Travel plan idea blog

If they tried that in America, it would just mean people would try to carry everything on _even more_ than they do now. Europe seems to do a better job at limiting baggage than we Yanks do. In fact, that explains to me now why in Europe I never saw that there was a fee for using the "Smarte Carte" push carts, but in the States, or at least in the airports I've seen, it's like $2 to use a cart. It's obvious to me now that it's because we try to carry all our crap with us to begin with and Europeans check their baggage (or are more "forced" to do so).

It's a cultural issue. Europeans are used to traveling more and have learned the best way of doing it is to travel light. They have also been through wars and face the challenge of using space wisely. This goes for the Japanese too!
On the other hand, Americans are locked into the "I have, thus I am" way of thinking, based on a materialistic society, they are used to having all sorts of things at hand -need them or not- and not worry about space at all. Also, being in a competitive economy, if an airline limits them much, they'll go with the next company searching for a better option.

To Laika,
Europeans travel lighter because they have shorter distances to go between countries. Also, I agree that Europeans rewear clothing whereas Americans will not. Also, Americans have to cross an ocean to be in Europe.

FYI, Europeans that travel from the U.S.A. back to Europe pack just as much, sometimes even more. I've been at the International counters when these people are traveling home.

Your remarks struck me as being as being anti-American, are you?

Anti-American? I totally did not get that from Laika's post. I thought Laika has a finger on our pulse to be sure. We Americans _are_ materialistic, and I think that statement of fact is in no way anti-American at all. We are not only that, but we feel it's our right to life and a badge of honor, even if we don't put that name upon it. Who hasn't looked on a neighbor's bass boat/car/bbq grill/furniture/franklin mint spoons and felt, in some way, either superior to him for the better condition of our own possession or envious of him since he has what we wish to have? It's bred into us: stuff is status. We don't even realize it anymore.

Rhapsody,
Speak for yourself and not the whole country. I don't want my neighbors stuff--I have a bare set of items for what I need and that's it. Everything that isn't used is donated or sold.

I also felt Laika's _opinions_ were, in fact, anti American.

Furthermore, even though I'm a bit older than the usual backpacker crowd, I still carry my one bag on my shoulders. This one bag that I use for one month, overseas trips is smaller than the luggage that I see the majority of Euopean travlers carrying. And yes, I carry mine on, check the statistics on lost checked baggage not to mention walking directly out of the airport while the other people are waiting at the carousel.

Lastly, such a thing as a culture being materialistic would be a matter of nurture, not nature--I don't think anyone is breeding behaviors into the population. Well, maybe the tendency to make posts that state opinions as fact and claim to know the desires and behavior of an entire country.

Sorry to interrupt your little nature/nuture/culture squabble, but I think the point of the first post was to talk about the new system the airline is trying. I think it's a good idea, and I wonder if a similar system could be implemented in America. It is true that Americans have a tendency to be materialistic, but that is the sort of thing that one could find anywhere. This may be a way to encourage people to travel more simply.

Good point, Saki. And applause to Will. You're obviously not any of the people I live amongst. If we Americans could all travel like Will then such a system of fees for checked baggage would work for us. But I think the airports would have to become better at screening out non-carryon-sized bags before we board the planes in order to enforce this.

Whatever happened to those plastic templates they used to put over the x-ray conveyor belts, that basically only allowed certain-sized items to even go through the x-ray (and thus onto the plane) to begin with?