Originally Posted by
lhrsfo
It really depends upon your attitude to tourism. If all you want to do is check items off a list, then one country per day is probably sufficient. If, however, what you want to do is to get an understanding of a country, its culture and its people, then clearly it will take much longer - and also it will mean avoiding as far as possible the spread of American culture in major tourist hotspots.
americans arent blessed with the holiday allowances of typical europeans.
(2 weeks was the norm for most industries. though i believe tech is helping change that). the gap year is also not a thing.
whereas a belgian can hop on a train to germany, france, netherlands, at his/her whim... to a working-class american, just making it over the pond is a difficult proposition, hence the need to be opportunistic with the sightseeing.
i just hate the extreme notion that one needs to have rented an apartment and be on a first-name basis with the local baker, cobbler, and blacksmith, to qualify as having experienced a place.