Where Are All the Americans?
I've been on the road for 3 weeks now.
Here is the nationality of everyone I've met/shook hands with that I can remember:
Qantas Flight to Melboune
---------------------------------
2 Americans (On short business trips)
1 Aussie
Easyrider Tour Bus: (From Perth to Exmouth, Australia)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Swedes
---> 1 US American (First American she had met in 3 weeks in Australia *I think*)
2 Irish
5 Brits / Poms the Australian like to call them - Prisoners of Her Majesty
1 Belgian
1 Spaniard (Living in Las Vegas most recently - soon to have American citizenship)
1 German
1 Finn
1-2% of backpackers are American as confirmed by two Easyrider Tour drivers. (Asked on different days/time)
Kangaroo Island Hostel
-----------------------------
1 Swiss (I think I was the 1st or 2nd American he had met while traveling in Australia for a month or two by car)
4 Thai students studying in Adelaide
Kangaroo Island Tour Bus
--------------------------------
2 Italians
2 Australians - probably more
Adelaide (On Bus)
----------------------
1 Indian student studying in Adelaide
Melbourne Hostel
----------------------
2 Brit girls (Traveled to Dubai, India / Nepal, SE Asia - could only recall meeting 2 other Americans, I was the 3rd!)
2 Germans
1 or 2 Dutch
a few Australians
Exmouth pub
-----------------
4 Brit girls (Traveling as a group)
1 German
1 Dutch
Exmouth dive day #1
---------------------------
1 Swede - Could only recall having met a handful -Less than 5- Americans while traveling through Asia prior to Australia)
1 Aussie
2 Swiss Germans
3 others unknown - not US from accent/demeanor/look
Exmouth Dive Day #2
---------------------------
2 Brit
4 Swiss French
2 Swiss German
Anecdotal questions to a couple of travelers who have been through Asia and Australia mention no more than meeting 5 Americans. More Canadians than US Americans met. Basically, the number could be counted on one's hands.
--------------
Notably, no Asians (I know alot of Japanese come to Australia in large tour groups though - I saw a couple), Africans, or Eastern Europeans / Russians, or Latin Americans.
My initial suspicions are that Americans are traveling to Australia but are likely staying in nicer digs, not with "backpackers." These travelers are likely older on short vacations, and not backpackers. And of course - Americans on business.
I could come up with alot of reasons and theories from the above results. But I'll save them for a future article after I gather some more evidence and research (Like official Australian immigration tour statistics).
Here is the kicker though -- the ONLY American backpacker I have met and only American I have met on Australian soil is:
From my current hometown of Kirkland, WA too!!
Go figure....
oh yeah...the first American "backpacker" I met while on a 3 week backpack trip in Europe in 1998 was from Laguna Beach, CA, the city right next to where I lived in Aliso Viejo, CA in Orange County.
So...who else by coincidence am I going to meet?
Here is the nationality of everyone I've met/shook hands with that I can remember:
Qantas Flight to Melboune
---------------------------------
2 Americans (On short business trips)
1 Aussie
Easyrider Tour Bus: (From Perth to Exmouth, Australia)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Swedes
---> 1 US American (First American she had met in 3 weeks in Australia *I think*)
2 Irish
5 Brits / Poms the Australian like to call them - Prisoners of Her Majesty
1 Belgian
1 Spaniard (Living in Las Vegas most recently - soon to have American citizenship)
1 German
1 Finn
1-2% of backpackers are American as confirmed by two Easyrider Tour drivers. (Asked on different days/time)
Kangaroo Island Hostel
-----------------------------
1 Swiss (I think I was the 1st or 2nd American he had met while traveling in Australia for a month or two by car)
4 Thai students studying in Adelaide
Kangaroo Island Tour Bus
--------------------------------
2 Italians
2 Australians - probably more
Adelaide (On Bus)
----------------------
1 Indian student studying in Adelaide
Melbourne Hostel
----------------------
2 Brit girls (Traveled to Dubai, India / Nepal, SE Asia - could only recall meeting 2 other Americans, I was the 3rd!)
2 Germans
1 or 2 Dutch
a few Australians
Exmouth pub
-----------------
4 Brit girls (Traveling as a group)
1 German
1 Dutch
Exmouth dive day #1
---------------------------
1 Swede - Could only recall having met a handful -Less than 5- Americans while traveling through Asia prior to Australia)
1 Aussie
2 Swiss Germans
3 others unknown - not US from accent/demeanor/look
Exmouth Dive Day #2
---------------------------
2 Brit
4 Swiss French
2 Swiss German
Anecdotal questions to a couple of travelers who have been through Asia and Australia mention no more than meeting 5 Americans. More Canadians than US Americans met. Basically, the number could be counted on one's hands.
--------------
Notably, no Asians (I know alot of Japanese come to Australia in large tour groups though - I saw a couple), Africans, or Eastern Europeans / Russians, or Latin Americans.
My initial suspicions are that Americans are traveling to Australia but are likely staying in nicer digs, not with "backpackers." These travelers are likely older on short vacations, and not backpackers. And of course - Americans on business.
I could come up with alot of reasons and theories from the above results. But I'll save them for a future article after I gather some more evidence and research (Like official Australian immigration tour statistics).
Here is the kicker though -- the ONLY American backpacker I have met and only American I have met on Australian soil is:
From my current hometown of Kirkland, WA too!!
Go figure....
oh yeah...the first American "backpacker" I met while on a 3 week backpack trip in Europe in 1998 was from Laguna Beach, CA, the city right next to where I lived in Aliso Viejo, CA in Orange County.
So...who else by coincidence am I going to meet?
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