Originally Posted by
BadgerBoi
I live in Sydney so I can't hop on Eurostar and be in Paris in two hours either. Australia is a big enough country that no matter what you fancy for your vacation you can find it in here - skiing in the snowy, laying on a beach in Far North Queensland, wine in the Hunter or the Barossa, (casinos too - bleeyach!), Gold Coast with its theme parks for the kids. None of that requires a passport.
Yet approximately 70% of Australians hold passports, compared to 30% of Americans. Somebody pointed out in an earlier post that it wasn't a fair comparison between the UK and America as far as passport holders are concerned. I've given Australia as a fairer comparison I guess. I renewed my passport last year and it was considerably more than $100 but I wouldn't be without it.
there are ridiculously cheap flights from Australia to much of SE Asia on the discount carriers. Flights from the USA now even just to Mexico are obscenely priced...I was looking to go to Mexico later in the year and the price is now double what I used to pay just a few years ago!
If the cost of traveling abroad for Europeans and Aussies was comparable to what it costs for Americans (especially now that the $ is in the dumps) then far less would travel.