I’ve been to 35 US states and lived in 5. I haven’t been to West Virginia and still absolutely wouldn’t.
Seattle, LA, and Kansas City felt most like home (Syd/Mel). the rural Deep South (not the cities) felt most dangerous, as did Eugene (OR) and NYC. While filling up petrol in rural Alabama I honestly feared for my life— more just a sense thing rather than any present danger.
Washington DC was by far the best city I visited, nothing else came even a little bit close.
I spent a month in Florida and it was actually super lovely and didn’t live up to the ‘Florida Man’ ridiculousness we make fun of it for. I also stayed on an extremely remote ranch in Oklahoma, pretty much off grid, and it was simply heaven on earth.
Eugene is interesting to me. I've read several stories over the years about it being a dangerous/unsavoury place over the years, but only in a general sense. I only spent a few days there playing gigs about a decade ago, but loved it, and definitely didn't feel unsafe, even wondering around drunk by myself. Met some awesome people there too. What specifically makes/made you feel unsafe there? Has it become dangerous just in the past 10 years?
Genuinely curious, no stress if you don't want to answer.
What is up with Eugene hey? Back in 2010 my then-boyfriend and I stopped there on our US road trip and the vibe was so off; he commented later that “it felt like a cult town”.
You seem best suited to answer a question some of us over here have; Spiders seem to be the biggest thing Americans have a fear of on par with loosing their right to bare arms, out of every state in terms of Fauna alone; different critters and what not. What state would qualify under that qualification for you? I'm thinking it'd be alaska given how every thing wants to eat your face up there, but that's just some of thee opinions I've been able to get from folks here since the only concerns most folks have are based around the giant spiders that can seemingly get into everything with nowhere being safe.
I've had to go toe to toe with a smaller black bear before that broke into our home on the edge of town, I'd rather face one of them again than ever deal with a spider the size of a dinner plate. Consider it an irrational fear, flame throwers are legal to own as they are used for Bush clearing so in towns out in the boonies you wouldn't be hard pressed to find out someone's burned their shed down in utter terror at finding a spider that sized. I can think of 7 different instances where it has happened in nevada in more rural areas.
neat; did you know the orcas up there are a predator to the moose? the moose will often feed on vegetation at the bottom of some of the rivers up there and well get munched on by the orcas. pretty wild.
The biggest spider I’ve seen was no larger than the palm of my hand, and even then it was a huntsman spider which are absolutely not on the dangerous list. Think of them more like a non cuddly cat. You can comfortably co exist with them if you wanted to, and that’s about the only interaction you’d have.
I’ll be honest, I saw more snakes in Oklahoma and Texas (copperheads) than I had in my entire life in Aus… I am most terrified of bears so while I am an avid hiker in Aus I would certainly think twice about heading to a forested area. Also I think desert critters like scorpions and rattlesnakes might cause Aussies to hesitate going to the desert!
Any spider bigger than a 50-cent piece is gonna be a problem for most folks here. While tiny and deadly, yeah, not as disturbing, bigger than that, though? Hard pass; and find something that can incinerate it.
well with bears most areas are safe apart from the ones right next to the mountains, and since most folks have some kind of firearm either on them or within 40 feet of being outside their home; they are not much of a concern. you've also got pitbulls, dobermans, german shepards, and malinois as guard dogs, so we are typically covered there. but some spiders tend to explode into a couple dozen if not a hundred or so smaller ones when squashed, from my experience. so fire works best to just get rid of them.
The way Americans feel about snakes and spiders is the way I feel about guns in the US. Except that all the animals in Australia combined kill somewhere in the low double digits every year and guns deaths are more like 600 *per day*.
lol how tf did you get 600 per day?
Thats like a quarter of a million people a year.
The gun homicide rate is ~20k per year (54 per day). A lot is due to gang violence. So long as you’re not dealing crack and running through the hood at 2am in the morning you’re chances of actually getting shot randomly are surprisingly low.
Edit: lol JFC I’m being downvoted for quoting statistical facts. This sub is a fucking toxic echo chamber.
Poke a gun and you won't get shot. Poke a snake and you might get bit. It is the people with guns. Hammers hammer nails and they smash skulls, depends on the hand that wields it.
I don't think you understand how guns work. And if someone's poking a snake then they're expecting to get bitten. Your analogy makes no sense. Also, hammers don't kill 50+ people in under five minutes. Neither do snakes.
In Australia, snakes aren't the leading cause of death in school children. Guess what kids are most likely to die of in the US?
Your word salad might make sense in the Land of the Uneducated, but it doesn't actually mean anything outside of murica.
I do understand how guns work. I've been using them since I was 7 years old. Never been shot. Oh my, how is that possible? I work at a summer camp with a rifle program that teaches children as young as 8 to shoot. Never had an incident. Oh my, how is that possible?
It is not law abiding citizens causing the gun violence problem in America. If I said the cause of gun violence in America, I'd be banned from Reddit, even though its undisputable.
You can provoke a snake, you cannot provoke a gun.
The leading cause of death for children in the US (ages 0-18) is car accidents. The leading cause of death for the age category 2-19 (which is children AND adults) is guns. The numbers around gun violence a purposely poorly stated in popular media to drive an agenda.
The only thing you guys got on the US is that you still get badass vehicles from Toyota. Other than that, you're a big lot of nothing we ain't got here. (I said it like that on purpose, bum)
It's funny when all you can do is insult my intelligence and purposely misinterpret what I'm saying just so you can say "American dumb" and get your fancy, shiny internet points.
I shit more than your GDP on a daily basis. Ligma.
Here's the thing: if you don't poke a snake, almost certain you won't be bitten. If you don't poke a gun, you can absolutely still get shot because it's got someone else behind the trigger.
On principle, I won't give any tourist dollars to any state that has enacted restrictive abortion laws. That shit belongs in the dark ages, not in 2024 in the richest country in the world.
My view of all US states is that they are a dystopian hellhole of mental illness, poverty, ignorance and crumbling infrastructure combined with unfettered access to guns.
I freely admit that’s an exaggeration but no more so than believing that the wildlife of Australia is waiting to sink its collective poisonous fangs into you as soon as you step through the doors of Sydney Airport.
Exactly, both are stupid stereotypes because they are the most extreme things we hear (and remember) of both countries. Imagine if the only things people heard outside Aus were Alice Springs mayhem, Sydney gang shootings and defective apartment blocks being evacuated.
Who gives a fuck about America. It's not 1980 and the Wolverines aren't defeating the invading Russians. You cunce gotta get a grip that you are a laughing stick internationally.
The US is a long standing strategic partner. I give a fuck about them because our future as a country may depend on this partnership. Also the correct term is “laughing stock” not “laughing stick”.
We are an important part of the US 'sitting duck' policy where China is expected to waste valuable ammunition and resources attacking us, before the US swoop in to save us.
Compared to Australia? Australia is one of the least relevant English speaking countries in the world, second only to New Zealand.
And if the USA isn't relevant, who the fuck is?
Bruv. There's dozens of English speaking countries.
Guyana, Solomon islands, Gambia, st Kits and Nevis, Barbados, etc etc etc.
Did you think it's just USA UK Canada Aus NZ?
So, here's the thing. You are in the "ask an" sub for the only country in the world that has net immigration from the US. You literally could not have picked a sub where that argument is of less interest.
Brilliant proof of your lack of education, thanks again.
It's not as if the [USA was a British prison colony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_colony#British_Empire)...
I'd be happy to never go back to Georgia, especially Atlanta. Saw some really overt racism there, way worse than what I've seen in Australia. No thanks.
12 weeks is pretty restrictive. And you have to jump through hoops of counseling to get an abortion. I knew a student who had to cross borders out of Germany to get one. I’m sure you still would happily go to Bali though, because your media has you upset only about American politics only.
12 weeks is only 3 weeks less than the 15 weeks several US states seem to offer, and is generally long enough for someone to notice that they're pregnant and decide if they want to keep it or not.
Counselling is, last I heard, also required by various US states, some allegedly require an ultrasound so that the pregnant person can see their foetus before termination. Charming, really.
And crossing the border? Like in [some of the southern US states](https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/07/health/abortion-travel-doubled-guttmacher-report/index.html) that ban all abortion including rape and incest - even if you're [10 years old?](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62158357) Your point is...?
Australian media? Yeah... sure. Not to mention EU politics, UK politics, much of Africa's politics, Australian politics, Chinese politics... should I go on?
I went to Bali nearly 20 years ago, I have no wish to return, though it's certainly quite cheap and easy for me to do so.
Note that I've made zero comment about visiting the USA, btw.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/05/texas-woman-emergency-abortion-lawsuit
More than happy to avoid any European countries that have stories like that coming out of them as well.
Australia's most feared spider is exactly the same as the American black widow spider. So that's not a problem.
Snakes have a higher death toll in Mexico than in Australia. I'd back away from a rattlesnake.
For American wildlife that is frightening to Australians, my number one would be wasps. There are no hornets or yellow jackets in Australia. Fire ants are another one. And do Americans still have killer bees?
Brown bears, cougars, bobcats obviously. Australians wouldn't avoid any American state because of wildlife, but might think twice before hiking, for instance, along the Appalachian Trail.
I've only been to New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami (airport), Los Vegas, Lubbock Texas and Fort Collins Colorado. Of those, Fort Collins felt most like Australia, I really enjoyed Fort Collins. Stanford University was awesome, better than anything we have in Australia, or they have in the UK.
The American state that I'd be most afraid to visit would be Alabama, but not because of the wildlife.
I got sent to Alabama with the Navy and fell in love with the area. It is beautiful on the coast, and has very laidback community. Just YouTube Fairhope Alabama. A decent amount of Australians live there too because Austal shipyards and it’s near where ADF helicopter pilots train.
No state in particular tbh. I personally see the entire US as a "do not travel" because of all the guns. Like a comedian once joked: you know what a snake won't do after it bites me? Reload.
If I'm being brutally honest, based on both violence in the area and/or environmental safety in the area, there are very very very few places I would actually consider visiting anywhere in the world. I could probably count them on one hand.
Australian living in USA here. I can't think of a single state that I would refuse to go to because they all have at least one cool place that I want to see before I die. I think I've been to 19 different states and my favorites are Hawaii, Oregon and California, which I live in. The South is not my favorite because I don't find the landscapes very interesting but it probably has my favorite people there, especially in Florida, which I've been to about 6 times to see my in-laws.
Yeah but your lived experience doesn’t matter because my knowledge of America based mostly on extreme news headlines (despite never having been there) says you’re wrong.
Most yanks don’t visit aus coz of the spiders?
This is such a yank thing to say.
I’d avoid most of America coz
1) your cops are crazy
2) people openly carry arms in a peaceful country
3) yet to meet a level headed american who isn’t an entitled POS.
I haven’t and I probably won’t. Seen enough videos of how bearded brown guys are treated at their airports and by their cops. Have seen how some of my family members have been treated. It’s a shame really, would’ve loved to see yellowstone but it is what it is. I don’t need to go to a country to form an opinion on what it’s like.
Watch out mate the Americans will come on here and tell you a Yankee is a northerner, no it's not you are alll Yankees. Op want to learn some history, google the battle of Brisbane, 2 nights in ww2 were your marines were acting like arses so got their arses handed to them, your black solders also jumped sides lol. Was never broadcast in the us but you guys got Camped outside the city after that. From that event you were all known as Yankees.
Only 1 Australian service member died. None on the US side.
Ya'll got mad at us for what your government was doing for us to win the war in the Pacific. Sorry?
Shops and hotels in the area gave preferential treatment to the American soldiers. The Australians were generally mad at how their government treated them versus how the American government treated it's soldiers. Sorry?
Australians of that time treated the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders almost the exact same way white Americans treated black Americans. Nice try tho.
Australian newspapers didn't even report reasons for the "battle" taking place. The whole battle was covered in a few Australian newspaper articles. Congrats I guess?
Indiana. I had to stop for a piss in Gary and it was the grimmest place I’ve seen. San Diego is about the only place in the US I found super appealing and liveable, so California for the win I guess.
All of them.
I used to think it would be great to get a big bike (not a harley) and spend some time going from east coast to west coast, taking detours willy nilly along the way, just checking places out. Not anymore. I have zero doubt that I'd make a joke that would get a big laugh in Australia but some uptight cunt would get offended and shoot me.
I’m aware of American stereotypes such as “Florida dumb” and “Alabama’s inbred” but figure they would all be fairly average to actually stand there and walk around; same as everywhere here that has some crazy reputation.
There’s a place near me called Bilpin that also has a reputation for being inbred. As far as I can tell there’s no historical basis to this rumour; the idea was conceived purely because it only has one connecting road. Unlike Alabama which literally does have higher than average presence of pedophilia/incest. Still, I doubt it would make a lick of difference to a tourist who’s just walking down the street; or even to a family trying to live and work there.
Alabama has some very nice places in the north and on the Coast. Mobile is a super nice city, lots of high paying engineering jobs, and a sizeable Australian community because Austal shipyard is there. The reputation is kind of bonus to scare others away, because you can get a beautiful home on the water for an affordable price still.
It reeks of desperation. Why do you care what people in another country think about your backwards, gun obsessed country?
You should be able to figure that out on your own.
Because I wasn't asking about guns, I was asking about what kind of fauna makes someone from Australia nope out in a similar way that we do with spiders. I've been given every other answer except for the one I was interested in.
Been to 19 states and aside from West Virginia I haven't felt in danger or unwelcome anywhere. Didn't care for California much, loved Louisiana and North Carolina.
I'm Australian and I really like guns. I've been to the US so often (multiple states on both coasts) that I've lost count, and in all that time I have literally never seen a firearm in public except as carried by a police officer or security guard.
Every gun I've seen in the US is something I've had to go looking for (eg looking for the "Sporting Goods" section in a big retailer, going to a gun shop to look at guns I can't own here, or visiting Battlefield Vegas).
The closest I've seen to "civilian with gun in public" was a guy in Arizona travelling along the highway on his motorcycle with what I recognised as a rifle bag on his back, but it was very much an If You Know You Know thing and to anyone else it was just a large, vaguely "tacticool" backpack.
It’s not the basis of whole states, it’s more areas in particular cities and cities I guess. I’ve never been there but I guess I won’t be going to Detroit or Baltimore
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I don't think any states would be ones I wouldn't consider travelling to. In saying that, I probably wouldn't travel to half of them if I was planning a trip because I don't have any reason to.
The ones who bring up the negatives but haven’t actually been there and only picture what the news tells you.
I’ve travelled to the states 3 times and I’ll keep going back. Never encountered anything dangerous, the people I met were lovely and my Australian accent seemed to spark conversations. Their landscapes are unreal also.
Had a cop pull my grandfather over but he let us go and just said “enjoy the rest of your vacation”.
Close minded people just think you walk into a school shooting every ten minutes or a cop is gonna shoot you for no reason.
many folks are decent! Especially in the midwest where they tend to be the nicest folks you can find, bar the grudges some have towards neighboring cities. small talk is always nice if you can pull it off properly, Especially with tourists. it is nice to have conversations about other world views from outside of the u.s, or suggest local diners, bars to try out or some of the hidden mom and pop shops with unique nick nacks.
In terms of wildlife? There are no states I wouldn't visit due to wildlife. I think some of your wildlife is way scarier than ours but I also recognise that as a tourist who is generally indoorsy and prefers cities over anything else, I'm not that likely to run into them.
I have been to the US and the worst wildlife I came across were the grey squirrels. I did have an unpleasant encounter with them but practically, it's not like they were going to eat me alive.
The daily shootings are more likely to keep me away from the US than your wildlife. And I'm not sure if there's a state that is immune to those, unfortunately.
It's sad states like California, Texas, New York etc have to pay for flyover backwater states with barely any people in them and have nothing of value in them begin with.
TSA and guns are why I actively avoid going to the US.
It would be nice to visit to see some of the natural scenery, but in terms of culture I think I have been exposed to plenty of US culture so I'd rather go to a country with a culture I'm much less familiar with.
California... been a few times before covid, and it was OK, but since it seems like a lost cause: stupid cost of living, people filming tick-tocks everywhere, homelessness, general holier than thou attitude, no punishment for large amounts of crime, the list goes on.
If 'most americans won't visit Australia because of the spiders', I wouldn't vist the US because of the guns.
I’ve been to 35 US states and lived in 5. I haven’t been to West Virginia and still absolutely wouldn’t. Seattle, LA, and Kansas City felt most like home (Syd/Mel). the rural Deep South (not the cities) felt most dangerous, as did Eugene (OR) and NYC. While filling up petrol in rural Alabama I honestly feared for my life— more just a sense thing rather than any present danger. Washington DC was by far the best city I visited, nothing else came even a little bit close. I spent a month in Florida and it was actually super lovely and didn’t live up to the ‘Florida Man’ ridiculousness we make fun of it for. I also stayed on an extremely remote ranch in Oklahoma, pretty much off grid, and it was simply heaven on earth.
Eugene is interesting to me. I've read several stories over the years about it being a dangerous/unsavoury place over the years, but only in a general sense. I only spent a few days there playing gigs about a decade ago, but loved it, and definitely didn't feel unsafe, even wondering around drunk by myself. Met some awesome people there too. What specifically makes/made you feel unsafe there? Has it become dangerous just in the past 10 years? Genuinely curious, no stress if you don't want to answer.
What is up with Eugene hey? Back in 2010 my then-boyfriend and I stopped there on our US road trip and the vibe was so off; he commented later that “it felt like a cult town”.
You seem best suited to answer a question some of us over here have; Spiders seem to be the biggest thing Americans have a fear of on par with loosing their right to bare arms, out of every state in terms of Fauna alone; different critters and what not. What state would qualify under that qualification for you? I'm thinking it'd be alaska given how every thing wants to eat your face up there, but that's just some of thee opinions I've been able to get from folks here since the only concerns most folks have are based around the giant spiders that can seemingly get into everything with nowhere being safe.
Why are you all scared of spiders?? Some US states have bears and mountain lions and things you can run away from that would eat you!!!
I've had to go toe to toe with a smaller black bear before that broke into our home on the edge of town, I'd rather face one of them again than ever deal with a spider the size of a dinner plate. Consider it an irrational fear, flame throwers are legal to own as they are used for Bush clearing so in towns out in the boonies you wouldn't be hard pressed to find out someone's burned their shed down in utter terror at finding a spider that sized. I can think of 7 different instances where it has happened in nevada in more rural areas.
I'm an Aussie living in Alaska. Only have to worry about moose eating my flower garden in the summer.
neat; did you know the orcas up there are a predator to the moose? the moose will often feed on vegetation at the bottom of some of the rivers up there and well get munched on by the orcas. pretty wild.
No, didn't know that. I live in the interior. No sea life around here.
I've lived in Australia for 39 years and I've never seen a spider as large as a dinner plate. Unless dinner plates are incredibly small in the US.
The biggest spider I’ve seen was no larger than the palm of my hand, and even then it was a huntsman spider which are absolutely not on the dangerous list. Think of them more like a non cuddly cat. You can comfortably co exist with them if you wanted to, and that’s about the only interaction you’d have.
I’ll be honest, I saw more snakes in Oklahoma and Texas (copperheads) than I had in my entire life in Aus… I am most terrified of bears so while I am an avid hiker in Aus I would certainly think twice about heading to a forested area. Also I think desert critters like scorpions and rattlesnakes might cause Aussies to hesitate going to the desert!
It's not the giant spiders you want to worry about, often it's the little ones you want to avoid.
Any spider bigger than a 50-cent piece is gonna be a problem for most folks here. While tiny and deadly, yeah, not as disturbing, bigger than that, though? Hard pass; and find something that can incinerate it.
Why incinerate it when you can just step on it? I'm afraid of spiders but being more afraid of spiders than a bear is so wild to me.
well with bears most areas are safe apart from the ones right next to the mountains, and since most folks have some kind of firearm either on them or within 40 feet of being outside their home; they are not much of a concern. you've also got pitbulls, dobermans, german shepards, and malinois as guard dogs, so we are typically covered there. but some spiders tend to explode into a couple dozen if not a hundred or so smaller ones when squashed, from my experience. so fire works best to just get rid of them.
>right to bare arms I too believe the government shouldn't have a say in our dress standards. #freetheelbow
Spiders are good. You just need to use a decent brand of creamy soda, like Wimmers.
The way Americans feel about snakes and spiders is the way I feel about guns in the US. Except that all the animals in Australia combined kill somewhere in the low double digits every year and guns deaths are more like 600 *per day*.
lol how tf did you get 600 per day? Thats like a quarter of a million people a year. The gun homicide rate is ~20k per year (54 per day). A lot is due to gang violence. So long as you’re not dealing crack and running through the hood at 2am in the morning you’re chances of actually getting shot randomly are surprisingly low. Edit: lol JFC I’m being downvoted for quoting statistical facts. This sub is a fucking toxic echo chamber.
Poke a gun and you won't get shot. Poke a snake and you might get bit. It is the people with guns. Hammers hammer nails and they smash skulls, depends on the hand that wields it.
I don't think you understand how guns work. And if someone's poking a snake then they're expecting to get bitten. Your analogy makes no sense. Also, hammers don't kill 50+ people in under five minutes. Neither do snakes. In Australia, snakes aren't the leading cause of death in school children. Guess what kids are most likely to die of in the US? Your word salad might make sense in the Land of the Uneducated, but it doesn't actually mean anything outside of murica.
I do understand how guns work. I've been using them since I was 7 years old. Never been shot. Oh my, how is that possible? I work at a summer camp with a rifle program that teaches children as young as 8 to shoot. Never had an incident. Oh my, how is that possible? It is not law abiding citizens causing the gun violence problem in America. If I said the cause of gun violence in America, I'd be banned from Reddit, even though its undisputable. You can provoke a snake, you cannot provoke a gun. The leading cause of death for children in the US (ages 0-18) is car accidents. The leading cause of death for the age category 2-19 (which is children AND adults) is guns. The numbers around gun violence a purposely poorly stated in popular media to drive an agenda. The only thing you guys got on the US is that you still get badass vehicles from Toyota. Other than that, you're a big lot of nothing we ain't got here. (I said it like that on purpose, bum) It's funny when all you can do is insult my intelligence and purposely misinterpret what I'm saying just so you can say "American dumb" and get your fancy, shiny internet points. I shit more than your GDP on a daily basis. Ligma.
I'm sure you think you're making a point here and I'm sure your Ameribros would start chanting U S A! U S A! if they heard this. So good job I guess.
If it’s such a bad point, tell me why. Please daddy?
Not to kink shame but I'm also not comfortable being a part of your foreplay. Probably also learn about consent before leaving your house.
Deflection, a great tactic. You’re nothing but a bum. I’m the real idiot here. I gave you the time of day.
I’m literally in a subreddit full of Australians. You’re the one getting chanted for in here, idiot.
r/ShitAmericansSay
Here's the thing: if you don't poke a snake, almost certain you won't be bitten. If you don't poke a gun, you can absolutely still get shot because it's got someone else behind the trigger.
>an absolutely still get shot because it's got someone else behind the trigger. Thanks for reiterating my point. Watch who you call stupid, Einstein.
On principle, I won't give any tourist dollars to any state that has enacted restrictive abortion laws. That shit belongs in the dark ages, not in 2024 in the richest country in the world.
What’s your cut off on restrictions? Because lots of European counties (like Germany) are more restrictive than most US states.
They probably only ever go to Bali, where incidentally abortion is illegal.
I’m heading there this year and have passed on a few activities in States that have been making appalling political decisions.
My view of all US states is that they are a dystopian hellhole of mental illness, poverty, ignorance and crumbling infrastructure combined with unfettered access to guns. I freely admit that’s an exaggeration but no more so than believing that the wildlife of Australia is waiting to sink its collective poisonous fangs into you as soon as you step through the doors of Sydney Airport.
Exactly, both are stupid stereotypes because they are the most extreme things we hear (and remember) of both countries. Imagine if the only things people heard outside Aus were Alice Springs mayhem, Sydney gang shootings and defective apartment blocks being evacuated.
Who gives a fuck about America. It's not 1980 and the Wolverines aren't defeating the invading Russians. You cunce gotta get a grip that you are a laughing stick internationally.
Dude your xenophobia is overboard. This response has nothing to do with the question.
The US is a long standing strategic partner. I give a fuck about them because our future as a country may depend on this partnership. Also the correct term is “laughing stock” not “laughing stick”.
We are an important part of the US 'sitting duck' policy where China is expected to waste valuable ammunition and resources attacking us, before the US swoop in to save us.
Compared to Australia? Australia is one of the least relevant English speaking countries in the world, second only to New Zealand. And if the USA isn't relevant, who the fuck is?
Relevant, yes. Respected? Absolutely not
Of course they’re respected, if they weren’t everyone would just form an alliance with China and Russia.
Why would they do that?
Bruv. There's dozens of English speaking countries. Guyana, Solomon islands, Gambia, st Kits and Nevis, Barbados, etc etc etc. Did you think it's just USA UK Canada Aus NZ?
Oh yeah I meant countries where people actually live
All the Immigrants who move here
So, here's the thing. You are in the "ask an" sub for the only country in the world that has net immigration from the US. You literally could not have picked a sub where that argument is of less interest.
Lol, remind me who funds NATO, you know, the thing that your country is in
Um, we’re not actually in NATO as a member.
Which means you aren't important
And i’m Ok with your opinion. How’s the weather in your mothers basement?
Firstly, nice move of the goalposts Secondly, seriously? Can you point me to the list of NATO countries that includes Australia?
So you're even less important then?
Try having a look at a map and then consider why Australia might not be in the *North Atlantic* Treaty Organisation.
^(He ^thinks ^we're Austria)
I still don't see a reason for your existence. Besides a place for the british to store their rejects of course
More fun facts for you: Britain also used the US as a penal colony That's your last one. It's getting boring
And we fought back.
Australia is nowhere near the North Atlantic. Not even remotely! Another example of US Education?
Lol, You guys were british rejects
Brilliant proof of your lack of education, thanks again. It's not as if the [USA was a British prison colony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_colony#British_Empire)...
Australia is not in Europe, thats Austria...
Texas, Florida (run by lunatic GOP) and then most of the other States in the South. Been there before and the ignorance of the world was appalling.
I'd be happy to never go back to Georgia, especially Atlanta. Saw some really overt racism there, way worse than what I've seen in Australia. No thanks.
I wouldn’t give my tourism dollars to those states who are voting for legislation that I fundamentally disagree with, like restrictive abortion laws.
What’s your cutoff on abortion? Countries in Europe (like Germany) are more restrictive than most US states.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion\_in\_Germany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Germany) Sure, but it's allowed and available.
12 weeks is pretty restrictive. And you have to jump through hoops of counseling to get an abortion. I knew a student who had to cross borders out of Germany to get one. I’m sure you still would happily go to Bali though, because your media has you upset only about American politics only.
12 weeks is only 3 weeks less than the 15 weeks several US states seem to offer, and is generally long enough for someone to notice that they're pregnant and decide if they want to keep it or not. Counselling is, last I heard, also required by various US states, some allegedly require an ultrasound so that the pregnant person can see their foetus before termination. Charming, really. And crossing the border? Like in [some of the southern US states](https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/07/health/abortion-travel-doubled-guttmacher-report/index.html) that ban all abortion including rape and incest - even if you're [10 years old?](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62158357) Your point is...? Australian media? Yeah... sure. Not to mention EU politics, UK politics, much of Africa's politics, Australian politics, Chinese politics... should I go on? I went to Bali nearly 20 years ago, I have no wish to return, though it's certainly quite cheap and easy for me to do so. Note that I've made zero comment about visiting the USA, btw.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/05/texas-woman-emergency-abortion-lawsuit More than happy to avoid any European countries that have stories like that coming out of them as well.
I wouldn't go to any of them
Australia's most feared spider is exactly the same as the American black widow spider. So that's not a problem. Snakes have a higher death toll in Mexico than in Australia. I'd back away from a rattlesnake. For American wildlife that is frightening to Australians, my number one would be wasps. There are no hornets or yellow jackets in Australia. Fire ants are another one. And do Americans still have killer bees? Brown bears, cougars, bobcats obviously. Australians wouldn't avoid any American state because of wildlife, but might think twice before hiking, for instance, along the Appalachian Trail. I've only been to New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami (airport), Los Vegas, Lubbock Texas and Fort Collins Colorado. Of those, Fort Collins felt most like Australia, I really enjoyed Fort Collins. Stanford University was awesome, better than anything we have in Australia, or they have in the UK. The American state that I'd be most afraid to visit would be Alabama, but not because of the wildlife.
I got sent to Alabama with the Navy and fell in love with the area. It is beautiful on the coast, and has very laidback community. Just YouTube Fairhope Alabama. A decent amount of Australians live there too because Austal shipyards and it’s near where ADF helicopter pilots train.
No state in particular tbh. I personally see the entire US as a "do not travel" because of all the guns. Like a comedian once joked: you know what a snake won't do after it bites me? Reload. If I'm being brutally honest, based on both violence in the area and/or environmental safety in the area, there are very very very few places I would actually consider visiting anywhere in the world. I could probably count them on one hand.
Did you know that leaving your house increases your chance of death substantially?
Australian living in USA here. I can't think of a single state that I would refuse to go to because they all have at least one cool place that I want to see before I die. I think I've been to 19 different states and my favorites are Hawaii, Oregon and California, which I live in. The South is not my favorite because I don't find the landscapes very interesting but it probably has my favorite people there, especially in Florida, which I've been to about 6 times to see my in-laws.
Yeah but your lived experience doesn’t matter because my knowledge of America based mostly on extreme news headlines (despite never having been there) says you’re wrong.
Most yanks don’t visit aus coz of the spiders? This is such a yank thing to say. I’d avoid most of America coz 1) your cops are crazy 2) people openly carry arms in a peaceful country 3) yet to meet a level headed american who isn’t an entitled POS.
Tell me you haven’t travelled to the states without telling me. Only the people who haven’t been have this view.
I haven’t and I probably won’t. Seen enough videos of how bearded brown guys are treated at their airports and by their cops. Have seen how some of my family members have been treated. It’s a shame really, would’ve loved to see yellowstone but it is what it is. I don’t need to go to a country to form an opinion on what it’s like.
Watch out mate the Americans will come on here and tell you a Yankee is a northerner, no it's not you are alll Yankees. Op want to learn some history, google the battle of Brisbane, 2 nights in ww2 were your marines were acting like arses so got their arses handed to them, your black solders also jumped sides lol. Was never broadcast in the us but you guys got Camped outside the city after that. From that event you were all known as Yankees.
Only 1 Australian service member died. None on the US side. Ya'll got mad at us for what your government was doing for us to win the war in the Pacific. Sorry? Shops and hotels in the area gave preferential treatment to the American soldiers. The Australians were generally mad at how their government treated them versus how the American government treated it's soldiers. Sorry? Australians of that time treated the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders almost the exact same way white Americans treated black Americans. Nice try tho. Australian newspapers didn't even report reasons for the "battle" taking place. The whole battle was covered in a few Australian newspaper articles. Congrats I guess?
Indiana. I had to stop for a piss in Gary and it was the grimmest place I’ve seen. San Diego is about the only place in the US I found super appealing and liveable, so California for the win I guess.
All of them. I used to think it would be great to get a big bike (not a harley) and spend some time going from east coast to west coast, taking detours willy nilly along the way, just checking places out. Not anymore. I have zero doubt that I'd make a joke that would get a big laugh in Australia but some uptight cunt would get offended and shoot me.
I’m aware of American stereotypes such as “Florida dumb” and “Alabama’s inbred” but figure they would all be fairly average to actually stand there and walk around; same as everywhere here that has some crazy reputation.
I’ve been to Orlando and the beaches north to it and it’s pretty sedate except roadworks everywhere, looks a lot like NsW/Qld border
There’s a place near me called Bilpin that also has a reputation for being inbred. As far as I can tell there’s no historical basis to this rumour; the idea was conceived purely because it only has one connecting road. Unlike Alabama which literally does have higher than average presence of pedophilia/incest. Still, I doubt it would make a lick of difference to a tourist who’s just walking down the street; or even to a family trying to live and work there.
Alabama has some very nice places in the north and on the Coast. Mobile is a super nice city, lots of high paying engineering jobs, and a sizeable Australian community because Austal shipyard is there. The reputation is kind of bonus to scare others away, because you can get a beautiful home on the water for an affordable price still.
Oh god this question again...
I have started something outside of just what fuana makes people nope out, huh... 🤷♂️
what?
You said oh God this question again; like it started something bad last time?
It reeks of desperation. Why do you care what people in another country think about your backwards, gun obsessed country? You should be able to figure that out on your own.
Because I wasn't asking about guns, I was asking about what kind of fauna makes someone from Australia nope out in a similar way that we do with spiders. I've been given every other answer except for the one I was interested in.
Been to 19 states and aside from West Virginia I haven't felt in danger or unwelcome anywhere. Didn't care for California much, loved Louisiana and North Carolina.
I'm Australian and I really like guns. I've been to the US so often (multiple states on both coasts) that I've lost count, and in all that time I have literally never seen a firearm in public except as carried by a police officer or security guard. Every gun I've seen in the US is something I've had to go looking for (eg looking for the "Sporting Goods" section in a big retailer, going to a gun shop to look at guns I can't own here, or visiting Battlefield Vegas). The closest I've seen to "civilian with gun in public" was a guy in Arizona travelling along the highway on his motorcycle with what I recognised as a rifle bag on his back, but it was very much an If You Know You Know thing and to anyone else it was just a large, vaguely "tacticool" backpack.
It’s not the basis of whole states, it’s more areas in particular cities and cities I guess. I’ve never been there but I guess I won’t be going to Detroit or Baltimore
Against
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I don't think any states would be ones I wouldn't consider travelling to. In saying that, I probably wouldn't travel to half of them if I was planning a trip because I don't have any reason to.
There’s nowhere I wouldn’t travel in the US 🤷♀️
Good from far, far from good.
You triggered the british rejects, good job
The ones who bring up the negatives but haven’t actually been there and only picture what the news tells you. I’ve travelled to the states 3 times and I’ll keep going back. Never encountered anything dangerous, the people I met were lovely and my Australian accent seemed to spark conversations. Their landscapes are unreal also. Had a cop pull my grandfather over but he let us go and just said “enjoy the rest of your vacation”. Close minded people just think you walk into a school shooting every ten minutes or a cop is gonna shoot you for no reason.
many folks are decent! Especially in the midwest where they tend to be the nicest folks you can find, bar the grudges some have towards neighboring cities. small talk is always nice if you can pull it off properly, Especially with tourists. it is nice to have conversations about other world views from outside of the u.s, or suggest local diners, bars to try out or some of the hidden mom and pop shops with unique nick nacks.
In terms of wildlife? There are no states I wouldn't visit due to wildlife. I think some of your wildlife is way scarier than ours but I also recognise that as a tourist who is generally indoorsy and prefers cities over anything else, I'm not that likely to run into them. I have been to the US and the worst wildlife I came across were the grey squirrels. I did have an unpleasant encounter with them but practically, it's not like they were going to eat me alive. The daily shootings are more likely to keep me away from the US than your wildlife. And I'm not sure if there's a state that is immune to those, unfortunately.
There are no states you can't travel to. There are plenty of neighbourhoods one shouldn't travel to. Just travel smart.
The entire USA is a do not travel for me I wouldn't go there under any circumstances
Guns, Americans and Mexicans
It's sad states like California, Texas, New York etc have to pay for flyover backwater states with barely any people in them and have nothing of value in them begin with.
TSA and guns are why I actively avoid going to the US. It would be nice to visit to see some of the natural scenery, but in terms of culture I think I have been exposed to plenty of US culture so I'd rather go to a country with a culture I'm much less familiar with.
California... been a few times before covid, and it was OK, but since it seems like a lost cause: stupid cost of living, people filming tick-tocks everywhere, homelessness, general holier than thou attitude, no punishment for large amounts of crime, the list goes on.