There are a lot of large countries in the world: Russia, Canada, Mexico, USA, India. I remember picking up a postcard in a newsagents in Sydney once (see below) that showed an outline of Australia with the whole of Europe cradled neatly inside it. Australia is another huge expanse of country.
After leaving Sydney in a plane it’s about 8 hours before you’re across the vast (largely unpopulated) red centre and have to make a pit stop in Singapore. A flight across the whole of Europe – all those countries! – only takes about 4 hours. Flying between the UK and Australia (or New Zealand for that matter) is a journey of such proportions that you could be forgiven for thinking you might require more than single trip travel insurance. It’s a journey that really puts country size into perspective.
In the UK we grow up with a small country mindset. You can drive from London to Scotland easily in a day, you can cross 3 countries quite easily on the continent in 24 hours. The size of a country is not interesting though for how long it takes to cross it, but for how it might influence the mindset of its residents. Here are some of the ways our home country size could be affecting us:
1- What we enjoy most on our travels
People from small countries are often impressed by big country experiences. Big, open roads; dramatic climates and expansive landscapes. Conversely people from big countries often find great delight in quaint and condensed small country experiences. It’s not to say that neither appreciate all that home has to offer but what’s ‘new and exciting’ is different in each case, we’re all invigorated by change.
Mt. Bromo, Java, Indonesia / Photo by Stephen Chapman
2- Getting recognised at home
Coming from a small country like England, achieving recognised success for your endeavours and standing out from the crowd is more attainable than in a large, more heavily populated country like the U.S. This may affect the ambition and self-belief of its citizens.
Stand out from the crowd / Flickr photo by twocentsworth
3- Our perception of distance
The meaning of ‘it’s a long way’ is entirely relative to our own encounters with distance. Australians, Americans, South Africans will all drive for hours at the drop of a hat, but suggest a 3-4 hour drive to an English person and it will take a fair amount of consideration before any agreement (or disagreement) is reached.
Slope Point New Zealand / Photo by Stephen Chapman
4- The opportunity to change our lifestyle
Living in a large country provides plenty of opportunities to relocate to a new, geographically and climatically different area. An American can move from the tropical surroundings of Florida, to the dry desert sands of Arizona. There are a huge variety of stimulating places to bounce around if you so desire. Smaller countries offer limited lifestyle choice.
Moving House / Flickr photo by Ania_*
5- Our desire to travel
The desire to travel internationally should be greatest amongst the small country natives, and considering most americans do not own a passport this may be true. New geographical experiences are far more abundant in big countries, reducing the need for residents to leave home.
Passport / Flickr photo Supercraig and J
How else do you think country size can influence our outlook on life? Do you agree or disagree with any of the points mentioned above?
Great insight, Stephen! I definitely appreciate being from the U.S. where I have so many awesome (and different!) destinations even within my own country. having parents that encouraged me to travel, living close to Canada and having grown up going to Mexico for vacations I've had the opportunity to go beyond our own borders and develop a love for international travel too. Strange though, it seems many of the non-Passport holding Americans also aren't exploring their own country…not sure how to explain that?
No.3 is certainly true. I remember driving from Alice Springs to Uluru and back again in the same day. That’s about 900km – something we in Britain would balk at because it’s the length of the entire country!
Some very sound thinking there. In definite agreement on point of the British and long journeys, and perhaps it because we’re quite densely populated and even our “open” roads are all pretty busy most of the time. Although if you go to small island nations in the Caribbean like Trinidad or Tobago, 5 miles is considered a long way.
I agree with you on all points. The interesting thing I’m finding is that as a parent who comes from a small country (Ireland) but whose children are growing up in a large country (US), we can visit the same place + have completely different reactions and experiences. It’s a little bizarre!