The European Union (EU) is made of 27 countries that all vary in size, in contrast the United States (US) is made of 50 states and 16 territories. To understand which of the two nations is more well-traveled you have to look at a plethora of concepts. Ranging from the different definitions of the term well-traveled to how accessible is it to get to a different country by plane, train, car, or boat not to mention the cost of travel. The phrase well-traveled can mean one of two things: The experience of different cultures or going to different countries. Experiencing cultures includes: food, language, events such as a festival or celebration and much more.
The two definitions of well-traveled are similar but at the same time different. A way that the definitions are similar is the fact that you need to leave the comfort of your home in order to travel. They differ in that experiencing cultures can be done both domestically or internationally. Domestically meaning staying in the country and internationally meaning leaving the county. Domestically, within the US there are many pockets of people that share similar cultural backgrounds meaning that one can travel with in the US and experience many of the same cultural aspects found in their home country.
The second definition of well-traveled by travelling to different countries differs depending on where it is used. With the EU being made up of many countries and the US being made of states and territories, going to a different country is considered domestic in the EU but international in the US. Another area that can be examined to understand who is more well-travelled is; how accessible is it to get to a different country by any means of transportation. Although the US is two times geographically larger than the EU, they have ten times the airports at 20,000 and 2,000 respectively. Even with the 20,000 airports the US still holds a strong car culture. Car culture is all about car ownership and using cars to get everywhere. We also have public transportation from state to state for example amtrack covers 46 of the 50 states but also covers a little bit of Canada. Areas in Canada include Ontario, Niagara Falls and Taranto. The public transportation with in the US can only get you to a specific part of a state so you would have to get a rental car which cost you. Whereas, in the EU there is more public transpiration from trains to busses and sometimes taxi that can bring you almost anywhere. The cost of travel in the US is different to the EU.
For example, traveling domestically In the US can get expensive, from flights to car rentals and hotel stays. When flying from Philadelphia to Orlando Florida costs can range anywhere from $105 to $250 for a round trip in economy. Prices only go up for higher quality seats, first class tickets for the same flight range from $760 to $1,180. In addition to the cost of the flight you would have to look at the cost of staying at a hotel in the city. Prices for a 4-star hotel can range from $100 to upwards of $4000 for a night. The cheaper end of the price range is after deals. Even a 2-star hotel can run you $200-400 a night. Additional car rentals, range from $30-70 a day for a basic Sudan to $100-500 for a luxury car. In all to travel to from Philadelphia to Orlando Florida can cost $300 per night for a hotel, $45 a day for a car rental and $900 for the flight. These prices fluxgate from city to city.
Even international flights are pricy for instance, the average cost of international flight from New York to Dublin Ireland is $651. In the EU the cost of a basic sedan costs $81 or 61 pounds a day. A car rental in Dublin for a basic Sudan however costs $47 or 42 euros a day. A hotel in Dublin can cost $170-490 or 152.13 to 438.50 euros
Domestic flight in the EU is different then in the US. The US considers Domestic flight as staying in the US or any of its territories but the EU sees same concept as flying to two different Schengen states. Countries that fall under Schengen states include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia Finland, France, Germany and Greece to name a few countries. Over all the US is more well-traveled in the scene of having more experience of culture. On the other hand, the EU is well traveled in the sense of going to different centuries. This is not to say that people within the US don’t going to different centuries but the people of the EU have an easier time doing so due to proximity.
featured image by Teddy Perez
