Foreigners in National Parks.

[tallyho8]

I don't know how much the Park Service does to promote Yellowstone and other national parks overseas but I hope they keep it up or increase the marketing effort. It has to be bringing in a lot of money to the US and can help to promote good will between countries.
RSKY

Surprisingly, the Park Service is not allowed to do any promoting or advertising. All promoting or advertising is done by commercial establishments trying to attract visitors to these places. Congress has not allotted a budget for advertising so as not to compete with the establishment.

 

[houstonscott]

Headed to Yosemite in next three days, i’ll report next week.

 

[MossRoad]

Headed to Yosemite in next three days, i’ll report next week.

Good luck and get there early....

Traffic in Yosemite National Park - Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

 

[N80]

Americans traditionally have a bad reputation overseas. Some of it is probably an unfair stereotype. But, because of that I try to be at my best when I travel overseas (which is rare). We've been to Italy twice. Each time I've spent months on Rosetta stone learning as much of the language as I can. I try to dress appropriately and make an effort to be as gracious as possible. It pays off in spades. With only a few minor exceptions the highlights of my trips to Italy have been the interactions with the Italian people. Being polite and respectful and knowing a few words of their language really opens people up and opens doors. In this regard it galls me when American and British tourists give bad reviews of restaurants and hotels because the staff do not speak English. In fact, when eating out we typically search for smaller places in which the menu is not in English.

As for foreign tourists in the US, I have only had good experiences.....but I don't exactly live in a tourist mecca.

 

[ovrszd]

My wife is a naturalized citizen from France. Her uncle was making arrangements for my wife's grandmother to come to Florida. He asked if we could pick her up in LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Europeans mostly live in very small countries.

 

[mcfarmall]

The foreigners are visiting the cool attractions in their country...as a debtor nation, someone owns the place and it sure isn't us.

 

[N80]

Europeans mostly live in very small countries.

When my wife was growing up they had German friends visit them for a few days in South Carolina. They wanted to go to Myrtle Beach and then the Grand Canyon.

 

[ovrszd]

When my wife was growing up they had German friends visit them for a few days in South Carolina. They wanted to go to Myrtle Beach and then the Grand Canyon.

I had a family from Berlin Germany on my farm for an afternoon a month ago. We had a couple hours of great conversation about these things. I've been to Germany nine times. This was their first visit to U.S. their daughter was a foreign exchange student here for the past year. We all agreed if we could have an afternoon visit with most of the humans on this planet a lot of conflicts could be resolved.

 

[N80]

I had a family from Berlin Germany on my farm for an afternoon a month ago. We had a couple hours of great conversation about these things. I've been to Germany nine times. This was their first visit to U.S. their daughter was a foreign exchange student here for the past year. We all agreed if we could have an afternoon visit with most of the humans on this planet a lot of conflicts could be resolved.

"Travel is Fatal to Prejudice, Bigotry and Narrow-Mindedness, and Many of Our People Need It Sorely on These Accounts” Mark Twain.

Sadly, sometimes travel confirms stereotypes too.

 

[ovrszd]

"Travel is Fatal to Prejudice, Bigotry and Narrow-Mindedness, and Many of Our People Need It Sorely on These Accounts” Mark Twain.

Sadly, sometimes travel confirms stereotypes too.

I have been to areas that my theory does not work in. I'll leave them nameless.

Mark had a way with words didn't he!!!

 

[mcfarmall]

I enjoy helping Asian visitors with picture taking...it was more fun when they used cameras with film as they'd have to wait for developing to see that I cut their heads off (in the photo of course, not in real life). A funny trick I learned from a militia friend years ago.

 

[JPRambo]

in the reverse of my post above. I visited France about 15 years ago and drove across the country in less 8 hours.

 

[ovrszd]

in the reverse of my post above. I visited France about 15 years ago and drove across the country in less 8 hours.

I've lived in the midwest my whole life and have never driven to Canada or Mexico.

 

[KennyG]

I always think it's great to see people from other countries actually visiting the US. I hope it counteracts the impression they get from TV, movies and news. (In a lot of countries, it seems 50% of the TV shows, 80% of the movies and a lot of the news is from the US. I find Europeans follow US news and politics closer than I do.) I've spent a good bit of time in Europe and in the far East and find that people are the same everywhere. Every place has a few jerks but 95% of the people are friendly and helpful. And, by the way, you can't go to any major attraction in Europe without seeing Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. They have money and they like to travel.

 

[MossRoad]

in the reverse of my post above. I visited France about 15 years ago and drove across the country in less 8 hours.

Heck, it took me 5 to get through Chicago one day! :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

I've lived in the midwest my whole life and have never driven to Canada or Mexico.

If it's any consolation, I live in Indiana and never driven southwest of St. Louis! :laughing:

Did drive to Yellowstone one year. And have flown to Arizona and driven all over that state, Nevada, Utah, Colorado. Walked in and then out of Mexico in Nogales. Been to L.A. three times (hate it, too many people and it's pretty dirty). I need to get to Arkansas, deep south, and Pacific NW. Been all over east of here.

There's so much to do in the U.S.!!!

Anyone ever driven around the Great Lakes. We've driven all of them but Superior.

 

[k0ua]

If it's any consolation, I live in Indiana and never driven southwest of St. Louis! :laughing:

Did drive to Yellowstone one year. And have flown to Arizona and driven all over that state, Nevada, Utah, Colorado. Walked in and then out of Mexico in Nogales. Been to L.A. three times (hate it, too many people and it's pretty dirty). I need to get to Arkansas, deep south, and Pacific NW. Been all over east of here.

There's so much to do in the U.S.!!!

Anyone ever driven around the Great Lakes. We've driven all of them but Superior.

Come on down to Branson, About 15 minutes to the Arky line, and Just a little over 4 hours West and south of that Big city called St. Louis. We ain't like them. We don't even talk like them. (I have several relatives in St. Louis) We would be happy for you to drop by.

 

[N80]

If it's any consolation, I live in Indiana and never driven southwest of St. Louis! :laughing:

Did drive to Yellowstone one year. And have flown to Arizona and driven all over that state, Nevada, Utah, Colorado. Walked in and then out of Mexico in Nogales. Been to L.A. three times (hate it, too many people and it's pretty dirty). I need to get to Arkansas, deep south, and Pacific NW. Been all over east of here.

There's so much to do in the U.S.!!!

Anyone ever driven around the Great Lakes. We've driven all of them but Superior.

Come on down south....maybe not in July or August. A great trip, which I do every few years, is Memphis to New Orleans. Drive down highway 61 all the way. Stop in the blues towns in Mississippi. Try the famous tamales and go to Ground Zero blues club in Clarksdale (1 hour south of Memphis) which is owned by Morgan Freeman. Looks like a real dive, even a little scary, but it isn't...it is tourist friendly. Memphis is great. New Orleans is, well, New Orleans. If you like food and music a trip down highway 61 is hard to beat. In the delta, between Memphis and N.O., it is pure Mississippi, which means agriculture and poverty but the area is beautiful. Stop in Vicksburg with its downtown on the river and its huge Civil War battlefield and recovered iron clad. If you need recommendations on where to eat in N.O......or Clarksdale, Vicksburg or.... just send me a P.M.

If the deep south on the east coast is more your speed, start in the Myrtle Beach/Georgetown area. Go to Brookgreen Gardens in Georgetown, one of my favorite places on earth, head down to Charleston and from there to Beaufort, Savannah and St. Augustine. That's a trip that is hard to beat. Used to live in Charleston myself. Probably one of the top five food cities in the US.

 

[Tomtint]

Come on down south....maybe not in July or August. A great trip, which I do every few years, is Memphis to New Orleans. Drive down highway 61 all the way. Stop in the blues towns in Mississippi. Try the famous tamales and go to Ground Zero blues club in Clarksdale (1 hour south of Memphis) which is owned by Morgan Freeman. Looks like a real dive, even a little scary, but it isn't...it is tourist friendly. Memphis is great. New Orleans is, well, New Orleans. If you like food and music a trip down highway 61 is hard to beat. In the delta, between Memphis and N.O., it is pure Mississippi, which means agriculture and poverty but the area is beautiful. Stop in Vicksburg with its downtown on the river and its huge Civil War battlefield and recovered iron clad. If you need recommendations on where to eat in N.O......or Clarksdale, Vicksburg or.... just send me a P.M.

If the deep south on the east coast is more your speed, start in the Myrtle Beach/Georgetown area. Go to Brookgreen Gardens in Georgetown, one of my favorite places on earth, head down to Charleston and from there to Beaufort, Savannah and St. Augustine. That's a trip that is hard to beat. Used to live in Charleston myself. Probably one of the top five food cities in the US.

We rode as far as Memphis from Mass and went to Grace Land. I'm not a real big Elvis fan but seeing his grounds..and thinking about what it was inthe 60-70s.. it's pretty impressive. He truly deserves the King title. ..it's a shame what the lifestyle did to him. ..that said.. I was not a big fan of downtown Memphis. ..We were there for 45 minutes and a helmet was stolen off of our motorcycle.... It's like a global unwritten law that you simply do not touch a motorcycle that's not yours... ever.. Apparently Memphis did not subscribe to this law.. I did however meet countless people along our travels down south, that have a genuine , nice demeanor about them..Its a departure from what is common in the North East.

 

[MossRoad]

Never heard that global unwritten rule.... :laughing:

When I had bikes, I'd find them moved around, knocked over, mirrors twisted around, turn signals snapped off, etc...

My brother in law had his motorcycle stolen in Beanblossom, Indiana in broad daylight at a motorcycle rally.

My other brother in law had his diesel pickup stolen with two dirt bikes in the back in broad daylight out of a bank parking lot next to a bar while watching bike races during bike week in Daytona.

I've been to Memphis on business about 15 years ago. We had a pleasant time at lunches and in the evenings. I'd go back to hear some more good music if I get the chance.