still a very good experience. One of my friends lived in Paris so that was different. However I can speak French so I think I could have done it alone. I would have just gotten lost a lot more.
Italy: a combination of a work trip and fun. Very good experience and I’d say Italy would be an amazing place to stay for a couple of months. But not to settle for good.
UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi): had a week to chill after a semester, and my dad was speaking at a conference in Dubai. Very touristic experience. I wouldn’t go again on my own.
However if I had a business trip option there, I’d go for sure. If for some reason, my work wanted me to move there, I’d do it for a year or so, but not longer.
Colombia: went for a week. Friend got married there, and then I went to Medellin as a tourist. But this is much less touristic than the major European hotspots. I speak Spanish and got around well. Outside of the service industry, English isn’t commonly spoken there though, so I wouldn’t go without a working knowledge of Spanish.
Argentina: school trip in college. More touristic than Colombia and more metropolitan. But it’s probably growing at a slower rate. Definitely worth a visit.
Canada: I’ve primarily been to Montreal and Quebec in general. Liked it a lot but it’s so damn cold deep into March.
I’ve also been to a few countries I don’t have a ton of observations about.
Belgium: just passing through, was only there for two days
Netherlands: typical experience for a college kid in Amsterdam.
Mexico: went to Cancun after high school graduation. It was a lot of fun but it was 30-35 classmates and no rules on drinking. Not exactly something that will get replicated in anyone’s lives after spring break
Vatican City: same experience as everyone else, see the Sistine Chapel and a couple of other sites. It was right after John Paul II’s death though, so it was super crowded with lots of people making once-in a -lifetime trips.
Costa Rica: went with my girlfriend for a week. We really liked it but it was a touristic experience. Explored the seaside areas by our resort, went to a volcano, etc. Great experience. However, the little I saw of San Jose in my last 24 hours was pretty rough.
Germany: part of the same vacation I did with my parents when I was 12-13 years old. I was there for a week with my uncle and his family. They speak fluent German.
The people are polite but not outgoing. Infrastructure is great. Everything I would say is so stereotypical that it sounds like I never went and am just reciting someone’s review (trains are on time, felt safe at all times, not a lot of intriguing touristic sites…I was in the Ruer region).
Denmark: was only there for 24 hours as a kid. I’ll never forget how light it was at 10 pm
Oh, this one is interesting.
Greece: I was there twice for a few days in touristic areas during the Eurozone financial crisis. The first was a typical fun tourist island. We ended up by chance in some island that is where tons of Norwegian and Dutch college kids went after their spring semester was over. I was 28 so didn’t feel much out of place.
Second place, I had much more interaction with the Greek people. Very interesting experience tbh. The financial crisis really did a number on the national psyche. Spoke with lots of people there including a policeman and small business owners. Very friendly but they almost seemed sad and defensive that the world viewed them as worthless freeloaders.
Japan: stayed for a week with a friend. Great experience. However, I realize how good I had it with a native speaker and lifelong resident of Tokyo by my side.
France: touristic experience with my parents when I was 12. Loved it.
Went with some friends when I was 19. Surprisingly, I liked it less the second time around, but it was still a very good experience. One of my friends lived in Paris so that was different. However I can speak French so I think I could have done it alone. I would have just gotten lost a lot more.
Italy: a combination of a work trip and fun. Very good experience and I’d say Italy would be an amazing place to stay for a couple of months. But not to settle for good.
UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi): had a week to chill after a semester, and my dad was speaking at a conference in Dubai. Very touristic experience. I wouldn’t go again on my own.
However if I had a business trip option there, I’d go for sure. If for some reason, my work wanted me to move there, I’d do it for a year or so, but not longer.
Colombia: went for a week. Friend got married there, and then I went to Medellin as a tourist. But this is much less touristic than the major European hotspots. I speak Spanish and got around well. Outside of the service industry, English isn’t commonly spoken there though, so I wouldn’t go without a working knowledge of Spanish.
Argentina: school trip in college. More touristic than Colombia and more metropolitan. But it’s probably growing at a slower rate. Definitely worth a visit.
Canada: I’ve primarily been to Montreal and Quebec in general. Liked it a lot but it’s so damn cold deep into March.
I’ve also been to a few countries I don’t have a ton of observations about.
Belgium: just passing through, was only there for two days
Netherlands: typical experience for a college kid in Amsterdam.
Mexico: went to Cancun after high school graduation. It was a lot of fun but it was 30-35 classmates and no rules on drinking. Not exactly something that will get replicated in anyone’s lives after spring break
Vatican City: same experience as everyone else, see the Sistine Chapel and a couple of other sites. It was right after John Paul II’s death though, so it was super crowded with lots of people making once-in a -lifetime trips.
Costa Rica: went with my girlfriend for a week. We really liked it but it was a touristic experience. Explored the seaside areas by our resort, went to a volcano, etc. Great experience. However, the little I saw of San Jose in my last 24 hours was pretty rough.
Germany: part of the same vacation I did with my parents when I was 12-13 years old. I was there for a week with my uncle and his family. They speak fluent German.
The people are polite but not outgoing. Infrastructure is great. Everything I would say is so stereotypical that it sounds like I never went and am just reciting someone’s review (trains are on time, felt safe at all times, not a lot of intriguing touristic sites…I was in the Ruer region).
Denmark: was only there for 24 hours as a kid. I’ll never forget how light it was at 10 pm
Oh, this one is interesting.
Greece: I was there twice for a few days in touristic areas during the Eurozone financial crisis. The first was a typical fun tourist island. We ended up by chance in some island that is where tons of Norwegian and Dutch college kids went after their spring semester was over. I was 28 so didn’t feel much out of place.
Second place, I had much more interaction with the Greek people. Very interesting experience tbh. The financial crisis really did a number on the national psyche. Spoke with lots of people there including a policeman and small business owners. Very friendly but they almost seemed sad and defensive that the world viewed them as worthless freeloaders.
This post was edited on 3/16/25 at 10:26 am
Posted on 3/16/25 at 11:19 am to Artificial Ignorance
Brazil-unbelievable poverty
France-2 trips to Normandy reinforced patriotism
England-history, traditions
France-2 trips to Normandy reinforced patriotism
England-history, traditions
Posted on 3/16/25 at 11:21 am to S
You and your butler are welcome to use my overseas villas whenever you want 
Posted on 3/16/25 at 3:06 pm to TheOcean
Lived extended periods abroad for about 7 combined years, from Ireland to Russia. Throwing in vacations and the like, closer to 8 years, all of those as a private citizen, rather than on a US installation or base.
Nothing will make you appreciate being an American more. It will create an inherent suspicion in you, or at least should, in any one who claims they want America to be more like the world, than the world to be more like America.
Nothing will make you appreciate being an American more. It will create an inherent suspicion in you, or at least should, in any one who claims they want America to be more like the world, than the world to be more like America.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 3:11 pm to Artificial Ignorance
Never have left.
Would love to visit some places outside the US. Just haven't yet.
Would love to visit some places outside the US. Just haven't yet.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 3:13 pm to chryso
quote:
I have left. I would like to live in Rome for a while.
Buddy just got back from Rome. Said it's all tourists everywhere and the locals are always in a pissed mood.
City is amazing though. So much oooold history.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 3:13 pm to Artificial Ignorance
I went to England in 97 and again in 2019. I enjoyed myself in 97. In 2019, it was an odd mix of arabs and homos. I like it much better here.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 3:27 pm to Artificial Ignorance
Growing up in Louisiana I never went west of Texas. I never thought I’d leave the country and sort of dismissed travel. It was probably a defense mechanism because I never thought I’d have the money or ability to do it.
I’ve been blessed through work and subsequent personal travel to see a lot of the world.
I have left the country, been to every continent besides Antarctica… maybe one day
4 Main Takeaways
1. If you’ve never left America you don’t realize how good we have it. If you’ve only traveled to Europe or other western countries you have no idea. American poverty isn’t poverty. The extent to which we constantly complain when our daily lives are so easy and stable compared to 99.9% of the history of the world.
I almost never complain about America. You have no IDEA how good we have it.
2. There is a shared humanity among people that is truly special. You can travel to rural China, sub Saharan Africa, or Greenland and bond with people over the basic parts of life that make it worth living. Once you strip away country, culture, and politics we are all equal in some fundamental way.
3. American culture is so powerful it’s hard to find corners where it hasn’t touched. It was almost a disappointing part of travel, you go to a nightclub in the Philippines hoping for an authentic new experience and all you hear is American music. I wish I could have explored the world in an earlier time when we weren’t so globalized sometimes. But, it’s amazing to see how powerful and sought after American culture is.
4. America has been a force for good in many parts of the world. I don’t want to make it political, and obviously we’re in a period of revaluation on Americas role in the world. A lot of the last 2 decades has been Iraq conversations that sour us to our global position. But there’s so much good we have done up to this point. Basically solving world hunger, massively tackling HIV, improving education, the American government and people have improved millions of lives around the globe. When you travel enough you can see this work everywhere. It makes you proud to be an American. Again, don’t want to make the too political, and don’t know every line item of USAIDs budget, but I hope our days of doing this work aren’t over.
If you haven’t left the country, please make every effort to do so.
It really changes your mindset, is a lot of fun, and makes you proud to be an American.
I’ve been blessed through work and subsequent personal travel to see a lot of the world.
I have left the country, been to every continent besides Antarctica… maybe one day
4 Main Takeaways
1. If you’ve never left America you don’t realize how good we have it. If you’ve only traveled to Europe or other western countries you have no idea. American poverty isn’t poverty. The extent to which we constantly complain when our daily lives are so easy and stable compared to 99.9% of the history of the world.
I almost never complain about America. You have no IDEA how good we have it.
2. There is a shared humanity among people that is truly special. You can travel to rural China, sub Saharan Africa, or Greenland and bond with people over the basic parts of life that make it worth living. Once you strip away country, culture, and politics we are all equal in some fundamental way.
3. American culture is so powerful it’s hard to find corners where it hasn’t touched. It was almost a disappointing part of travel, you go to a nightclub in the Philippines hoping for an authentic new experience and all you hear is American music. I wish I could have explored the world in an earlier time when we weren’t so globalized sometimes. But, it’s amazing to see how powerful and sought after American culture is.
4. America has been a force for good in many parts of the world. I don’t want to make it political, and obviously we’re in a period of revaluation on Americas role in the world. A lot of the last 2 decades has been Iraq conversations that sour us to our global position. But there’s so much good we have done up to this point. Basically solving world hunger, massively tackling HIV, improving education, the American government and people have improved millions of lives around the globe. When you travel enough you can see this work everywhere. It makes you proud to be an American. Again, don’t want to make the too political, and don’t know every line item of USAIDs budget, but I hope our days of doing this work aren’t over.
If you haven’t left the country, please make every effort to do so.
It really changes your mindset, is a lot of fun, and makes you proud to be an American.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 3:29 pm to i am dan
quote:
Would love to visit some places outside the US. Just haven't yet.
I've traveled the US fairly extensively. I've been to 47 states. My international travel is far less impressive. I've only been to Canada (multiple times), Mexico and Italy (on business).
I had a family of 4 when I was still in my 20s. We couldn't really afford international travel. We weren't working with a Home Alone vacation budget
Posted on 3/16/25 at 3:31 pm to Artificial Ignorance
Traveling to Iceland right now and I was a little confused by the Icelanders social media posts about Americans. (On social media) they act just like they claim WE are. “Arrogant Americans need to follow OUR rules or stay home.”
When WE have that view, we’re criticized for not being tolerant or welcoming. I support the “get off my lawn approach “, but find it ironic that we aren’t the only ones guilty of that mentality.
When WE have that view, we’re criticized for not being tolerant or welcoming. I support the “get off my lawn approach “, but find it ironic that we aren’t the only ones guilty of that mentality.
This post was edited on 3/16/25 at 3:33 pm
Posted on 3/16/25 at 3:32 pm to When in Rome
This is well said.
“Returning home” is a feeling that can only be achieved by leaving. Didn’t fully understand this when I was younger.
“Returning home” is a feeling that can only be achieved by leaving. Didn’t fully understand this when I was younger.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 5:59 pm to Artificial Ignorance
Left over 20 years ago & never been back. I had enough living in the greater New Orleans area with all the race issues. Here I don't have to deal with that anymore.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 7:28 pm to Artificial Ignorance
Lived in Germany and England. Worked in Japan, Korea, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, and Canada. Vacationed in France, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Monaco, Mexico, and Belize. Each place affected my worldview but did not change the fact that the US has always felt like home and I plan to live here (north in the summer and south in the winter) the rest of my days.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 7:36 pm to Fiddler crab
Corregidor about 1.5 hour boat ride west of Manila is a very worthwhile side trip. It's been preserved very well. Describes the absolute hell war imparts
Posted on 3/16/25 at 7:37 pm to Artificial Ignorance
Lived in France and Italy for short terms.
Would love to live in either for a quarter or so of the year when I retire.
Would love to live in either for a quarter or so of the year when I retire.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 7:49 pm to Artificial Ignorance
I've lived outside the US for extended periods. The one thing you miss about the US when you're gone is that THINGS JUST WORK,
It seems stupid, but you really miss utilities being consistent, banks being open during business hours, grocery stores being well stocked, etc. Little things just work in the US.
It seems stupid, but you really miss utilities being consistent, banks being open during business hours, grocery stores being well stocked, etc. Little things just work in the US.
Posted on 3/16/25 at 7:58 pm to PurpleandGold Motown
Capitalism >>>
Posted on 3/16/25 at 8:10 pm to travelgamer
Lived in
Germany
Philippines
Iraq
Saudi Arabia
Qould never even go back to vist any of them you can have them shite hole countries.
Germany
Philippines
Iraq
Saudi Arabia
Qould never even go back to vist any of them you can have them shite hole countries.
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