Canada's Wonderland and crossing the Border

We recently renewed our passports and got my daughter one. We opted for the passport cards because we don't foresee any international travel anytime in the near future. It was much cheaper and serves our purpose for wanting to visit Canada's Wonderland this year. We were told 6 - 8 weeks and received them in 4.

I personally wish I would already have an extensive foreign travel resume. The only excuse I have is that I've never really realized that, duh, I'm a grown up. I can do these things if I want.

We're hoping to go to Europe (likely the UK and/or Italy) next year, if I'm working by then. While the US has plenty of interesting places to travel to, it's also still too "new" to have the kind of history found virtually everywhere else.

I agree that it's both a cultural and a geographical thing. The same "I can't believe X people don't do Y" situation applies within the U.S. as well. For example, my dad who grew up and lives in northern Ohio would have a miserable time in New York City, but if he did go there, it would be by car. But there are plenty of folks who would say "I don't understand why you have no interest in experiencing the culture of NYC, it's so different. And how come you never fly anywhere and insist upon driving?" :)

When I was a kid, my family would usually take about a 10-day vacation each summer, always by car. My dad just felt that flying was too expensive, and would rather put that money toward seeing more sights -- plus, it's easier to add or subtract days spontaneously when you don't have to buy tickets for 4 people 3-6 months ahead of time. But my friend whose parents did most of their vacationing by plane when he was growing up, couldn't believe I'd only flown twice in my life until a few years ago.

I do have a long list of places I want to see before I die, with New Zealand and Italy at the top, but considering how my career has gone so far it's hard to say if the money will ever be there for such trips. That's why for now I'm sticking to brief weekend excursions to amusement parks.

Oops, I meant to add... I did get my passport two years ago when they were first threatening to require them, and it was very simple -- assuming you know where your birth certificate is, and it's in usable condition. I already had a good copy of mine from 2005, because I had been told a birth cert would be necessary to re-enter the U.S. (they ended up accepting just a driver's license). I went to the Ohio Department of Health website and requested one for $15; that took about 2 weeks to arrive.

I took my birth cert to the post office and got my picture taken there (on a Saturday morning, of course, since I'm at work when the post office is open during the week, let alone the passport window of the post office). It was a fairly quick and simple process, and the passport arrived exactly 2 weeks later.

So if you don't plan far enough in advance and don't have a clean copy of your birth certificate, it could potentially take a month or more to be Canadaable. :)

It's kind of a Catch-22 for some people: "Why bother digging out my birth certificate and getting a passport, when I only go to Canada once a decade?" vs. "Maybe we could go up to Windsor for the weekend. Oh crap, but then I can't get back into the country." I figured that's why I should play it safe and get mine a few years ago, just in case a last-minute trip to Canada's Wonderland might come up.

RatherGoodBear said:

El Gato Coastro said:
I think the bigger issue is why many American do not want to see the world. I may sound like a snob here, but do you not want to visit another country, and learn a culture?

Unlike many other countries, America has the world here-- or at least people from all over the world. We can experience the culture of many nations without leaving the country (and I don't mean going to Epcot).

What you experience here is quite different. It cannot compare to the real thing. I can experience many cultures in my city(Toronto), but any immigrant will tell you, it's not the same.
I think everyone should travel someplace outside their country at least once in their lifetime. Yeah, it may be expensive, but it's worth it. Especially visiting international theme parks.

I have a trip to France, Switzerland, and Belgium planned for September. It will cost a pretty penny, but the experience, and people I meet will more than make up for the cost.

File me in the wants to see the World and is takign the steps needed to do so. So far I have checked Ireland and Italy off the list, as well as parts of Canada. Next year I have plans to check Germany, Austria, and Hungary off the list.

I discovered last year I needed to renew an existing passport. Not too bad a process, just a trip to the confusing Dept of State website to get the renewal form, then a trip to Walgreens to get new photos taken. Fill out the form, staple the photos to the form, toss that in a padded mailer along with your current passport and the all imporant check. They told me it might take 3 months (Thanks to the new Canadian requirements which started this thread), I had the new passport in hand in one week, and that was with standard service. The initial passport takes a bit more time to process and you have to appear before an authorized deputy, luckily they have added more and more people at post offices, libraries and DMV offices who are authorized to accept passport applications.

As far as the actual act of crossing the border, my experiences have been pretty painless by both air and by car. Show passport , asnwer a couple questions, go about my business. I would agree gettingi nto Canada is generally more pleasant than the re-entry into the United States. Others have told me great horror stories about getting into Canada, stories involving having the contents of their cars tossed onto the side of the road, picked through, and so on.

El Gato Coastro said:
I think everyone should travel someplace outside their country at least once in their lifetime.

Why? Just playing devil's advocate...

Don't get me wrong, I've been outside the country several times, and have enjoyed each trip throroughly. But I don't see why everyone needs to leave the US if they don't have the means and/or the desire to. I agree there are a multitude of places in the US to see. I consider myself fortunate enough to have been overseas, but I don't know if I'd feel deprived if I never set foot out of the country.

You know, Vater, that's a really good point that I was kicking around earlier when this theme of "how could you not want to travel to other countries" came up.

Before I went abroad I really didn't think much of it. I wasn't against it, but I didn't think much of it.

It was only after having gone that I caught the bug and can see how much I would have missed if I never had the chance to travel that way. You don't know what you don't know, though.

I don't agree with some of the reasons provided for being "against it" so to speak, like the hassle of obtaining a passport or even expense to some degree. But I can totally understand the idea that you simply don't have a frame of reference for it, so you don't think it's a priority.

Yeah, I don't necessarily buy into the 'hassle' part, either. It was 2005 when I renewed my passport because I was taking my wife to Niagara. We got pics taken at one of those portrait places in the mall, sent them with copies of our birth certificates and payment, and received them a few weeks later. Not much of a hassle, if you ask me.

I guess this would be a related question, but what is the "anti-Amercian" sentiment that we hear in the media about overseas really like? If some of the news outlets are to be believed, we are not very popular in many places right now. Since there seems to be a good number of you here that have traveled abroad recently I figure this would be a good place to find out. It's got to be better than some of the drivel you read about us on many comments on Youtube! Then again, maybe not.

Tom

The reason I advocate getting out is just because I feel that Americans are so ridiculously sheltered, and dare I say ignorant, about the rest of the world. College for me was like hanging out at the United Nations, and it caused strong desire to get out and see stuff. With my personal life a mess for several years, I kind of forgot about it, but now I'm anxious to get out there. There's a lot to learn and see out there.

Heck, many Americans would benefit just from visiting Toronto, to see that a city with millions of people doesn't have to be a big grungy mess. :)

LdScotsman said:
I guess this would be a related question, but what is the "anti-Amercian" sentiment that we hear in the media about overseas really like? If some of the news outlets are to be believed, we are not very popular in many places right now. Since there seems to be a good number of you here that have traveled abroad recently I figure this would be a good place to find out. It's got to be better than some of the drivel you read about us on many comments on Youtube! Then again, maybe not.

Tom

From my experiences abroad, the "anti-American" sentiments we hear about are not directed towards Americans as people, but more the actions of our government over the past years. I do believe the media exaggerates such sentiments and forgets to mention that American travelers are usually well received. In my travels I have never come across someone who acted negatively towards me just because I was an American. IMHO, if people are "anti" anything, it's more than likely going to be"anti-America" rather "anti-American." Honestly, I find it hard to blame them based on our government's recent actions and the Americanization of foreign cultures.

Can't answer what anti-American sentiment in Europe is like, because I never encountered any. On the other hand, the English were happy to share their opinion of the French, the French their opinion about the Spanish, etc. :)

As for Toronto, it's also eye-opening to see a city with millions of commuters who share the road politely during rush hour!

I'm joining this party late, but when I moved to Texas from Boston, I thought it was funny that the "historical things" in Texas are 50 years old when the historical things in Boston are 200 years old.

Then I went to China...+/- 5000 years of recorded history and still many structures that are over 2000 years old. Kind of puts things in perspective.

And yield to pedestrians and cyclists. Vancouver is the same way, pedestrians actually wait for the walk signals. It's refreshing.

LdScotsman said:
I guess this would be a related question, but what is the "anti-Amercian" sentiment that we hear in the media about overseas really like?

All I can say is that I was received well in Germany... but then, I'm awesome. ;)

Seriously, I think it's the same thing as how we receive foreign travelers. If you make no attempt at trying to understand that you aren't in America, then folks were likely to get irritated with you.

There were people on the same trip as I who in fact did expect people to be able to speak English and things like that. That's just rude. But for those who showed respect and at least an attempt at assimilating to the culture, the reception was fine.

Vater said:

El Gato Coastro said:
I think everyone should travel someplace outside their country at least once in their lifetime.

Why? Just playing devil's advocate...

Don't get me wrong, I've been outside the country several times, and have enjoyed each trip throroughly. But I don't see why everyone needs to leave the US if they don't have the means and/or the desire to. I agree there are a multitude of places in the US to see. I consider myself fortunate enough to have been overseas, but I don't know if I'd feel deprived if I never set foot out of the country.

Fair enough. I can understand that point of view, however there are ways to travel without having to spend a lot of money. Even Americans who can afford to travel will not bother. My point of view is aligned with Jeff's and others. There is a lot to learn, and see out there, and there are ways to travel without spending a lot of money. The one question I hear from people, is why more Americans do not travel, hence my original question.

I can say that I have experienced none of the Anti-American sentiment when I have travelled, but then the locatiosn were Ireland, and Italy - and I was in Italy in November, 2001 so it was quite the opposite, folks were expressing sympathy and concern for what was going on over here.

I do have to echo the sentiment that you will get treated as you treat others. What I learned in Italy, is that even if I totally flubbed up attempting to converse to a restaurant server, a shopkeeper, or the proverbial "man on the street", in almost all cases, they did seem to recognize and appreciate the fact I was attempting to fit in, as best I couldm, into their culture and use their language, and guess what I learned some more vocabulary as some helped me through it so I was prepared for the next encoutner. Most businesses in tourist areas will conduct business in English, but again, if you at least attempt to use the native tounge, you will get treated a bit better.

Ending abck around, I have nevefr had trouble at border crossings, dthey are little more than having your season pass scanned enterting your favorite park.

I don't get the not wanting to see the World thing, and do have to agree that in my area, having a passport is the exception, not the rule. To the point where people ask to look at mine just to see what one looks like.

Carrie M. said:
...but then, I'm awesome. ;)

And I can confirm that this has indeed been validated by a third-party source. :)