Originally Posted by greenery
I was reading an interesting article in the Washington Post about the people who were sheltered in the Houston Astrodome. It reported that a clear majority of the NO residents (currently in out of state shelters) had NEVER traveled outside of their city before!
This isn't terribly surprising, and really has nothing to do with age, race or income. Those of us who are addicted to travel tend to think everyone travels, too, when in reality the overwhelming majority of Americans don't.
Naturally I can't find the citation when I want it, but somewhere around here I have a research paper indicating that the majority - that's the MAJORITY - of Americans have never traveled farther than 50 miles from their homes during their lifetimes. That is millions of Americans who have never gone anywhere, and are quite happy about it. Of course that also leaves millions of Americans who do travel, and they are the ones we compete with for airline seats, hotel rooms, etc.
Recently I traveled through Europe. Europeans are travelers.
That's a dangerous generalization to make. Some Europeans do travel - some don't. Just like Americans.
Is there a huge underclass in Western Europe who are middle age and have never left their hometown-ever?
Underclass? Why use the specific term "underclass?" Socio-economic status has very little to do with the yen (or need) to travel or the desire to stay home. Nor, by the way, does age (except, of course, for the very, very young and the infirm aged.) Stay-at-homes are not necessarily part of any "underclass." They just don't see the need to go anywhere else.