Originally Posted by t325

I got my passport in 2008 and it cost me about $100, and I think the price has gone up recently. So people aren't going to get a passport just for the sake of having one, they're going to get one when they actually plan on going somewhere that requires it.

The application process itself isn't too bad. Fill out a form with the usual questions about you, provide a birth certificate and 2 passport photos (I got mine free since I'm an AAA member, but they're about 10 bucks at Walgreens?). It's just the cost that's a major turnoff.

And of course, many don't plan on going out of country because it's not exactly cheap depending on where you live. If you live close enough to the Canadian or Mexican border, driving might be reasonable, but if you have to fly somewhere, it's likely going to cost quite a bit. And then if you don't have a passport, you have to consider the fact that you'll have to add $100+ to the cost of the already expensive airfare.

If you live in London, you can hop on the Eurostar and be in Paris in 2 hours for not a great deal of money. Something like that just doesn't exist in the US. And the US is a big enough country that no matter what you fancy for your vacation, you can find it in the US. Skiing in the Rockies, laying on a beach in Hawaii, casinos in Vegas, wine in Napa Valley, Orlando for the kids, etc. None of that requires a passport.