% of people not owning a passport

[DokiDokiWakuWaku 0]

I just heard on the tv that more than 90% of Americans do not own a passport. Does that sound realistic?

[kintaro 0]

Yes. My parents (both 57) just got their first. I'm gonna hide under my desk after this post but it is my opinion that Americans are incredibly ignorant about other cultures and geography. Also, travelling to Canada and Mexico can be done without a passport (at least when I was a kid).

[mina2 6]

I wonder what the numbers would be for different countries. Interesting, that does seem high

[woywoy 0]

Shock horror Kintaro. Are you sure?

[kintaro 0]

No, I'm not sure. But it sounds realistic. I don't know many people who have been outside of North America..therefore not needing a passport.

 

I don't know if military need passports to travel outside the US....anyone?

[guzzlers-baps 0]

90% without passport? I wonder what the number in the UK would be, much lower I guess. I think everyone I know in the UK has one -tons of people go abroad every year, I suppose lots of Europe is so close.

[Plucky 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Kintaro:

I don't know if military need passports to travel outside the US....anyone?

The military do not need passports to travel from the US to the country where they are stationed. If a US military member stationed in Japan left for a personal trip to Thailand or Australia, they would have to get a passport.

Come to think of it, I don't know that many people with passports back in my home town. North America is a big area, however, and no, US citizens do not need a passport to travel to Canada or Mexico. That may be changing very soon though.

[sava 0]

I remember reading something that suggested that Americans were typically very poorly travelled (for citizens of an OECD country) because of the wide variety of experiences available within America.

Deserts to mountains to beaches to forests, pretty much anything is available

 

the only other country that comes close is China which has other issues.

[slow 0]

Some of my American friends told me that Americans were similar to Japanese in regard to ignorance of this world. Many people don't travel abroad and they've never seen their country from an objective point of view.

[2pints-mate 0]

You might be surprised how many people don't have them. After all, you only need one if you're going outside the country - lots of peple don't.

[thursday 1]

Originally Posted By: Plucky

Quote:

Originally posted by Kintaro:

I don't know if military need passports to travel outside the US....anyone?

The military do not need passports to travel from the US to the country where they are stationed. If a US military member stationed in Japan left for a personal trip to Thailand or Australia, they would have to get a passport.

Come to think of it, I don't know that many people with passports back in my home town. North America is a big area, however, and no, US citizens do not need a passport to travel to Canada or Mexico. That may be changing very soon though.

Damn, the Iraqi wars would've been held up otherwise.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

Itd be interesting to see what & based on age dont have passports around the world. I think some areas almost force people to have them like Europe. If you got on a train you could travel through 4-5 countries in just an hour or two. Necessity is different. I never had one till I was 22ish.

[Mintyjulep 0]

Originally Posted By: thursday

Originally Posted By: Plucky

Quote:

Originally posted by Kintaro:

I don't know if military need passports to travel outside the US....anyone?

The military do not need passports to travel from the US to the country where they are stationed. If a US military member stationed in Japan left for a personal trip to Thailand or Australia, they would have to get a passport.

Come to think of it, I don't know that many people with passports back in my home town. North America is a big area, however, and no, US citizens do not need a passport to travel to Canada or Mexico. That may be changing very soon though.

Damn, the Iraqi wars would've been held up otherwise.

Haha, you can imagine all the soldiers queuing at customs for Iraq

Customs officer "what is the purpose of your visit to Iraq sir?"
Soldier "Invasion"
Customs officer "Alright, well if you have anything to declare make sure you use the red lane, have a pleasant visit"

[RobBright 35]

Originally Posted By: Creek Boy

Itd be interesting to see what & based on age dont have passports around the world. I think some areas almost force people to have them like Europe. If you got on a train you could travel through 4-5 countries in just an hour or two. Necessity is different. I never had one till I was 22ish.

Last time I went travelling around Europe, I could use my driving license as ID, didn't need a passport.

Well EU countries were fine.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

Originally Posted By: MintyNZ

Originally Posted By: thursday

Originally Posted By: Plucky

Quote:

Originally posted by Kintaro:

I don't know if military need passports to travel outside the US....anyone?

The military do not need passports to travel from the US to the country where they are stationed. If a US military member stationed in Japan left for a personal trip to Thailand or Australia, they would have to get a passport.

Come to think of it, I don't know that many people with passports back in my home town. North America is a big area, however, and no, US citizens do not need a passport to travel to Canada or Mexico. That may be changing very soon though.

Damn, the Iraqi wars would've been held up otherwise.

Haha, you can imagine all the soldiers queuing at customs for Iraq

Customs officer "what is the purpose of your visit to Iraq sir?"
Soldier "Invasion"
Customs officer "Alright, well if you have anything to declare make sure you use the red lane, have a pleasant visit"

That sounds like a Monty Python sketch

Yeah I think that if you are crossing over land in EU countries (and you come from another EU country) you don't need a passport.

[Thundercat 60]

Originally Posted By: Creek Boy

Itd be interesting to see what & based on age dont have passports around the world. I think some areas almost force people to have them like Europe. If you got on a train you could travel through 4-5 countries in just an hour or two. Necessity is different. I never had one till I was 22ish.

Interesting. When I was living in France back in early 2000 for a few years I travelled quite extensively without ever having to use my passport. I travelled exclusively overland by train or car without ever passing through customs or immigration checks so had almost no stamps in my passport at all... In fact, I overstayed my visa by almost a year and when I left the country no one at the airport even batted an eye. I think there is less of a need for people in Europe to have passports as the borders are open.

As for Americans not owning passports I find it totally believable. The majority of my family has never even left southern Ontario let alone Canada. I imagine its a similar story for many places in the world. If for example we consider China I imagine the number of people without passports would be much closer to 99%.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver

Yeah I think that if you are crossing over land in EU countries (and you come from another EU country) you don't need a passport.

Yes, I think that is right.
As a non-EU citizen I just walked on through at most airports/train stations. However there was a border crossing between Milan and Switzerland and Switzerland and Germany both in train transits where our passports were required. I gather you would need a passport to be visiting the non-EU European countries, even if you were just transiting through.

[Jynxx 4]

Wrong.

I had my passport checked twice on the train between Germany and Austria.

Also had my passport checked going into Holland on train and at airport.

I am required to have a passport on me when I am in Germany, sure when I am in the local area going to a supermarket I don't take it but going into town (Muenchen) I will.

Now I got a new chipped passport that is really convenient but my old one's photo got fussed over on those occasions because it simply didn't look like me.

[RobBright 35]

Originally Posted By: Jynxx

Wrong.
I had my passport checked twice on the train between Germany and Austria.
Also had my passport checked going into Holland on train and at airport.
I am required to have a passport on me when I am in Germany, sure when I am in the local area going to a supermarket I don't take it but going into town (Muenchen) I will.
Now I got a new chipped passport that is really convenient but my old one's photo got fussed over on those occasions because it simply didn't look like me.

Who is wrong?
Mamabear or Tubby and I?

[Jynxx 4]

Damn, Take a guess ...

Do people tell you think like a German, Rob?

[RobBright 35]

How can someone be wrong if they had the experience they had?

[HelperElfMissy 42]

doh! I guess that means me again.

I am always %^$#ing wrong!

[thursday 1]

I think Jinx is on about being discriminated against. You get your ID checked if you're suspected of being an illegal or a muslim. If you look different, ie not Aryan in the case of Germany, then you have been profiled.

 

It's like the bevvy runs to France. At immigration on both the French and the Dover side, I got stopped and had my passport looked at while my white schoolmates waltz right through without a bat or an eyelid between them.

 

Nowadays in the EU, it's just a mess. You have East European gyppos camped in Calaise waiting for a chunnel train on which to stowaway and get to England, from where they can claim asylum and get cash and lodging for free while waiting 5 years for their cases to be heard.

 

well done England. Glad I'm not a tax payer there.

 

 

[HelperElfMissy 42]

Actually we really noticed that Thursday.

 

Locals assumed I was Swiss and Papa German.

 

The security at our hotel in Paris also profiled our scruffy eldest as an itinerant that snuck into the hotel for devious purposes until we rescued him and explained that no..no..he was our son and staying in a junior suite on the 6th floor [oh so sorry madame]. Kid actually shaved and got a haircut after that! I couldn't have PAID for a more effective wake up call!!

[thursday 1]

An English mate of mine married this loverly piece of Philippino ass. Whenever they go off on holiday to the tropics the hotel staff always gave her the lap dancer stare. But every time, she would kick up shit about it at the start of the holidy just to put the staff right and she gets treated like royalty for the rest of the stay. Shame she needs to do that.

 

But my line to my mate has always been, it would never have happened if you hadn't married Wan Chai's lap dancing goddess.