Far more Brits have traveled abroad than Americans, and Americans are twice as likely to prefer a vacation at home
Air travel may now be cheaper than ever, but compared to Europe many Americans can't take full advantage of the fact. While Britons have a legal right to 28 paid days of vacation each year, American workers have no such right and often consider themselves lucky to get 10 days, something that may explain how much more common international travel is on the other side of the Atlantic.
When YouGov asked adults in the US and the UK whether they had ever traveled internationally, 91% of Brits said that they had left the UK for a 'holiday' and only 8% say that they've never left the UK for pleasure. 50% of Americans say that they have left the US for a vacation, while 48% say that they have not.
While 50% of Americans say that they have left the US to go on vacation, 60% say that they have never left North America. Europe (28%) is the most popular destination outside of North America, followed by Asia (14%) and then South America (13%). Only 5% of Americans have been to Africa, and 6% have been to Australia.
North America is the most popular 'holiday' spot for Britons, with 44% of British adults saying that they have been to North America. Africa (30%) is the second most popular destination, as Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco are all major tourist destinations for Europeans. 27% of Britons have also been to Asia, while 14% have been to Australia and 12% have been to South America.
Part of the reason why Americans have not traveled as much as Britons is probably that many Americans simply don't want to leave the country. Only 19% of British adults said that, if money were no object, they would stay in the UK for a vacation, while 74% would go abroad. In the US 43% said that they would stay in the US, only narrowly beaten by the 47% who say that they'd go abroad.
Older Americans in particular are more likely to say that they would stay in the US. Most people over the age of 45 say that they would rather vacation in the US, while most people under the age of 45 say that they would leave the country for their vacation if they could.
Full poll results can be found here (US) and here (UK).
