A Pew Research study split survey respondents into three groups, based on who has traveled the most:
- 26% of Americans are “globetrotters” who have traveled to five or more other countries.
- 50% of Americans are “casual travelers” who have visited one to four other countries.
- 23% of Americans are “non-travelers” who have not (yet) left the U.S.
Americans have some catching up to do if we want to be as well-traveled as people in Australia, Canada, South Korea, and Europe. Here’s how a few of those other places stack up in the rankings on the international “globetrotters” list (five or more countries visited):
| Country | Percentage of People Who Have Visited 5 or More Countries |
|---|---|
| Australia | 54% |
| Canada | 43% |
| France | 54% |
| Germany | 70% |
| Netherlands | 83% |
| South Korea | 36% |
| Sweden | 88% |
| United Kingdom | 69% |
I count a country visit as being in the country at least 24 hours. A flight stopover to change planes, sitting in the airport for a few hours, does not count as a country visit. If I were to count those, I’ve “been in” 2 additional countries for about 3 hours.
I have been to the UK, Netherlands, Iceland and Norway plus Canada. I do not really count Canada on my country list because (a) we used to live close to the border and visited often, (b) still visit often, (c) my wife’s Dad was from Canada, (d) now our youngest daughter lives close to the border. No offense to Canada – in fact, we love visiting Canada – but it is a special situation for us.