How many Americans hold passports?

Do military members serving overseas need passports?

I know plenty of people, elderly people included, from my hometown who have never even ventured outside of the state - despite the fact that my hometown is about 30 minutes away from Indiana and 45 minutes away from Kentucky. Granted, there isn’t a whole lot of reason to ever go to those two places, but still.

My mother didn’t own a passport until she wanted to come visit me here. My little sister still doesn’t have one and neither does my brother and his family. My mother, two of her sisters, and I are the only ones in my entire family to travel overseas to more than just one country, outside of military duty. And I was the first. And I am still the only one to live overseas outside of military duty (or being the spouse of someone in the military).

This fall, however, my mother will out-continent me when she goes to Tanzania this fall. She’s been to Europe and Asia already, but only because I traveled overseas.
:stinkyface:

Awful when your old folks get out-continent, isn’t it? Still, it could be worse.

Navillus, a military ID is a valid state-sponsored travel document. I’m pretty sure that since you’re not officially ‘in’ the other country - being there under the authority,control, and presumably sovereignty, of your own government rather than the host country - that you wouldn’t need a passport. Can’t see the marines being turned back when they hit the beach just 'cos they didn’t have visas, even though I know that’s not what you meant.

Passports don’t always mean travel. My mother got one in 1995 just for a single trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong, and has never used it since. My father got one in 1995 (I guess just to be friendly?) and never went anywhere. But then my dad is the one who, when asked whether he’s ever been to New York City (about 3 hours from here by car) replies, “Oh, I went down in 1946. Didn’t see anything much spectacular. Never been back.”

Hmm… America is a big place.

nationmaster.com/graph/geo_a … omparative

Taiwan slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Woo Hoo we’re bigger then one small American state!

[quote]Mate, get down off your defensive high horse. I’m not trying to have a go at anybody, quite the reverse.

I consider 25% to be quite a lot, especially compared to the mythical 4% that I’ve heard bandied around in the past. If that 25% were travelling beyond the usual neighbouring countries, where passports were not needed, then the percentage of Americans who DO travel beyond the borders of the USA must be a great deal higher than is usually claimed by people with agendas.

My post was simply intended to comment on the fact that most of the world seems to have an erroneous picture of the travelling habits of Americans. Sadly, it attracted the attention of someone who felt it necessary to defend America anyway, giving fuel to those who feel that the average American is still unable to have a wider perspective on the world. I guess travel doesn’t broaden the mind after all.[/quote]

High Horse? My initial comment wasn’t really even directed at you.

I think we’re just talking past each other here. My initial comment wasn’t ever aimed at attacking you or “defending” America from you or whatever. In fact I thought I was pretty much in agreement with you, but just wanted to add that even if the figure was a little low, there were perfectly good reasons why an American might not have a passport. Isn’t that at least somewhat relevant to the topic at hand?

No hard feelings