Do you think the USA is an overrated country to visit? If not, how would you rank it compared to other countries you loved?

General
21

@Ashton
I think UNESCO World Heritage Sites is a pretty good indicator of sites that transcend “local” and have global value. The U.S. is 21st in number of sites, and if you were to calculate sites per square mile things would look pretty bad.

Like you, I find something interesting everywhere. On random trips in the U.S. I saw House on the Rock in Wisconsin, Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, and Old Town Museum on the border of Colorado and Kansas. I find something like these everywhere and might be able to list 100 more of them. But for history that is important to all of humankind, the U.S. doesn’t have the same density as a lot of other areas.

22

@Ren
The US is, geographically, a massive country with a lot of empty space (think CA and AK). Of course, anywhere in Europe is going to have more sites per square mile by virtue of them being smaller. And 21st out of what? 254 countries is pretty high up there.

23

@Ashton
We’re talking about ranking tourist countries for LATAM, and specifically in our thread cultural sites. The big U.S. distances matter because of the cost and time of travel. Being out of the top 20 for someone who might make one international trip every 5, 10, or 20 years is significant.

You might not agree, but there are many countries that have a stronger cultural appeal than the U.S. I’ll name some obvious ones that I’ve been to: England, Spain, France, NL, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Austria, and China.

Many other countries are more important than the U.S. for world cultural heritage.

24

@Ren
To you, they may have stronger cultural appeal, but that won’t be the case for everyone. I went to a pow wow this week and it was more memorable and educational to me than an Austrian church. I can also see DaVinci pieces in my city, no trip to Italy required.

Of the countries I feel have strong cultural appeal, none are on your list, which is not to disparage their contribution to global history, just that this is all subjective. That also applies to UNESCO sites which, until recently, were pretty Western biased. That’s why Europe has more sites than Africa in spite of that continent being the cradle of human civilization.

I also did not say the US was the most important for cultural heritage, but that it has more or equal value as every other country people visit for culture, and most of our culture is overlooked but definitely worth experiencing.

Edit to add: Completely agree that the US is a pain to get around and expensive. I’ve made a point to plan domestic trips too and bug friends to come with; otherwise, I’d completely forget!

25

@Arden
Our cultural sites include Hollywood, Broadway + Manhattan, football tailgating, the Vegas Strip, the home of Mormonism, Graceland, the birthplaces of hip-hop, grunge, etc., Texas BBQ, Washington DC, hot air balloons in New Mexico, honky-tonks in Nashville, Miami and the Cuban exodus, guitar factories in Memphis, New Orleans (jazz), Golden Gate Bridge, whatever.

There are plenty of things to take pictures in front of, places to go for uniquely American cultural experiences, and world-class museums. The issue is that you must fly to all of these places or spend an insane amount of time road tripping because America is fucking huge and visiting can be difficult with respect to visas.

Of course, others also just don’t know about US culture. They usually visit NYC, LA, and Chicago when the most distinctive experiences are probably found in Nashville, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and New Orleans. However, people come just for the nature, which is world-class.

26

@Quince
Also, most Hispanics are just not going to be interested in some of the things you listed. For Brazilians, Miami and Disney plus an outlet mall is the goal. I’ve taken some to Las Vegas and NOLA and they liked it. NYC, sure. Most of the other places on your list will be a nope.

27

@Arden
>We have a handful of museums that are interesting, but nothing that would necessitate a trip on its own.

I dunno, I think D.C. is easily worth a trip in itself. Tons of world-class museums full of stuff that’s going to be interesting regardless of how deeply interested in American history you are. Some of the most important parts of aviation and spaceflight history, including a space shuttle and the Enola Gay are hanging out near D.C. (if you’re particularly into aviation or space in general, the U.S. is the holy land). The American History Museum itself even has loads of pop culture artifacts and exhibits that people around the world will recognize.

28

@Arden
I never understood the cultural sites. I wish I could get the joy other people do when they visit those places :frowning:

Like for me, for example, I’m from Mexico and Chichen Itza is cool and all, same as Teotihuacan, but you’re just there staring at these sites alongside hundreds of other people, take your picture and leave. I prefer natural sites because at least I can get something out of them: swim in a cenote and have a good time, sleep in a jungle, stuff like that.

29

@Zen
>I prefer natural sites because at least I can get something out of them: swim in a cenote and have a good time, sleep in a jungle, stuff like that.

Then the US has everything you could ever want. Rocky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, two ocean coasts (with a lot of diversity on each side), the Great Lakes, the Great Salt Lake, the Gulf, deciduous forests, desert…

You can find any kind of climate you want and we have spent lots of public money making the outdoors accessible.

I have lived here almost 20 years and have no desire to go see Disneyland. Too many other cool things to do and see.

30

@Zen
I just got back from CDMX and did the pyramids visit. Honestly, I loved it. In my corner of the US, the indigenous peoples that populated these areas were nomadic or didn’t build lasting settlements. One of the few things they did build were these mounds. So to see the remnants of what was basically a large city was very appealing.

Traffic getting in and out of CDMX was insane though.

31

@Arden
History in America goes far beyond “American History.” Native American history has been here for longer than anyone really knows. And there were Spanish colonies here in the 1600s. Santa Fe NM has the oldest church and oldest house in the US. It’s also the oldest Capitol. Petroglyphs National Park, Bandolier, and Chaco Canyon have some of the oldest dwellings/ruins that are from around the time of ancient Greece.

Pioneer history in Colorado and California is also pretty fascinating. Pacific Northwest too.

32

It depends on what you look for when you vacation.

I think many vacationers focus on the beaten path (NYC, LA, Disney, Vegas), and while they may have a good time, they don’t get a full feel for the USA.

Very few explore the rest of the country. And there are a lot of gems in the USA.

Personally, when I travel, I look for the obscure, regional foods, and unusual history. I’ve found I had the best time seeing places most tourists don’t seek.

33

The US is huge. You can find basically any landscape and so many different cultures and types of food throughout. That’s not going to change. Sure it isn’t exactly what it used to be, but it’s still insanely beautiful and has so much to offer in terms of activities, sites, food, etc. I think it comes from ignorance that people would say this to you. With that being said, there are certainly many other really cool countries you can visit out there!

But if you are looking for geography, the fact that the US has Denali NP, the Hawaiian islands, California coastline, Pacific Northwest coastline and mountains, Glacier NP, Yellowstone, Teton NP, Big Bend, Grand Canyon, the Florida keys, Acadia, rolling mountains of Virginia, the Low Country, the Chesapeake Bay, just to name a few… most countries couldn’t even come remotely close to topping that, and that list could be extended by a long shot.

You also have so many different cultures and ways of life. The Northeast, the South, the Midwest, the West Coast, Texas, Hawaii, Alaska. Then you have big bustling cities, coastal cities, inland cities, small towns, mountain towns, fishing towns, ski towns, and so many other types.

If you know where to look, you can get pretty much any type of food considering there are so many different types of culture in the states. I’m no expert in food, but I’d be willing to bet you have the biggest diversity in food in the states as any other country.

Sure the political system is having its weakest moment right now and the country seems as divided as it’s been in a long time, and our healthcare system is basically screwed, but that doesn’t mean one can’t come here and enjoy the country.

Those are the thoughts of one person so take that for what it’s worth…

34

Weirdly, LATAM sees the US as a place of shopping and nothing else. I have friends who tell everyone who wants to listen that the cities are all the same and that it has nothing to offer, but I don’t think that is true. It is a huge country, with wild diversity in its cities, nature, and culture. I’ve been traveling there for both business and pleasure and I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface (a handful of states).

35

@Jess
This for real. Especially in Mexico, they see the US as a shopping mall. They even make reels and TikToks of this. “My version of tourism in the US *shows Ross, Burlington, and other stores*”

I sometimes tell some people about Glacier and Cascades. They’ve never heard of them, and they tell me they have nature home and similar ecosystems in Mexico.

36

@Zen
Acadia National Park, famously similar to Mexico.

37

Zuri said:
@Zen
Acadia National Park, famously similar to Mexico.

Their answer to that: Arteaga Mexico (the Mexican Swiss Alps) lmao.

38

I think the problem with the US is that it is not easy to explore, given the size of it and the non-existent public transportation, which means you need to drive, which a lot of people are not comfortable doing, including me, which I’m an experienced driver but that doesn’t mean that I am familiar with the laws there.

That’s why most people go to Europe (from LATAM as a touristic destination) because you can see a lot of countries and cities (walking is totally doable), in a short period of time while taking a train/bus that you can book online and just do it. You can’t do that in the US; every state has a different website and stuff, not to mention the outrageous costs of flights within the US.

39

There’s plenty of unique things to do in the USA. No idea how you thought anything different.

40

You’re on Reddit, so you can say “America Bad” and get a ton of upvotes.

The US receives millions of tourists a year. Many come back again and again. I met a Brit who was on his 20th trip in the US. When I was in Mexico City, the line at the US embassy wound for several blocks for people trying to fill out their visa paperwork.

I understand LATAM’s more general feelings on the US government may not be the greatest, but to me, if you’re going to travel, you’re going to have to learn to separate the government from the culture and the people.