How likely is it for you to encounter people who haven't been to the US?

[ue]

The US is our large, highly influential neighbour, and while familial ties across the border have definitely waned since World War II, it seems to almost be expected that over the course of a Canadian's life, they'll have visited the US a handful of times for vacation, business, or something else. It seems more common for Canadians to have visited multiple parts of the US than to have been across Canada, as the country not only figures highly in the minds of Canadians as a destination, but it's often cheaper to do so.

Edmonton may be 6 hours from the border, thus negating day trips and cross-border shopping that is apparently a normal behaviour in BC, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, but Edmontonians regularly fly (or sometimes drive) south. Places such as California, Vegas, Arizona, Seattle, Montana, Texas, South Florida, and New York being the most common, based on my experience.

Based on this experience, although I've now met more than my fair share of those who haven't been to the US in their lives, each time it still sort of catches me off guard (almost as much as those who haven't been to BC). Because of how orientated Canadians are towards the US, including for travel, it always struck me as essentially de rigueur that every Canadian would make it down there at least once. But nope. I've even met those who've been across Canada, and to Europe, before ever setting foot in the States.

I would say for Edmonton, it seems, based on my circles and lived experience, most Edmontonians have been down to the US, and many regularly visit (even in the Trump era), but you still do come across those that haven't now and again. But I'm curious how common this is in other places around the country. Edmonton is 6 hours away from the border, the furthest of the major cities, but do people in Vancouver or Toronto come across the odd person who hasn't been down to Bellingham or Buffalo too, for example?

[Jaws]

I don't think I know anyone who has never been Stateside.

[FFX-ME]

I know a lot of people that haven't been down south. If you don't have the money for it or aren't a traveler you have no reason of ever going. Something like 40% of Canadians don't even have a passport.

[Capsicum]

Originally Posted by FFX-ME

I know a lot of people that haven't been down south. If you don't have the money for it or aren't a traveler you have no reason of ever going. Something like 40% of Canadians don't even have a passport.

Passports weren't needed to cross between the US and Canada until the 2000s, so many people would probably have travelled without them then.

[Acajack]

We are one hour from the border but there isn't much right at the border.

A town of 40,000 people (Watertown NY) is about 2 hours away, and a metro of about half a million people (Syracuse NY) is just over 3 hours.

Some years ago, my friend started dating a girl who was born and raised in Ottawa and had never set foot across the border. He is now his wife of 15 years or so. And she's been over the border.

At a minimum I'd say most everyone here has been at least to Watertown-Syracuse here. Perhaps some have never been to those cities but skipped over them and been to NYC, Florida, etc.

I wonder if the passport requirement hasn't made some people who aren't big travellers less likely to cross the border. I know my parents haven't been over the border in close to 20 years, and neither have my in-laws I believe.

They used to go more often when it was just an easy flash of a driver's licence to get across. Or maybe it's just because they are older.

One subgroup that I think might not go over as often: fairly recent immigrants. I've known a couple who took their sweet time before crossing over to the U.S. for the first time. One friend of mine had been here close to 20 years (and had been a citizen for 15 at least) before he went over.

[esquire]

If I meet someone who lives here but has never been to the US, then it's generally the case that I'm talking to a permanent resident (i.e., a non-citizen) who needs a visa to go south of the border.

The only born-in-Canada people I've met who haven't been to the US are people of modest means who haven't had the opportunity to travel, or perhaps older generations who simply weren't interested.

But that said, the standard North Dakota day or weekend shopping trip is a pretty common experience... I'd imagine that most Winnipeggers and southern Manitobans have at least done that. Trips to US sun destinations (Vegas, Orlando, Los Angeles, Phoenix, etc.) are probably the next most common US travel experience.

[240glt]

Back when I was a young lad I worked at a dairy in Armstrong BC. The company shut down another dairy in Penticton BC and a few of the guys who worked at that plant came up to work in Armstrong. Penticton to Armstrong is about 130km, and for one of the guys who came up to work, it was the farthest he'd ever been from his hometown

I think you'll find a lot more people in the states who've never travelled outside their county

[hipster duck]

When I was attending a public high school in Peterborough, Ontario in the late 1990s, about 1/3 to 1/4 of the 17 year olds (speaking anecdotally) had never left the province. My school pulled students from across a large spectrum of socioeconomic classes.

When I went to university, I met one guy who hadn't left Ontario in all my time there. I also have a good friend who only visited the US because he went on a road trip with us, and only got on his first plane at the age of 27 when a friend got married in another province. His family was university-educated and fairly well off; they just didn't travel for any other reason than to visit family, and all their family lived in Ontario. He is also the kind of guy who can spend an entire year living in Toronto and never feel any desire to leave the city limits. To me, that's insane.

Anyway, nowadays I barely know anyone who's never been to the States. I think that most people who haven't been to the States in the circle of people I run into (and I use the term 'run into' very generously) are probably newly-landed immigrants who would have difficulty crossing into the US.

[geotag277]

I have no idea, because I don't typically ask people if they have been, and it rarely comes up in casual conversation.

I also would not be surprised if people have travelled to Europe over the United States. Or China, Hong Kong, Vietnam instead of the United States.

People have different travel priorities, and to me it makes perfect sense considering how similar much of the United States is compared to Canada. If you really enjoy travelling, especially to relatively exotic places, I imagine the United States would not even be on your radar.

[Innsertnamehere]

^that is just silly to me, especially in the Toronto area. The ease of US travel is what makes it so much more enticing than Europe. You can go to a lot of US destinations on a long weekend, hard to do that with Europe. Buffalo is less than 2 hours from Toronto in no traffic and low border crossing times.

I feel like I rarely meet people who have never been to the US. To me it is an unbelievable concept, I've probably averaged 3-4 times a year over the last decade between shopping trips when the dollar was strong, visiting family in New Brunswick (cut through New England), and general vacations. Hell I have even driven to Buffalo just to watch the leafs play at a discount price a few times before, on a week night.

[WhipperSnapper]

Depends. It's a massive ordeal for most permanent residents to cross into Buffalo and I don't think it's silly that some may choose to avoid it.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by geotag277

I have no idea, because I don't typically ask people if they have been, and it rarely comes up in casual conversation.

Same here, except that for all the people I know well enough (friends, family) I don't need to ask 'cause I hear about it when they travel.

I probably personally "know" a bunch of people (tenants) who have never left the province, but I wouldn't say there's anyone in my circles who hasn't traveled to various places (including other continents).

[lio45]

FWIW in some areas of my home region you could probably easily find people who have never been to the ROC but have been to the US. That's probably true for other border regions too but I expect Quebec to be more of an outlier (we don't tend to have family scattered outside our borders compared to the ROC average).

[Capsicum]

I wonder if many people living in the far northern communities have travelled much to the US?

[Loco101]

I know quite a few people in Timmins who have never been to the U.S.. We're part of the 20% of Canadians that don't live within 150kms of the border. (I think that's what the stat is) The closest border crossing is at Sault Ste Marie.

And I have to add that there are quite a few people here who haven't ever left the province.

[kwoldtimer]

I can't say I know anyone who I know hasn't been to the USA. What has struck me in recent months, however, is the number of people I know who are refusing to travel to the States while Trump is in office.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I can't say I know anyone who I know hasn't been to the USA. What has struck me in recent months, however, is the number of people I know who are refusing to travel to the States while Trump is in office.

I am one of those people who won't visit the U.S. with Trump in power and I know of many others who are doing the same thing. I've noticed more people choosing to travel to Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Rep., Europe and other places when they probably would have chosen somewhere in the U.S. before but they don't feel comfortable going there under the current conditions.

[vid]

I don't have a passport (I threw out the application and brought all the American money I had been saving for years to the bank after President Tangerine got elected, deciding that Europe was too expensive and America was too fucked up to waste $150 on another piece of ID) but I've been to the US a few times, most recent in September 2005.

I know quite a few people who have never been to the US. I also know a lot of people who have never flown, so they've never been very far away from here. I didn't travel outside of my home region until 2012 when I went to Winnipeg.

On the other hand, I know people who go to the US almost every weekend (my landlord has been in a different state each weekend for the past month, apparently it's convention season in his industry) and the economy of the town on the other side of the border from Thunder Bay depends more on Thunder Bay than on Duluth. I'd say probably only about 35% to 40% of the city has never been to the US, with that number skewed toward younger people who don't have passports.

[megadude]

Great question. I know a Vietnamese guy born here in TO who went with his parents once to Vietnam and went fishing with his dad and uncle at the whirlpool in Niagara. But he had never been across to the US and never even went to see the Falls when he was 10 minutes away at the whirlpool. He also had never been to the zoo. Not even on a class trip. And he wasn't a shut-in either. He went to U of T and was also their official student photographer for sports.

He only finally went down when I was bringing a couple of British people over to their first NFL game after having been to Leafs, Raps, TFC and Jays games with them. On the way we stopped by Niagara State Park since the Brits hadn't seen the Falls from the US side. We were all surprised to hear my friend say it was his first time seeing the Falls and crossing the border. He was 25 at the time.

Within the next two years he went on 5 roadies with me to college football and basketball games and also met up with those Brits on the final leg of their trip in Seattle, SF, LA and LV. He was making up for lost time. Plus he finally had the funds to do so.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I can't say I know anyone who I know hasn't been to the USA. What has struck me in recent months, however, is the number of people I know who are refusing to travel to the States while Trump is in office.

I've heard people talk about this... personally I don't get it. Yeah I think Trump is a dangerous goof who is quickly ruining the United States, but I don't see why I should deprive myself of a vacation on the Florida coast because of it. Nothing will change if I stay home.