you know, americans get a lot of grief for not leaving the country, not visiting other places around the world. but you know what? i think visiting different parts of america is pretty amazing, when you think about it.

traveling from avon, mn to tucson, az, is about 1600 miles. in that 1600 miles, you cover grasslands, mountains, woodlands, cities, empty spaces, ponderosas, saguaros, birch, deserts, native history, latino history, colonial history, spanish history. and if you head east, you get a completely different experience. if you head northwest, another completely different experience.

and that whole time? you speak a common language, use a common currency, and generally can find your way around without relearning how to drive. it’s EASY to have these different experiences while traveling in the US.

now, from london to moscow is 1800 miles. just another 200 miles more than nate and i traveled this trip. so, let’s say from MN to los angeles type of trip. in that 1800 miles, here’s the countries you would go through, each with their own language and likely localized languages within them:

• UK
• france
• belgium
• netherlands
• germany
• poland
• belarus
• russia

the euro is, of course, an easy currency, but you also have the pound in there and whatever they use in russia.

so, i don’t know why we americans get a hard time because we don’t travel internationally. is it because we don’t have a hard time of it? we aren’t immersed in a different language? we definitely can learn about different histories and cultures when we travel. because that’s kind of dumb. MN is hardly a hotspot for Latino historical sites. when people visit MN’s north shore, you learn about native americans’ history here and the french fur portagers. there is much different among us while also having much in common. plus, you have an easier time walking into museums and cultural places if they are in your native language, and you learn more.

so, my two cents. traveling in the US is just as valid as traveling across europe.