Is It Really True That Less Than 50% Of Americans Own A Passport?

Many perceive Americans as people who do not travel outside their own country. Is there any truth to this stereotype? And is there any truth to the claim that less than 50% of Americans own a passport? We take a look at some numbers and investigate where do Americans go when they travel.

 

 

 

In 2014 the State Department issued 14,087,341 passports. 1,463,191 of those were passport cards required for travel to Mexico, Canada and some parts of the Caribbean. Passport cards are valid for land and sea travel and cannot be used for international air travel (air travel still requires a traditional passport). Compared to 2013 there have been half of a million more passports issued. 121,512,341 valid passports were in circulation in 2014. So it is not that the Americans do not go through the passport application process. It is just that the percentage of the passport owners is indeed lower when compared to some European counterparts. For comparison – some 76% of British residents have a passport.

According to the data made available by the Office of Travel and Tourism industry, in 2014 30,780,148 Americans travelled overseas (6.1% increase when compared to 2013) while 37,523,210 Americans travelled to the destinations in Canada and Mexico or to domestic destinations (14.2% increase when compared to 2013). 54.9% of American who travelled did so in North America, while 45.1% travelled overseas.

 

Meanwhile the Henley and Partners Visa Restrictions Index for 2014 was released. It is an annual report that lists the countries of the world according to the travel freedom their residents enjoy. It is based on the number of countries the residents can travel to with just their passports and without having to apply for a visa. United States shares the first place together with United Kingdom, Finland, Germany and Sweden.

 

So what do all these numbers mean? At a glance Americans are still going through the passport application process. There are plenty of valid passports in circulation. And they can travel pretty much all over the world without having to apply for visa.

 

Let’s try and put the matters into context and look at the reasons why American might prefer to travel domestically.

While it might be difficult to understand for any of us Europeans who can hop on a plane (or in some cases on a train) and be in an another country within a couple of hours, for Americans a flight from coast to coast can be as long as a flight to Europe.

 

United States is a huge and diverse country. Americans can experience different sceneries and climates just going from state to state or from coast to coast. There are plenty of attractions, national parks and sprawling cities within the country itself that make for a great holiday destination. And if you can visit a great destination within your own country without the hassle of a passport application, a long flight or a currency exchange (not to mention jet lag in some cases), it is easy to understand why many Americans opt for domestic travel. So it is not so much that the Americans do not like to travel, it is just that 54.9% of Americans who do travel, prefer to do so domestically or to the neighbouring Mexico and Canada.

 

And then there is the cost. The cost of the airfare alone can be staggering. That is not to say you cannot plan ahead and get a good deal in advance. It is just that is more complicated than booking a low budget flight from London to anywhere in Europe for a weekend city break.

 

Holiday days is another thing to take into consideration. While a number of weeks off are the norm in Europe, in the United States it is not that usual. On average Americans get 20 days off. Furthermore Americans regularly do not use their vacation days in full.