How do Americans do holidays?

[Champagneforeveryone]

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 😉

In all fairness, many mainland Europeans who have Identity cards do not bother getting passports because they are expensive. They can travel to many countries using their identity card.

I also agree that there is enough of a contrast between many states to notice cultural variations. The variation in scenery, climate and terrain is phenomenal compared to the UK so there is no need to travel abroad unless you are actively seeking the highest level of cultural immersion.

Wtf there are no bank holidays because we don't call them bank holidays. We actually give ours names not just August Bank Holiday.

Do you want to say there are no bins in the US? Or carparks? Or pavements?

Some get less, some get more. Like most things in the US, it varies.
As for flights, you usually get an internal connection to an airline hub.

Please don’t waste your time, people like @Quveas use the stereotype that Americans are arrogant to justify unnecessary bashing and insulting on mumsnet.

The average American does not spend time talking about or insulting Brit’s the as you do here and most Americans are friendly not arrogant, but we use the stereotype that the are arrogant as a free pass to say nasty things on the internet. Most questions about the US on mumsnet descend into insulting and bashing Americans nastily when they don’t even give you any head space.

This floored me when I read it last week: 137 Million people visited Florida in 2022! That just seems incredible to me.

I'm not a fan of theme parks and don't find the Orlando area particularly appealing, but so many parts of the state are really beautiful. And should you stumble across the rare native Floridian (so many people are transplants now) you will never meet friendlier folks, so warm and welcoming.

Do you want to say there are no bins in the US? Or carparks? Or pavements?

Don't forget roundabouts and ready meals. Completely missing in the US, according to the MN hivemind.

I've frequently seen the "no pavements" one on Mumsnet 🤣

And this is the type of nasty stereotypical comments we are talking about, you claim there are no bank holidays then also claim yes you know there are public holidays but it’s not the same because they are not called bank holidays like the UK. The ignorance in your post is astounding and yet you call Americans ignorant and arrogant.

Public holidays and bank holidays are the same just called different names due to the history in the UK v US. Infact, majority of the world call then public holidays so the Uk is the outlier here. The UK called them bank holidays because historically it was a day for bank workers to get a day off but it is now pretty much a public holiday mandated by the government for all. And there are about 11 public holiday in the US does sing on state compared to 8 bank holidays in the UK

www.the-sun.com/news/2813539/why-do-have-bank-holidays/amp/

“A bank holiday is a national public holiday across the country.”

@Quveas be careful, if you keep tying yourself in knots people might mistake you for a pretzel. Oh and by the way, you’re a pretty good example of the stuck up arrogant British who thinks that they are superior to the rest of the world and still have an empire.

Lots of internal flights and they are very matter of fact - you used be able to show up with your driving license and get on a plane a few minutes later. Some internal flights are longer than it would take us to go to Europe on holiday. Lots of people I worked with had never left the USA. To be fair, there is so much to see, you could spend your whole life touring around.

I'm a Brit, married to an American, been in NYC for 9 years now. DH and I both get 28 days holiday a year, plus sick days, personal days and bank (federal, WHATEVER) holidays on top of that. I also get Summer Fridays - so every other Friday off in July and August.

I live in Manhattan amongst a fairly privileged milieu, but I find that Americans tend to take their holidays in lots of smaller bites through the year - the big 2 week trip isn't really a thing, but lots of long weekend/week long trips is much more common. Pre DC I used to get the piss lovingly taken out of me by my friends because I stayed in Manhattan in the summer instead of going out to the beach. It's baffling to them that you wouldn't use summer weekends to get out of town and travel.

I'd say longhaul travel with kids is probably rarer in the US, but my friends travel short/mid haul all the time. This year while DH and I are on maternity/paternity leave we'll do a two week trip to England and two East Coast beach trips, then likely a trip to the Caribbean over Thanksgiving or Christmas. We rented a country house out of town this Christmas and in July and August went to Mexico and San Diego. This isn't unusual at all. It was just winter break here and one friend just got back from St Kitts and another from Cartagena.

I plan to do more of Europe with DS and imminent DD when they're a bit older and I'm not dragging a toddler and a baby on a longhaul flight.

Lots of internal flights which are really cheap. To fly internationally you are heading to some major hubs.

when I lived in the states with 20 days leave per year!!! We added holidays onto our work trips to Napa/ Las Vegas and went on girls’ trips to Austin, Bahamas, Toronto and Washington. Skiing in Park city etc

i have some friends who travel internationally, others who head to Bahamas and Turks and Caicos and some go mostly out to Hamptons or skiing etc.

lots of shorter trips by but depends money wise on location.

when I lived in Bermuda, lots of Americans would dock each week on 3-5 day cruises.

You couldn't be more wrong. The reason I said English was because what people from that part of the world are renowned for is summed up by "whinging Poms" - and it is generally the English who are champion wingers. When I was young I used to think that was an awful thing for anyone to say - now I am older I actually say it myself from time to time. I fully realise that all people from a country cannot be tarred with the same brush, but having met an awful lot of English people, even rather nice ones, who constantly complain I feel justified in saying it. However, I wouldn't have done so on this thread if it wasn't for your original post!!!!! For what it's worth, I have also seen more arrogant Brits than Americans.

I love travelling in USA, have fond memories of places and people we met. I am not a big fan of cities but their national parks are outstanding. Have American friends who go for long weekends and a week away every now and then. I understand why..

A lot of Brits go abroad as far as Mexico to spend their two weeks on beach.
I am sure if our weather is better and predictable, people won't go to another country for holiday as often they do now.

I completely understand why Americans don't want to travel - they have beaches, skiing, cities, national parks, history - civil war, Native Indian.. makes sense if you have young family with shorter frequent holidays and don't have a lot of money to do long haul.

Well said!

Americans aren’t all brash
The English aren’t all empire-longing

There. Can we stop it now?

Oh god, don't be so ignorant. It doesn't give you any access to different cultures or countries! It is not the same as visiting a foreign country at all. And explains why so many Americans I have met are clueless about the rest of the world.

It would be extremely inefficient to have 500 airports with direct international flights.

I know a lot of people who travel to various other countries on a regular basis who have no more idea about the countries or their cultures than people who don't travel, travelling the tourist route only tells you so much. Let's be honest, it's not as though all Brits who holiday in other parts of the world have culture on their minds! As for saying there are no different cultures in America - well, that just shows your ignorance.

You're the one showing your ignorance here

Dare you to go to Honolulu, Anchorage, Burlington and Miami and say they're not different cultures

Er, I’ve lived more of my life outside of the US than in it. I have immediate family spread across 4 continents and I speak 5 languages. I’m not ignorant, I’m just answering the OP’s question.

Good point @magicthree.

So many European hotels advertising the full English breakfast. If it’s all about culture, you wouldn’t see that. I’ll never step foot on a RyanAir flight again. Nothing but a big grimy bus in the sky. Nor would I want to vacation in a place that caters to the typical English holiday-maker.

I don’t think cheap airfare is all positive. Certainly seems to have devastated the economies of many once lovely coastal towns in the UK.

BTW, I’m in Savannah, Georgia for a few days. Anyone who says the culture is the same across the US has either never been to the US or doesn’t understand the meaning of the word culture.

@BootsTrapBootsTrap I don't think anyone is saying that traveling domestically in the US is the same experience as travelling internationally.

What is true is that if what you're looking for is a ski vacation, sunny beach trip, river rapids, canyons, desert, etc. you don't have to travel outside of the country. That's all. I encourage anyone that is able to travel outside the country occasionally to do so as it can be an enriching experience.

I don't understand however the need to take silly potshots at Americans based on very limited personal experiences.

We get quite a few British tourists here and my overall impression is that they love a good laugh, are open to trying new things and are proud of their country (as they should be!) and encourage Americans to visit.

The 37% or 44% figure of Americans who have passports doesn’t necessarily reflect everyone who has left the country. As someone mentioned upthread, cruises are extremely popular and you are allowed to cruise from the US to destinations in the Caribbean, Bahamas, Mexico, and other places without a passport as long as you have a government issued ID (although I’m not recommending it!).

Cruises are often also cheaper, so right there might be a large number of Americans who have spent time on foreign soil other than Canada/Mexico but who have never owned a passport.