It was referenceed here, in bits and pieces:

1) Cost of tuition, which is a lot higher in the US. In a lot of EU countries the tuition is heavily subsidised, so most students finish collage/ University with no debt. This means it is a lot easier for them to save and go travel.
2) Vacation time – In most EU countries the vacation time mandated by law is a lot longer than in the US, and the custmary vacation time is even longer. Something between 3-4 weeks a year, is the norm. This means travel is a lot easier, since you can travel for a month while retaining your job.
3) Social acceptance – In many countries, travel is expected. In the US, if you went to travel for a year after college, it would be a lot harder to find a job. People don’t understand “taking a year off to travel”, like the gap-year in EU or the Over-sea-experience in Australia and NZ.
This means most americans that do travel try to find jobs at foreign locations, in order to not fall into that trap.

It is kind of a loop – if american don’t travel, this means travel isn’t acceptible, and this means it is harder for american to travel.

So I think it is mostly the building blocks of american social-economy, coupled with the fact that the US is huge and have everything in easily accesible manner, that prevent american from traveling, not fear.

Also the ease of access to information about foreign destinations is a double edged sword. I believe It is more likely to satiate curiosity then foster it.

The other reason people say to travel is to ‘gain an understanding of the rest of the world, a greater empathy and to learn from them.’ Well, they never explain how the first two are supposed to be useful. An understanding of the world helps in international politics something that is only relevant to federal level politicians. Not useful to civilians.

And greater Empathy? The U.S. already donates more money to international charities per capita then any other country in the world. A greater percentage of each American’s personal wealth on average is donated willingly to charities then any other country in the world including the ‘better traveled’ ones. So really if anything it would seem travel reduces empathy.

As for learning from the rest of the world. That sounds good but I’ll be damned if anybody can think of something to learn. They mostly try to point to how other countries have more modern infrastructure. Well fancy that, Countries that built their infrastructure after the U.S. did have more modern infrastructures, A.K.A. every country other then the U.S. because the U.S. was pretty much first. The fact that the U.S.’s infrastructure needs to be replaced is not new news, its common knowledge everywhere. The problem is that the ‘entire’ U.S. infrastructure needs to be replaced at about the same time which is far, far more expensive then building anew. And that would cost more money then is made in the U.S. ten times over each year to do. So instead America is having to put band-aids on most of the infrastructure and prioritize the most dangerously decrepit structures for modernization.

Now if there is some international country with a solution to fix that I’m all ears. But just pointing out how the other countries are more modern is just showing your own ignorance of America itself.

So as you can see there aren’t any reasons to travel other then mere ‘curiosity’. So only 30% of the U.S. population traveling internationally sounds about right to me.

A high percentage of Americans are obese. The United States has one of the highest obesity rates in the world and the percentage, population wise, climbs each year. As of 2010, over 35% of Americans fall under this category. The mere thought of trying to cram themselves into a tiny airline seat for (x) amount of hours is enough to scare a lot of these people out of even entertaining the idea of travelling, unless it is by vehicle, which translates into ‘in country’ travel. I know far too many people who would like to travel outside the continent but do not for this very reason, my parents-in-law for example. The fear of ‘discomfort’ is palpable.

Do I think that the reason ‘most’ Americans don’t travel is because of obesity? No, not at all. It is merely one of a plethora of reasons that many Americans do not travel overseas.

Sarah, you clearly have not taken the time to read other articles on Matt’s site or do your homework on the internet to see how it is affordable for average people.

“They can’t afford travel. There’s a ton to explore within the US and it’s cheaper.”

I saw many families, with young children, while traveling in Asia. Any extra cost in airfare, I think, is easily negated by the fact that a family can stay in a nice guesthouse for only $25 (sometimes less) in Vietnam or Thailand, meals in restaurants for $2-3, and transportation $1-3. No tipping required.

Compare this to traditional American holiday destinations such as Disneyland or beaches in Florida and any money saved by driving is definitely cancelled out by the extortionate park entry fees, hotels, and meals.

Not to mention the useless consumer crap people buy in their daily lives like flat screen TVs, laptops, smartphones, expensive clothing, fast food, restaurants, DVDs, game consoles, brand name make-up etc etc…

“They don’t want to leave their friends or activities for weeks on end. It can be hard to manage children in a foreign country. They don’t have the comforts of home. They don’t like the food.”

This is the whole point. To experience LIFE. Build independence, character, and world views. So people LEARN to manage in a foreign country (which is easier than many people think). And in fact, LUXURIES (not just comforts) often come far cheaper outside the western world – massages and beauty treatments, shopping, boutique accomodation, cheap gourmet meals, gorgeous beaches not eroded by mass tourism etc…
They don’t like the food???? They are missing out!!! You have to at least try it to know you don’t like it! I myself used to be a picky eater. Now I can’t get enough of the food when I travel!

“Most employers don’t want employees to take more than one week off at a time.”

Very true. However, have people even considered asking for a sabbatical? Contract work? Quitting your job and finding one overseas? Finding a job with better vacation? Taking a semester off college? Taking a gap year?

Do your research and you will find loads of blogs of people who have made it happen (some young, some old, some with families, some who are couples etc.) despite these “obstacles”…

You can’t generalize! For my 16th birthday I chose to go to France not a sweet 16… For my honeymoon I visited 20 countries… My hubby and I are as Kansas as they get.

I could just as easily say, “Indians don’t travel”, “Koreans don’t travel”, etc. None of those statements is true. People from all countries travel. Why don’t most Americans live a lifestyle like you? They can’t afford travel. There’s a ton to explore within the US and it’s cheaper. You could spend your entire life traveling the US, visiting historical areas, entertainment sights, and never see everything there is to see. We have a lot of land and a lot of culture to explore. It’s not close-minded to travel within the US. What’s wrong with wanting to know more about your own country?

Saying “it’s only $800 to fly overseas” so that’s not too expensive is ignorant. Many people have families with children. It’s too expensive for them to fly and pay for expensive hotels and eat out. Families on a budget in America can drive to a vacation spot and bring or buy groceries to cut down on costs. They can stay at the Super 8 for $50. You don’t seem to understand the limitations of money. You also don’t understand the limitations of having children. Kids have commitments, even in the summer. They don’t want to leave their friends or activities for weeks on end. It can be hard to manage children in a foreign country. They don’t have the comforts of home. They don’t like the food.

You act as if Americans choose to have so little vacation time. Most of the time, that’s not true. Most employers don’t want employees to take more than one week off at a time. Their coworkers don’t want that either. Someone has to cover for them and returning after a long break can be very difficult. You’re a very ignorant person.

I’m not sure I wouldn’t go so far to say there’s widespread fear of traveling abroad. Like you mentioned, I think priorities, pressure from work, and just thinking it’s not in the realm of possibility are the main reasons.

Even though I was raised in the midwestern US (where many of my acquaintances hadn’t even traveled out of state!), I was lucky enough to have grandparents who were travelers and parents who encouraged traveling. I caught the travel bug early. My family was not as well to do as most of my peers, and yet somehow we were able to travel more than they did.

During college, I did a fair bit of traveling, but after college that ended and I was always itching to go overseas. For me, time was the main factor. My two weeks of vacation were eaten up by visiting my family who are inconveniently (though sometimes conveniently) scattered around the country.

Incidentally, I’ve been teaching in Japan for a couple years and now that I have school holidays, I have more time, although it’s usually during peak season and Japan isn’t a cheap place to travel in or from. Here, I haven’t run into anti-American sentiment, but I’ve found that most Japanese people think America is a dangerous place; that it’s not safe to walk down the street. I’m crusading to bust the myth.