Which nationality are the biggest travelers?

[Fountain79]

I notice that I run into certain groups of foreigners whenever I travel internationally and certain groups I rarely encounter. It seems like Australians are the biggest travelers, I seem to run into them everywhere. Which nationality do you think travels the most?

[khashka]

1. Germans

Never been anywhere I never saw a group of Germans. Also the British but they tend to limit where they go. Not scientific, just my impression.


Khash.

[Fountain79]

3. Obviously this isn't scientific...

It's random thoughts being put online.

[harmonicon]

4. I second that

Germans seem to be very well traveled. They also get loads of vacation time every year, by law. The French do as well, but they're more likely to vacation within their own country.

[martymar64]

2. My bet is aussies

I used to ride a bus that had a stop at LAX. I always saw Australians getting on to head for the hostels in Santa Monica.

[DarkTirade]

5. Living near Disney, I discovered

that there's one time of year when Disney gets invaded by Brazillions of... er... Brazillians. :P

[rockymountaindem]

6. The Japanese

I always, always see Japanese tour groups, often in the most unlikely of places.

[LeftyMom]

7. There are always a lot of Japanese tourists when I'm in San Francisco.

I never see them outside of really touristy areas, but when I worked for a big electronics chain I know the San Francisco store always had an easy time making their sales budget because Japanese tourists would absolutely clean them out- due lower prices and favorable exchange rates buying in the US was like outlet shopping, often they'd have long lists of things to buy for friends.

[XemaSab]

8. Having lived near Yosemite

Japanese travel in PACKS.

PACKS I tell ya.

[rockymountaindem]

9. I know why!

According to my Japanese history prof (who was a Canadian but who had lived in Japan for 15 years and according to my Japanese roommate thought like a Japanese person)...

The Japanese tendency to travel in large groups as a reflection of the times in which entire Japanese villages would go on pilgrimages together. He said that Japanese travel groups are one of the last remnants of pre-industrial Japanese village life.

[XemaSab]

11. Good to know

:D

[Lydia Leftcoast]

13. It's great for the solo traveler

When I've traveled alone around Japan, I've ALWAYS been "adopted" by a group. It really seems to bother them to see someone without a group.

Some Japanese do travel alone, though. When I was in England in 2006, I encountered a young Japanese woman who spoke very little English but was traveling around the British Isles by herself. She was delighted to find someone she could actually have a substantive conversation with beyond "How much?" and "What time is train?"

[sarge43]

22. During New England's fall foliage season there's great fleets of tour buses

filled with Japanese prowling the byways.

[begin_within]

10. I have seen more German tourists than any other nationality

I think it's because they get paid well, they get lots of vacation time (I heard 6 weeks paid vacation per year) and they read a lot and find out the best places to go.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. In Asia, you can hardly turn around without encountering an Australian

They have a tradition of traveling between graduating from university and taking their first adult job.

[Carnea]

14. Germans NT

[Blue-Jay]

15. Probably Martians.

[devilgrrl]

16. Australians get 5 weeks paid vacation - US gets two weeks, if even

:mad:

[Kutjara]

19. Most Europeans get 4 to 5 weeks as well.

It's just in the good ol' US of A where everyone's expected to work themselves to death. Well, the USA and the world's other sweatshop nations.

[devilgrrl]

25. Most Europeans get 6 weeks

:mad:

[JVS]

17. nomads

;-)

[CreekDog]

18. Americans

we are getting soooo fat. :hide:

[JI7]

20. more travel time would probably help with that

as said, Australians travel around, so they move a lot. the Australians i see usually carry around their luggage, a huge backpack and walk around a lot. they seem to be into that stuff.

many Americans probably think of vacation as just some hotel/beach type thing.

Australians seem to really be into exploring. not just seeing the well known tourist places but go walking, biking etc anywhere.

[LibDemAlways]

21. Once took an "18-35" bus tour of England that was half

Americans/half Australians. The Americans bitched, moaned, and complained about everything. The Australians went with the flow and had a great time- mostly slept on the bus during the day and partied every night. They were definitely much more easy going and laid back. It was embarrassing that the Americans were, for the most part, such a bunch of spoiled whiners who had no idea how to relax and enjoy themselves. It's one thing to pack a suitcase and go on a trip. It's quite another to accept and appreciate the differences that make a particular country or region unique. The Americans on that tour should never have traveled outside the confines of their narrow comfort zones.

[Fountain79]

26. The more I have traveled, the more I realize that every

nationality has some kind of bad stereotype. I live here in Colombia and no one has a worse reputation than the Israelis. So much so that some hostels won't even take Israelis in because of their bad reputation. The English have bad reputations in parts of Europe and the Aussies are notorious in Canada.

[LibDemAlways]

27. It's unfortunate that it's generally a few bad apples who

spoil it for everybody else. I would imagine the average American tourist in Columbia is more adventurous and less critical than the average American tourist who signs up for a bus tour of England. It depends to some extent on the type of person likely to travel to a particular country in the first place and what expectations they bring with them.

[Callalily]

23. No scientific studies to

back my opinion, but I would venture to say Germans. Just look at how often MissHoneychurch travels! :)

[WinkyDink]

24. English. They invented it.