Who is going to the USA, who has changed their travel and what will you do differently?

[Forg]

Yes, we all have our different reasons for visiting certain locations and not visiting others.

I enjoy listening to popular music, SciFi, spent prolly 10yrs from the start of Uni going to the movies weekly with friends ‘til we all started getting married etc … popular culture has been a massive part of my life, and as an Australian born in 1971 that means a HEAP of US influence & hence heaps of places of interest in the US!

 

[sydney]

We're going for 2 months. Can't wait! Happy Trump got in.
*Our main concern about the US is crime and safety as tourists.

 

[Human]

We're going for 2 months. Can't wait! Happy Trump got in.
*Our main concern about the US is crime and safety as tourists.

Hope you have a wonderful time!

I'm sure we'll all be interested to know of your experience with CBP when you arrive.

 

[DC3]

Hope you have a wonderful time

 

[DC3]

We're going for 2 months.

 

[DC3]

Who is going to the USA, who has changed ………………?

Yes, in several months time. Have had about 10 x US holidays in the past. Still plenty of places to experience. No changes to travel planned. Oregon coast and a few other places this time.

Edited

 

[sydney]

Hope you have a wonderful time!

I'm sure we'll all be interested to know of your experience with CBP when you arrive.

Thank you!

Bit nervous as our first trip was 20 yrs ago. Hoping everything goes smoothly and we don't miss any flights this time.

 

[justinbrett]

From my experience Hong Kong on its worst day is better than most entries to the USA.

I don’t have any major problems with either airport.

But the potential consequences of being arrested in HKG far exceed that of LAX. The smart traveller advice is pretty clear on this.

Having said that, I've met many, many people with a deep, deep hatred of the USA and everything it stands for. I don't think I've met anyone with a deep, deep hatred of Hong Kong and everything it stands for. So in one sense one can understand the twitchiness...

Hong Kong? No. China? Absolutely.

But yes the comments in this thread show that anti-US sentiment is strong on AFF and no doubt this sways opinions, it seems more about displeasure of the leader or those that voted for him than anything else.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

it seems more about displeasure of the leader

Took you a while to catch on but you finally nailed it - well done

 

[Forg]

But yes the comments in this thread show that anti-US sentiment is strong on AFF and no doubt this sways opinions, it seems more about displeasure of the leader or those that voted for him than anything else.

There are two quite different things,
(a) displeasure with the fascist regime
(b) the fact that the fascist regime has dictated changes to immigration processes, and this has increased the chances of being unfairly interfered-with on entry to the country
... and both are IMHO valid reasons not to want to go on hols or travel there, even if the increased chances of problems with (b) are pretty small on a global scale (and the fact there's probably still a smaller chance of disappearing forever than going to, say, Russia).

 

[Human]

But yes the comments in this thread show that anti-US sentiment is strong on AFF and no doubt this sways opinions, it seems more about displeasure of the leader or those that voted for him than anything else.

I vividly remember standing here in January:



Americans haven't forgotten that that crime against humanity was committed by foreign nationals who had been welcomed into the USA with open arms.

Since then, I think the USA has struggled to get the balance right between caution and openness. Arguably, the pendulum swung too far between 2021-2025 (remember that one of the top reasons voters gave for rejecting the Democrats and electing Trump was uncontrolled immigration), and arguably it's swinging too far in the other direction now.

I can fully understand how a CBP officer is more afraid of letting in the next perpetrator of a terrorist act, than of blocking a tourist for no reason. They shouldn't be blocking tourists for no reason -- but if it's happening, it's not difficult to understand how that could be the case.

We have no idea what it's like to fear a terrorist act on home soil.

Hopefully the pendulum will swing back to the centre soon... whatever that looks like.

 

[RooFlyer]

Nice encapsulation @Human

 

[justinbrett]

I vividly remember standing here in January:

View attachment 439884

Americans haven't forgotten that that crime against humanity was committed by foreign nationals who had been welcomed into the USA with open arms.

Since then, I think the USA has struggled to get the balance right between caution and openness. Arguably, the pendulum swung too far between 2021-2025 (remember that one of the top reasons voters gave for rejecting the Democrats and electing Trump was uncontrolled immigration), and arguably it's swinging too far in the other direction now.

I can fully understand how a CBP officer is more afraid of letting in the next perpetrator of a terrorist act, than of blocking a tourist for no reason. They shouldn't be blocking tourists for no reason -- but if it's happening, it's not difficult to understand how that could be the case.

We have no idea what it's like to fear a terrorist act on home soil.

Hopefully the pendulum will swing back to the centre soon... whatever that looks like.

That’s democracy in action. There was a real problem with immigration that both sides accepted, and Trump was pretty clear about what he planned to do to fix it, so nobody should be surprised. Similar policies have made deciding outcomes in Australian elections too.

This has become a politically charged thread and I’ve got no interest in debating politics with other members. I have spent a lot of time in the US, I’ve been to all 50 states, and I think as an Australian tourist you have nothing to fear, but I’m not going to convince the “orange man bad” crowd of that so I won’t try.

 

[pauly7]

Personally I won’t be changing any of my business trips to the US. Don’t go there by choice for leisure anyway, so no change to that plan.

Clearly though there is a significant reduction in travel/planned travel into the US though, the UK and Canadian numbers are quite astonishing.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

, but I’m not going to convince the “orange man bad” crowd of that so I won’t transverse forget -

I know everyone here has a mother - most have wives, daughters, sisters, nieces, female friends - and yet some still some believe he is entitled to breath oxygen

 

[justinbrett]

I know everyone here has a mother - most have wives, daughters, sisters, nieces, female friends - and yet some still some believe he is entitled to breath oxygen

But you’ll gladly still travel to a country whose leader oversees this:

Chinese genocide of Uyghurs in Xinjiang continues

Genocide Emergency: Xinjiang, China2023by Christian Azzolini, Genocide WatchWorkers walk by the perimeter fence of what is officially known as a vocational skills education centre in Dabancheng in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China.Thomas Peter / ReutersTwelve million people, the majority...

www.genocidewatch.com

I have respect for those who will travel to both who know that a country is not its leader.

But to say the orange leader is bad and ignoring the crimes of other leaders they accept is very hypocritical.

 

[Human]

I know everyone here has a mother - most have wives, daughters, sisters, nieces, female friends - and yet some still some believe he is entitled to breath oxygen

Indefensible. As were the even greater and much more frequent infidelities of one of Australia's greatest ever Prime Ministers. Or does the fact that we don't have recordings of Bob Hawke on YouTube make it more acceptable?

Both sets of sexual infidelities are/were indefensible. But we live in the real world.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/sex-addict-bob-hawke-had-multiple-affairs-in-lodge/news-story/5ef8467f5fea97b75e66f9d30fc5b471

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Keep it on topic boys

 

[nancypants]

Looks it’s not entirely without precedent eg Lonely planet not publishing a guidebook for Myanmar until Aung san suu kyi was released and widely encouraged boycotts of visiting that country, people giving Israel a miss, Zimbabwe under Mugabe, South Africa during apartheid etc.

It’s not like no one has ever made a conscious decision to avoid a country based on a sense of unease about the political landscape there until Trump

 

[RooFlyer]

Looks it’s not entirely without precedent eg Lonely planet not publishing a guidebook for Myanmar until Aung san suu kyi was released and widely encouraged boycotts of visiting that country, people giving Israel a miss, Zimbabwe under Mugabe, South Africa during apartheid etc.

It’s not like no one has ever made a conscious decision to avoid a country based on a sense of unease about the political landscape there until Trump

I agree - but its interesting company the USA has been put in .