Europe vs USA: Which Is The Better Travel Destination?

Here in the good old United States of America, we're blessed with a series of great travel destinations for people all around the globe to come and visit. Alas, while we may believe that we're number one by a country mile, over the pond lies a continent that feels equally as strongly about their heritage and tourist destinations: and that is Europe.

In this piece today we're going to be examining which, out of the two selections, we believe makes for the best travel destination. It's going to be as fair of a comparison as possible, based on all the available information - so let's get to it!

10 10. Europe: Picturesque Cities

While there’s a certain appeal that comes along with the cities in the United States, we can’t help but feel they’re still a little bit too corporate for our liking. Over in Europe, they’re much more picturesque, and it just seems as if there’s a lot more history contained with them.

Take Tallinn, which is shown here, as the perfect example. This Estonian wonderland isn’t the kind of destination you’d see on either the East Coast or the West, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s certainly a point in Europe’s favor.

9 9. USA: National Parks

Every so often you need to take a step back and try something outside of your comfort zone: which is what the many, many glorious national parks back home in the States do so well. They seem to go on for miles and miles, with stunning views as far as the eye can see.

It always feels like such an adventure simply trying to get to them, and then once you’ve arrived, you can take your pick of things to do from hiking to just sitting back and enjoying a nice picnic as you bask in the glory of the sights and sounds.

8 8. Europe: Easy Rail Routes

As we head back over to Europe there is a popular craze called interrailing, in which travelers go around the continent from city to city via the train. It’s a pretty easy way of getting around and makes for a lot of easy routes, and of course, because it’s all so close together, you’re never more than half a day away from your next destination.

It’s not quite so simple over in the States, where the trains are much longer and actually tend to be a bit more expensive (when you balance out the average).

7 7. USA: Better Road Trips

As a direct contrast to the previous point, the road favors the Americans and that much is just a fact. Aside from the general consensus that the roads are much more depressing and generally more unstable in Europe, the routes are more entertaining in America.

Plus, because of the large distances between all of the destinations, it does, in fact, feel like way more of an adventure to go traveling around in the car. Plus, it’s much more of a fond pastime in the USA than it is within the EU.

6 6. Europe: So Many Countries

There are more than 40 countries in Europe and that’s kind of insane to wrap your head around. For people who enjoy testing out different nations and ticking them off of their bucket lists, this is definitely going to be a more enjoyable experience for you.

America is a fantastic country that we’re exceptionally proud of, but even with that being the case, it’s still just one country. From a numbers point of view alone, the winner in this category is fairly obvious – although, it still doesn’t tell the full story.

5 5. USA: So Many States

From countries to states: it’s downright impossible not to find the differences between all 50 states incredibly fascinating. From Washington to California to New York to Kansas, there’s a story to be told from head to toe and we absolutely love that.

No two states are exactly the same and they all have different characteristics, and because of this, you get a real idea of how much ‘larger than life’ things are in this utter superpower of a nation. At the risk of sounding biased, it’s pretty spectacular to see.

4 4. Europe: Superior Countryside

More options, more everything. The American road trips may be fun, but the smaller towns and villages don’t hold a candle to Europe in terms of beauty. If you grew up in the countryside in a European country, then it’s a virtual guarantee that you grew up somewhere that was absolutely stunning.

You get a real sense of serenity walking around these places, whether you’re in Belgium, the Cotswolds in England or anywhere in between. Reflection is an important thing, and you can do a great deal of that over there.

3 3. USA: Less Of A Language Barrier

If you’re more than willing to learn a few quick phrases as you venture across the great continent of Europe, then you’ll probably be absolutely fine. If you aren’t, though, and you’d rather be able to understand everyone without any kind of language barrier, then the States is the place for you.

We aren’t discriminating by any means, because non-english-speakers are fantastic and they’re often unbelievably interesting. This is just a case of personal preference because a language barrier can occasionally add a different kind of dynamic into any given trip.

2 2. Europe: Much Cheaper

If you want to travel from one side of the United States to the other, it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg. If you want to travel from one side of Europe to the other, then the flights are going to be so cheap that you’ll have to rub your eyes because you’ll think that it’s a scam.

By nature, things are just much cheaper in Europe, and that goes for food and drink, too. You can make your own mind up about which is nicer, but if you’re thinking about this from a financial point of view, then this is the right way to go.

1 1. USA: Always Somewhere To Stop

In Europe, you could go miles upon miles without finding somewhere to stop, but the same issue doesn’t really exist in America. Even if you are quite literally in the middle of nowhere with seemingly no direction to turn in, there will be a random truck stop waiting to greet you.

The variety of options and the all-around variety of the country certainly gives it the edge, in our opinion, but it certainly is close. Europe has its pros and cons and the same could be said for the United States, but in the end, they’re both fabulous.

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