Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

How do Americans do holidays?

258 replies

Champagneforeveryone · 17/03/2023 08:28

We've just flown to Venice for a few days, and I was reading the guide book which says that flights arrived only from a couple of US states.

Which got me thinking how very little I know about this and it seems I have a huge amount of preconceptions 🙄

I imagined that you could fly from every state to anywhere in the world - obviously not! So I'm guessing there's a large number of internal flights? Are they expensive? Are they as time consuming as taking a flight abroad, or are they similar to taking a bus.

Also, does this limit how you holiday? I had always imagined that the US was similar to us and people holidayed abroad frequently (ours would be mostly Europe with the occasional long haul "big" holiday) Do you fly to different states or do you leave the US?

TIA for filling the gaps in my knowledge while DH showers 😉

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
mathanxiety · 17/03/2023 17:07

@Violaviolin
It's possible you haven't seen the sort of horror most threads on the US descend into. Don't be judgey.

CarolinaInTheMorning · 17/03/2023 17:12

Whereas Florida and Michigan aren't going to be that different culturally.

You can travel between wildly different cultures just within the state of Florida.

Lysianthus · 17/03/2023 17:12

OP you just reminded me of this film. Doesn't Ian McShane look young....

CarolinaInTheMorning · 17/03/2023 17:20

mathanxiety · 17/03/2023 17:07

@Violaviolin
It's possible you haven't seen the sort of horror most threads on the US descend into. Don't be judgey.

Exactly. American-bashing is a favorite sport for quite a few Mumsnetters. So antennas are up.

whumpthereitis · 17/03/2023 17:28

Another fan of Michigan here! Have flown direct from Heathrow to Wayne County, and also transferred from O’Hare and Minneapolis-Saint Paul.

Michigan imo feels far less ‘foreign’ to me than Florida. I’d say the two culturally are very different.

The US is huge, and depending on what you want from a holiday you can find it in the continental United States. My in laws spend their summers at their lakeside house in northern Michigan, and winters in Florida. Same county but completely different surrounding and lifestyle. You want the lakes? You can go to Northern Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin or Minnesota. The beach? Miami and the Florida Quays, California, or South Carolina. The mountains? Colorado or Utah. If want to ski you can go to Aspen. There’s more that fit the bill, but those are some examples.

Abra1t · 17/03/2023 17:34

It’s a stunning country.

gogohmm · 17/03/2023 17:36

Most Americans do not have passports (though they can travel to Canada without one). Despite the image of wealth we see in the media here, most Americans wouldn't be able to afford long haul, housing costs are incredibly high in cities, high childcare, and hardly any annual leave.

Unless you live in a major city you generally hub in one of the key airport's eg Chicago, Atlanta, New York/Newalk, Dallas. Unless you are flying to london, Paris etc you will often need to change again in Europe eg my friends from Montana, flew to Chicago, then to London then to Rome last year, they are both dentists so holidays abroad are affordable

mathanxiety · 17/03/2023 17:39

SybilWrites · 17/03/2023 16:54

While I can see that there's many beautiful places in the US, it isn't the same as us flying to Spain/Greece/Thailand (apart from in terms of distance/time on train) because by flying to a different county you do get different cultures as well. Different food, language, religions, history etc. Whereas Florida and Michigan aren't going to be that different culturally.

Show quote history

Florida and Michigan are poles apart. Michigan itself has multiple regions, as does Florida.

Florida has communities that are like little worlds unto themselves - Cubans, Haitians, retirees from the north east, retirees from the midwest, expats from south America, Irish, British, African American communities with incredibly deep roots, and on and on..

Michigan has the UP and LP, Detroit and Flint and the post industrial scene, different agricultural and horticultural regions and their cultures, and strong traces of the cultures of the people who settled different areas. It has the northwoods, the backwoods of the UP.

There are vast differences within and among US states. It's impossible to generalise.

alanabennett · 17/03/2023 17:48

jfoyo26 · 17/03/2023 08:52

I'm a Brit who lived in the States for ten years. Most people particularly in low paid jobs only get two weeks vacation, but that is changing and in many cases vacation is better than the UK. My husband use to get 5 weeks leave plus 11 bank holidays. Wages are significantly higher too, especially in white collar jobs. When we lived there, other than visiting the UK, we use to drive to the beach every year in Florida. We could have a luxury beach vacation on some of the nicest beaches in the world for less than a trip to the Costa Del Sol from the UK. It's hard as a Brit to comprehend the vastness of the US. Honestly, there is so much to see and do, and there is so much culture to explore (each State has it's in own culture and identity) that I totally get why so many American's don't have a passport.

Completely agree. I've lived here nearly twenty years and understand why Americans don't feel the need for a passport. They have beaches, mountains, deserts and cities all here.

We love to travel and thankfully live a 20 minute drive from a major international airport. If we have to connect somewhere else to get to Europe it's typically NYC or Atlanta. Not a big deal at all.

The biggest difference I appreciate is the differing attitudes towards distance. I live about a 6 hour drive from Chicago, for example. We also have a lake cabin that's around three hours away. We drive up to the cabin most weekends in summer. We've done it for just a one-night stay on occasion. A three hour trip is not a big deal at all, and driving to Chicago would not be noteworthy.

By contrast, I traveled back to the UK recently and was planning to travel a little while I was there. A couple of British friends were amazed that I was planning to go to a particular place just for one night "with it being so far". I think it was an hour and forty minutes door-to-door. 🤷‍♀️

Domestic flights are considered similar to train journeys in the UK. Not a big deal. Bearing in mind that you can go from one end of the country to the other in about 4 hours, there's a lot of scope for long weekends.

And no, not all Americans get 45 minutes vacation while working a 600 hour week...🙄

alanabennett · 17/03/2023 17:53

Cantstandbullshitanymore · 17/03/2023 10:24

@Champagneforeveryone “I imagined that you could fly from every state to anywhere in the world - obviously not!”

Thats not practical given the size of the country, same way you don’t have airports and flights from every city in the UK. If you live in Coventry you have to get yourself to London or Birmingham don’t you? And Heathrow will have significantly more destinations than Birmingham airport right?

Airlines in the US use a hub system so United have their main hub in Chicago, Delta in Atlanta and I believe NY, and America in Dallas. There are many other airlines but let’s focus on the big 3.

this means when you fly from smaller cities to international destinations you will most likely have to stop over at one of those hubs if you don’t live in a big city. I live in Chicago so use United for direct flights, but if say I lived in Wisconsin I may have to either fly to Chicago then changeover or just drive to Chicago and catch a flight to an international destination.

Having said that there are lots of local flights that connect the country.

About how they vacation, the US is so big that there are a lot of vacation options within the country so they is drive to go abroad like the UK. For the Uk it’s easier due to providing and also people just prefer abroad due to better weather etc to the extent some will look down on your if you don’t go abroad but in the US there is a lot within.

Mostnof my vacation since moving to the US has been within and we have had amazing times, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, road trips even around just the Midwest have been great experiences.

We have a road too planned around Lake Michigan this summer ending up in Mackinac Island which is a beautiful historic island where no cars are allowed. www.michigan.org/article/trip-idea/perfect-mackinac-island-travel-guide-first-time-visitor

I’ve just not had the great desire to do much outside as there is still so much we want to explore within and we’ve done all the Europe trips before we moved here.

As I said even driving around the Midwest near Chicago we have other lovely cities around eg Minneapolis etc for short weekend trios, mangy small charming towns, sand dunes, caves etc all within driving distance. Michigan across the lake has so much activities and stuff to do. And I’m not even including the west coast, east coast or south.

I tend to dislike US posts here as it descends into stereotypes and bashing and thus need to explain and categorize Americans into perfect little boxes of no vacation and they don’t travel like us. I may not have had an international trip aside visiting family back in the UK since I moved to the US but don’t worry I’m having a great amazing time.

Also Americans didn’t need passports to many countries and I soaked a nearby and even don’t on some cruises which they tend to do a lot more of than Brits.

Also cultural differences eg it’s normal for a British PMs to vacation abroad while American presidents tend to vacation at home eg Obama to Hawaii etc.

I'm in the Midwest too, @Cantstandbullshitanymore ! We went on a road trip to Michigan a couple of years and spent a day on Mackinac Island. It's delightful!

alanabennett · 17/03/2023 17:58

RosaBonheur · 17/03/2023 11:50

And changing in the US is an absolute ballache, because their airports are shit and they seem to be the only country in the world that can't cope with transferring your baggage onto your connecting flight rather than you having to queue up at the carousel for it. Not to mention all the fucking stupid questions at immigration.

"How long are you spending in the US, ma'am?"

"Ideally only an hour, which you would know if you'd looked at my ticket and had a brain, but possibly a whole day if I miss my next flight which is currently boarding because of your stupid questions."

Show quote history

ODFOD, @RosaBonheur

Some airports are terrible. Many are terrific. My local one has just been chosen (again) as the best in the US (preen 😂)

You want to see a shitty airport? Try Manchester. Or Paris CDG for that matter.

Oh, I'd forgotten. Uk/Europe is always better, right? 🙄

alanabennett · 17/03/2023 17:59

ComtesseDeSpair · 17/03/2023 11:58

Probably because MN threads about “Americans” even if they start with a well-intentioned and curious OP who genuinely wants to know something as with this one, invariably descend into stereotypes and insults about Americans - all 350 million of them, living in all 50 states - being uncultured, stupid, not knowing that anywhere outside of the US exists, and thinking that hamburger and fries is the pinnacle of world cuisine. And if you are American and or know and love people who are, it gets old very quickly.

Show quote history

👏

alanabennett · 17/03/2023 18:06

Caterina99 · 17/03/2023 17:01

I mean I don’t disagree with you. But I suppose my point is are many people, especially families, really going to the med for the different culture, or are they going for a week in the sun?

If Americans are traveling for the food and the culture and the history then yes they will go abroad if they can afford to. But if they just want to chill in a beach resort then they don’t need to travel out of their country for that.

Show quote history

I agree. Firstly, I would actually say that there is a cultural difference between Florida and well, probably every other state 😂 Secondly, I really think many (most?) Brits who head out to Spain/Greece/Portugal, etc, are there for the sun and the beach and lounging by the pool. Not filling their boots with all the cultural offerings on hand.

whynotwhatknot · 17/03/2023 18:09

Teatime55 · 17/03/2023 08:32

I’ve no knowledge but I was talking to a woman in disneyworld and her internal flight had taken as long as our international one.
I imagine it makes travelling difficult, especially as they often don’t get great holidays.
she was shocked we were there for 2 weeks, they were there for 3 days because of holiday/cost.

i swear i had the ame converstion out there last month!

also alot of others i spoke to had never left the U.s and would love to go to europe but its more complicated

whynotwhatknot · 17/03/2023 18:12

not judging them btw they were all very lovely and friendly

magicthree · 17/03/2023 18:13

ComtesseDeSpair · 17/03/2023 11:58

Probably because MN threads about “Americans” even if they start with a well-intentioned and curious OP who genuinely wants to know something as with this one, invariably descend into stereotypes and insults about Americans - all 350 million of them, living in all 50 states - being uncultured, stupid, not knowing that anywhere outside of the US exists, and thinking that hamburger and fries is the pinnacle of world cuisine. And if you are American and or know and love people who are, it gets old very quickly.

Show quote history

I agree. Threads about the US always descend into how much superior the Brits are, how many holidays they get, how often they go abroad. I'm often shocked at how ignorant some people are about just how vast the US is and how beautiful many parts are. Even taking out the cost of international travel why would people want to go galivanting around the world when they have all they need in their home country? Also, as pps have mentioned, better weather.

ComeOnYouSummer · 17/03/2023 18:27

I know Americans love to cruise, the last three I’ve been on have been about 90% Americans. I went on a Baltic one last year and guess what, all Americans.

avocadotofu · 17/03/2023 18:28

I'm American but have lived in London for nearly 20 years. The way Americans holiday is much different in my experience. There is much less annual leave generally so they pack a lot more in when they go abroad. I'm always exhausted after my American family visits! A lot of people also don't leave the US regularly and tend to holiday in the US. It's very different!

Quveas · 17/03/2023 18:30

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Quveas · 17/03/2023 18:32

magicthree · 17/03/2023 18:13

I agree. Threads about the US always descend into how much superior the Brits are, how many holidays they get, how often they go abroad. I'm often shocked at how ignorant some people are about just how vast the US is and how beautiful many parts are. Even taking out the cost of international travel why would people want to go galivanting around the world when they have all they need in their home country? Also, as pps have mentioned, better weather.

Show quote history

It is. But the arrogance of some Americans is renowned.

elp30 · 17/03/2023 18:33

@Champagneforeveryone

I grew up on the westernmost tip of Texas. My city is literally on the northern side of the river to Mexico. My childhood home was two miles from Mexico. Up until 2007, US Citizens did not need a passport to go to Mexico (2009 for Canada). It was helpful for those of us in my hometown because many people work, attend school, have families and leisure pursuits on both sides of the border. When it all changed, US Citizens who would need a passport to go abroad could go for a full passport book with multiple pages. If you only need to go back and forth across the borders of the US with Mexico or Canada, you could get a passport card. It's like a driver's license.

Anyhow, It has it's own international airport because the international flights go directly and non-stop to destinations in Mexico. If I want to go to London, for example, I do have choices. I could take a flight to the international airports of Dallas, Houston, Austin, Phoenix, or Denver. All of those cities have non-stop services on either BA, United, American Airlines to LHR. I "could" drive to any of those destinations but Dallas is over 600 miles, Austin is over 500 miles and Houston is 750 miles away. These are all in the same state!! Denver is 650 to the north and Phoenix is 430 miles west. Those are big distances because Texas is very large. It makes sense to fly.

lljkk · 17/03/2023 18:34

Lot of class themes in this thread. American definition of "class" which is = "income bracket". By which I mean... a lot of Americans simply don't have disposable income & spare time to do big trips, many trips, go far away. By the time you use up your time to visit your adult kid in Idaho or your abuela in Tijuana, that's most your vacation time & budget gone.

ComeOnYouSummer · 17/03/2023 18:35

I’ve always found people from America to be good company on holidays, really good at conversation and they are funny. I think that’s why their sitcoms are so good.

Plitvice · 17/03/2023 18:35

Hilaria Baldwin (raised in upmarket part of Boston) used to spend all of her childhood summers in Spain 😀

CarolinaInTheMorning · 17/03/2023 18:38

There are no bank holidays in the US.

Of course there are..We just don't call them that. They are commonly called federal holidays and are all always on Mondays except Independence Day and Veterans Day.