A shocking number of Americans never leave home

Authored by nypost.com and submitted by amansaggu26
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They say there’s no place like home, but for some Americans, that couldn’t be more true because quite a surprising amount never actually left in the first place.

According to new research of 2,000 Americans across the country, an amazing 11 percent of survey respondents have never traveled outside of the state where they were born.

That might explain why well over half of those surveyed (54 percent) say they’ve visited 10 states or fewer.

As many as 32 percent of those studied in the poll said they either don’t own or can’t actually remember ever buying any travel luggage.

And a great number of Americans have spent little time up in the clouds — in fact, as many as 13 percent say they have never flown in an airplane at all.

The new study, conducted by market researchers OnePoll, and commissioned by travel luggage provider Victorinox, explored the nation’s travel experiences and the barriers preventing people from exploring more.

Results showed that there is a strong desire to travel with 76 percent wanting to travel more than they do currently, but a lack of finances or simply feeling unprepared and ill-equipped are preventing many from taking the plunge.

A spokesperson for Victorinox said: “The results show that the vast majority of people have the desire to travel more but just haven’t quite been able to make the leap yet.”

“There is so much to see and explore, not just internationally but domestically as well, and it’s remarkable to see that so many people feel unprepared or don’t have the travel luggage that enables them to pack up and set off.”

“Given how many respondents strongly desire to venture out into the world, we fully understand the need to provide reasonable and dependable travel solutions for new travelers.”

The study results were pretty astonishing, as 40 percent of those questioned said they’ve never actually left the country.

Over half of respondents have never even actually owned a passport.

But it’s not for lack of ambition. Most of those surveyed expressed their desire to travel, with 85 percent saying they like to experience new things and nearly 60 percent saying they have a list of places in mind they’d like to see.

So, what’s holding people back from taking that trip they have in mind? For many, it’s not just a lack of feeling prepared or equipped to travel, it’s about finances.

The cost of travel and leisure proves to be a barrier for many Americans. Sixty-three percent of Americans who have never left the country said the trip would be just a little out of their price range.

Twenty-five percent said they just can’t find the time to travel, but three-fourths of respondents said they would definitely like to travel more than they do.

In fact, only one in 10 say they have no interest in going anywhere.

The Victorinox survey went on to ask about people’s luggage, with 60 percent saying that size and functionality were their most important qualities in a bag.

However, 30 percent of those polled haven’t bought new luggage in six or more years, with only 10 percent even knowing where their current luggage bag even came from. And 13 percent of those polled don’t even own luggage bags of any kind.

The Victorinox spokesperson added: “Having sturdy and reliable luggage can go a long way in securing the confidence to make that journey- whether it be to a different state or an entirely different continent.

NeverTopComment on April 21st, 2019 at 13:16 UTC »

The people who have never left their state blows my mind. But 40% not leaving the country isnt too weird considering how massive it is.

TRIGMILLION on April 21st, 2019 at 12:49 UTC »

I've been to almost all the States, mainly thanks to my parents taking us on lots of driving vacations as kids. Never have left the country. I would love to. My main obstacle isn't even money but time. I always manage to use my PTO for stupid shit. I'm either sick or a relative is sick or I need to to stay home and wait for contractors. I never get to take vacation in anything but one day here and there sums.

JimboSimmons on April 21st, 2019 at 11:51 UTC »

I would like to see this data graphed for the past century because it wasn’t that long ago when I was young and these numbers were surely much higher. Besides Korea and Vietnam, it was rare to meet many people who’d traveled overseas up until maybe 20 years ago.