New Zealand Family Reacts to How BIG is the USA Actually?

[@CountessOfOle]

I remember once seeing someone from the UK say they rarely visit their family, because they lived 45 minutes away, and that was too far. And I was just thinking.... my daily work commute used to be longer than that. That's when it occurred to me that a lot of people-- especially Europeans-- form their opinions about Americans on a really dim understanding of how freaking big our country is.

[@wendylynn7605]

Someone once told me that Americans are "provincial" because most of us only speak English and we don't travel to other countries. Considering what it takes for most of us to cross a border (airfare, time, etc.), and that we can get by only knowing English here I think it's actually more provincial to imagine we can easily visit other countries. In Europe, the countries are small and you can quickly drive across borders and be around people speaking a different language.

[@CountessOfOle]

@@wendylynn7605 Right? It takes me at a bare minimum two hours just to drive out of my own *state.* The nearest international border is about a 10-hour drive from me. Ain't nobody got time or money for that on a whim! Incidentally, the country on the other side of that border also primarily speaks English, so.... I've only learned other languages because I want to, not because it's in any way necessary or relevant to my life.

[@BuckerydogSchmuckeryDog]

@@CountessOfOle Takes me...minimum of 6 hours to get out of state. The west is insanely spread out.

[@venmissa]

I live about 36 hours away from my mother by drive. We live in the same country. The US is gigantic.

[@BuckerydogSchmuckeryDog]

@@venmissa oh that kinda sucks, unless you like driving. I hate driving, it's extremely stressful

[@HistoryNerd808]

We are a huge nation, it's why it always makes me laugh when other countries poke fun at us for not traveling abroad much. The incredible diversity in all senses of the word means we really don't have to(although I have been abroad twice.)

[@PershingOfficial]

Ikr! We have trouble getting to every part of the US in one’s lifetime

[@RJ-mw2gw]

So true!

[@dianaspears571]

No need when we have such diversity geographically.

[@stuartdubbs9605]

As someone from MT I wish to travel abroad and encourage others to visit our beautiful state. Views like none other

[@ghfgxijaorgf5393]

Yeah you also have a huge amount of karens, antimaskers etc

[@an_anishinaabe_son]

I laughed when the video said there are "several accents" in the US. There are dozens of regional accents and thousands of community-centric accents. 😃

[@Talius10]

Heck, there are more accents in one apartment building than most entire countries.☺

[@an_anishinaabe_son]

@@Talius10 True!!

[@an_anishinaabe_son]

@Aniwayas Song Yes!

[@CalKingOnyx]

True! And if you have a good ear, you can tell which state someone is from by his or her accent.

[@an_anishinaabe_son]

@@CalKingOnyx , Absolutely!

[@KD_1989]

These guys are always respectful which makes me like New Zealanders even more. Cheers

[@seantherevelator4896]

Kiwis are forsure good people

[@williamcaseywells604]

Kiwis are really good people in general. I’m a fan.

[@rafehr1378]

True

[@OliverMan]

Ye kiwis are fire

[@chriscubbernuss3288]

I have a friend whose Slovakian wife's family came for their wedding. They were so excited to go see Chicago, Mount Rushmore, New York, the Grand Canyon, and many other landmarks around our country. They were only here for a week. We felt bad telling them they probably need to scale back their plans. They'll just have to come back for round two!! And three!!

[@Rahab111222]

More like round ten. Traveling is long, rough and boring.

[@dontworrydehappy7104]

Yeah, l know! Smaller countries might think in terms of their size, so it's easy for them to see so much of their country in 2 week. I kinda had this experience before. I'm from Ohio and I went out to the state of Washington. Before we left for travel, I had planned all of these places to visit around the state. Washington is huge compared to Ohio so I was used to only 2.5 hour or so drive to get to the borders from Columbus, the center. And perhaps @5 hours to traverse the whole state. Not so out in Washington! Lol!

[@Jantv81]

I’ve lived in California for approx 22 yrs now and it took me 2-3 yrs to see the whole state!!

[@joannemiddaugh122]

My daughter had a boyfriend in Ireland once who thought they could just do a quick trip by car to Disney World when he visited. We live in Minnesota.

[@kenlompart9905]

Yeah, we get that in Canada too. We're in Toronto and friends from England wanted to go to the Calgary Stampede and visit Vancouver while they were here.

[@t.r.4496]

We going to have to make these people US citizens, they are learning more than the people who live here.

[@boondoggled1]

Well you’re going all be pleasantly surprised soon then….stay tuned supposedly they’re going to or already be one of us….territory or “colony” type thing. But you’ll have to wait for the right people to announce it.

[@Nan-59]

For real!!

[@1950RetroMan]

@@boondoggled1 This family is nice and all but I don't want NZ unless they're a red state. "Let's go Brandon!"

[@MWolfe1080]

That occurred once they could point New Zealand on a map

[@rickyn.1567]

@@MWolfe1080 half the times a world map is used anywhere in the world, NZ is conveniently forgotten. Lol there’s a meme about posting maps that don’t have NZ on them (which is why they said “they included us” at 2:30)

[@yolandaclaassen4492]

I have friends in the USA, and every time one is going through a tornado or very bad storm I would ask the other one if they are safe as well, until I got a map from the USA and saw a video on the size. Now I know not to panic about all of them. Love how your family just grows and learns together.

[@HarlemSexyBlaqkat]

Same as me with Texas like oh no its hurricane well that is just one part of a Houston but the rest of Houston will be fine, and of course the rest of the state.

[@PTS-Maid]

Thats cute tho lmao

[@anniedownum451]

LOVE YOUR PROFILE PIC!! Home Free is the best. Lol

[@Rockhound6165]

Certain parts of the country are apt to get certain types of storms. Tornados are pretty much limited to states like Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma but they do pop up in other area. In our area of NJ we got a pretty nasty one last summer and most of the nastier hurricanes happen in Florida or the Gulf coast states although in 2012 we got Super Storm Sandy which did major damage but in my lifetime that was the only really destructive storm we've had.

[@paulfarnier3914]

My Russian Uncle's garden is bigger than Texas.😁

[@TheTaiylorWallace]

I love it when folks from other countries come here and realize even our medium-size states are bigger than a TON of whole countries. And it's so cool to see folks journey across America and see how big and varied it is. It's truly an amazing experience and even more amazing by the fact that you can drive from west to east and speak the same language, use the same money, and enjoy the same comforts readily available the entire way.

[@widetrack1960]

Really want to see something. Put it up next to African continent. See how small everything is.

[@GiantProcrastiNation]

​@@widetrack1960bringing continents into it isnt really fair. Africa is only a little bigger than North America

[@johncooper4637]

It really depends on what routes you travel. If you stay on the Interstates that is mostly true but if you get on the lesser roads you can find areas that do not have decent lodging or food and sometimes not even gas.

[@bettyrose959]

I just wish more Americans would understand that their state is actually it's own country in the first place. A state and a country are the same by definition, but political scientists prefer the term state because it is less ambiguous than country. A state and a country are both a political and geographical entity. States are countries and countries are states.

[@omarionbayley9721]

@@widetrack1960comparing a country to a singe nation is pathetic, the US is like 15x richer than a continent of 1.40 billion people now let’s compare that.

[@heathercuevas8223]

I was blown away by the fact you shared about New Zealand. Only 5 million people. I live in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex. The entire Metro area has a population of a little over 6 million people and we aren't even the biggest city in Texas.

[@ShizuruNakatsu]

I live in Ireland, and we just recently passed the 5 million population mark. When I was growing up in the 90s, it was only about 3.5 million.

[@pnut3844able]

​@@ShizuruNakatsu that's crazy lol

[@kakyoin9688]

@@ShizuruNakatsu congrats on finally surpassing your pop before the potato famine

[@micahphilson]

Me from Nebraska: "Well, if you count cattle as people, it's relatively on the same level. That counts, right?"

[@davidpeters8813]

I'm in the metroplex too, and the DFW area is bigger than Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island combined! My commute to work is 30 min, but my last job was almost an hour. If the metroplex were a sovereign nation, it would have the 20th largest economy in the world. Here in TX you can drive all day and still be in the State. 👍

[@gypsyjessye]

You can tell that this family actually likes each other and loves to learn new things. Congratulations on awesome parenting! 💗

[@thermslusitania1151]

Yeah and other KZbinr families there's usually always described or people I forced into do instead they don't like that does natural thing fleas survive if one of the kids didn't want to do videos anymore the parents would allow it

[@daviemac2718]

@@thermslusitania1151 Huh.

[@sancop]

I’ll never forget many years ago when I was getting a sandwich from Subway on lunch break. The guy behind the counter was from the Czech Republic. We were talking because I was fascinated by his accent. I said I think it’s so cool that he came here and how I wanted to travel the world one day. He looked at me and said, “I don’t know why. The USA has the most fascinating country with some of the most beautiful places in the world. I don’t know why you would ever leave your own country.” I had to stop and think about that. He was right but I had never even visited many of the places in my own country. That’s when I started refocusing and learned we have the most protected national and state parks in the world!!!

[@joanbarbano4244]

I’m from the us but most of my friends are from around the Mediterranean. My first roommate was from Crete. He grew up around the ruins of Knossos. A girlfriend was from Sicily and she showed me the Greek ruins in agrigento. When I said how great it was, she said, “We used to have sleepovers here.” My Tunisian friends showed me Carthage and the oldest mosque in N.Africa. The us has great natural things to see but there’s no history in N America like there is in the old world.

[@susieq9801]

@@joanbarbano4244 - Absolutely. The culture, food, history and people are what makes travel interesting, educational and enlightening. I've travelled every continent except Antarctica and hope to keep on doing so. The rest of the world also has majestic nature but the history of these other lands leaves US history in its infancy. Where in the US do elephants, rhinos, big cats, hippos and giraffes rule the roads and you are tiny little annoyances in Land Rovers? Where are the 5000 year old pyramids? The Great Wall of China? Bazaars in Istanbul or Cairo? Castles in the UK? The Roman colosseum? Rain forests of Brazil? On and on.

[@atlantic_love]

My husband is from England, I'm from Kentucky lol. He doesn't really talk about the UK or his travels, but he's really enjoyed travelling up through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts. And flew from Atlanta to Dayton.

[@Fatblue246]

@@joanbarbano4244 you'd be surprised. There is actually a lot of ruins in the continental USA from natives that inhabited the area before colonization, they're just seldom promoted as good tourist attractions etc due to our complicated history with the natives. The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Illinois for example is where there once was a city with a LARGE population circa 1050-1350 CE. This is just one I thought of off the top of my head too. Granted they are rarely as well promoted or maintained as those in europe, and don't have the same shared heritage draw that the many in Europe do, but they do exist in the USA and to act like humans didn't live here before the europeans and that there was no civilization or society here before us is quite ignorant and just objectively incorrect. America(the physical place not the political state of America)is as old as anywhere else is, we just view it from a eurocentric perspective and in doing so it appears a lot younger of an area than it really is. We don't really learn in depth about a lot of the natives in North America in school due to our shared history of violence against one another etc. It is a painful subject for all to discuss, so many feel best not to discuss it at all. But that results in this, Americans who have lived their whole lives here completely ignorant to the ancient civilizations that once dotted the massive continent of NA. My drive to work daily is through what was once sacred hunting grounds for natives, we don't think about it like that but that doesn't mean it isn't the case lol.

[@slowanddeliberate6893]

I want to go Bigfoot watching in the woods in the US.

[@dabeage]

I went to N.Z. late last year. You have a lovely country and the people were extraordinarily friendly and kind to us. Thank you.

[@ghostscantkill]

I'm an over the road truck driver, and I've driven to, and through all 48 contiguous states. On one particular trip I started off from Santa Maria, California and ended up reaching Boston, Massachusetts five days later. Taking into account the application of hours of service I was limited on my time on the road. But that sheds some light on the enormity of the country. That trip was nearly 3200 miles.

[@Wildjesta]

I'm also an OTR driver myself. We pass through a plethora of different biomes without having to leave the country, from the coasts of Florida, to the Mountain ranges of the appalachians. The marshes of Louisiana and Mississippi, the rolling hills of Texas, up to the flood plains of Missouri, to the mountain ranges of the Rocky's, to the deserts of the Mohave, to the rain forests of Washington state. Truly awe inspiring when put into perspective! Rubber side down!

[@lisajean228]

Thanks to drivers like you keeping us going!

[@ameliaweights]

I'm a PA native. When I moved to Florida (very briefly!) My coworkers couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that before Canada required passports going to Niagra falls for a weekend trip was totally normal. It took me three hours to get to Canada from my home in PA, it took me 16+ hours to get to Florida.

[@samueladams1775]

I drive otr myself. I have picked up lobster in Maine and driven to Tracy, Ca. Before the days of elogs it 4 day trip.

[@Venom2U]

@@Wildjesta biomes? Someone has been playing Subnautica. LOL

[@awphooey2u519]

Think of each us state as it's own tiny country with its own history, culture, food, accent, and way of life. Louisiana is mine and quite unique.

[@LUckybones25]

That’s a good way to put it.

[@AtomixIGN]

It's an important part of the puzzle that really needs to be taught. Every state is practically a nation in terms of the way that they are set up and governed. Each with its own structure, laws, ethnic and cultural make-up, religions, food, weather, geology, language. It's a friction of the modern media to turn the entire country and a one big unit and then divide it into two halves based on majority political party power. We also suffer from the almost arbitrary political lines that Africa, the Middle East, another former European imperialists colonies deal with.

[@kenpope5701]

Mine as well! What part?

[@dahliadolores9903]

Not even tiny… my city has more people than all of Ireland

[@CrankyGrandma]

Exactly! In some ways we are like the European Union in that we are a union of states. Lines are more blurred now because people travel and move more but regions are still very distinct culturally.

[@tomcarl8021]

George Washington died never knowing just how big the land mass was. It took President Jefferson to commission the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1803. They took off from St Louis, Missouri and traveled westward. St Louis was as far west as the country went in 1803. It took them over a year to find the Pacific Ocean. The whole expedition was two years long. Unbelievable story. Imagine what it was like coming face to face with the Rocky Mountains in your way. They had no choice but to travel over it. I recommend a book called 'Undaunted Courage' by historian Steven Ambrose.

[@blakeantos1301]

Washington also died without knowing about dinosaurs. Which is really tragic.

[@M16Murphy]

It is indeed a fantastic book. I listened to the audio book version during a summer roadtrip through Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah.

[@tomcarl8021]

@@M16Murphy Perfect audio book to listen to in that part of the country. Steven Ambrose and his sons actually took the same trip (as best they could) as Lewis and Clark, camping out at the very same campsites.

[@jacksonspitsfax4526]

Things like that makes me think of how If I could bring someone back to life I would bring George Washington. To show him how far we have come would be amazing and probably emotional but it would be sick.

[@tomcarl8021]

@@jacksonspitsfax4526 He'd be my first pick as well but I think if he saw the state our country is in, he'd probably prefer being dead. Hahaha!!!!!

[@whiskeytango9769]

I spent the past few weeks this summer driving from western Canada to eastern Canada through the USA and back home west through Canada. I drove 8700 kms in three weeks, drove through 8 states and 4 provinces. A typical driving day was 7 or 8 hours behind the wheel. It took us three days to just get across Ontario. The US, and Canada, are HUGE!

[@JayBigDadyCy]

This is something I hadn't realized a lot of foreigners didn't know. I got into the conversation with some people from Eastern Europe who were pigeon holing Americans to all be the same. I started laughing and told them to look up how big the US actually is and told them it's really impossible to say "all Americans are the same". This country is absurdly diverse not only in terms of culture and people, but in terms of climate and area types (mountains, desert, swampy to arid)

[@joeinarmona]

Airlines with international travel are from our larger cities on the coasts. People who live in those cities are much more able to fly as they don’t need to drive several hours or change flights as often. I suspect they are much more likely to interact with other Nations other than our military just due to cost and convenience. Every foreigner I have met is surprised at not only the size of the USA, but of how big one state can be.

[@ricinro]

The internet is homogenizing our culture. When travelling to different places in the US you see the same mall, roads, houses etc. Americans do follow local news but national news and social media is a prime influencer. But we do have diverse geology and climates.

[@AshleeKnowsNot]

There's also Alaska and Hawaii which are their own extreme diverse climate and culture. Even most Americans don't realize how big the Alaska is. It's like a third the size of the lower 48.

[@paulachristie7807]

Additionally there are the American Territories, the citizens of the territories are considered American citizens and can vote in all Federal elections. So if you add in the populations and land mass of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, the Marshall Islands (hope I didn’t leave out any) how large is the US?

[@automnejoy5308]

Europeans who do this would never generalize their own small countries. They know the US is one of the biggest and most diverse countries, but still generalize with aggressive determination. They do it to try and diminish and dehumanize the US in their minds and feel better about themselves. You'll never reason with these people because the generalizing isn't coming from a place of rationality. It's coming from a place of emotion (i.e. inferiority complex). You can't really insult the people of another country unless you generalize them, so it's important for their self esteem to generalize the US so they can throw insults. This makes them feel really good. It's a form of psychological warfare (aka bullying). They get really agitated when you burst their bubble, which just proves what I'm talking about. Then they'll adopt a gaslighting technique when you call them out and claim, "You Americans can't handle criticism!" They conveniently ignore the fact that what they are doing is not criticism, but extreme hatred that would make them shocked and infuriated if it were turned back on them in equal measure.

[@Stardust_4300]

I use to laugh, my friend in the UK can have breakfast in London, lunch in Paris & be back home to pick the kids up from school. With us we can't even cross our state before the next day 🤣🤣🤣. Too funny..

[@ChaiLatte13]

Yes I think Europeans are the ones who truly don't understand the size of the US.

[@brahtrumpwonbigly7309]

Takes me 20 hours to drive and see my uncle 4 states over.

[@jamesmcinnis208]

"use to"

[@jeremybunch3034]

I live down in southern CA, and have family in southern Oregon...to drive up basically an 18hr trip, stopping for gas, food, overnight, and occasional break to walk around a bit...obviously a few hours less if you stop less, but 18hrs is easier to manage. lol I've told a few people in Europe, and they're shocked at how long it takes to drive from one end of the state to the other going up north.

[@rosieespinozaruiz6939]

I had to drive with someone from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City and it took me 14 hours just to get close to Albuquerque, NM (we were only half way there)

[@michaelevans1193]

A joke I heard recently that is related to this topic: The difference between England & the US? The US thinks 100 years is long time and England thinks 100 miles is a long distance. I’m going to advocate again for you to comment on “Schoolhouse Rock”. It is a series of 3 minute educational cartoons covering mathematics, US history & government, and types of speech (English). You could do “3 is a magic number”, “Conjunction Junction “ and “I’m just a bill” to start.

[@OcculiMortis]

What’s your function….

[@patriotsson6219]

Probably some copyright thing not allowing them to do so. Also that joke is funny sir. Be blessed.

[@Cap7ainCadaver]

kzbin.info/aero/PLuzAU120nZxlLMl90Bby7sWKOhnDbwpQv

[@theh2oshark32]

@@OcculiMortis I got three favorite cars which get most of my job done

[@kilgorekilgore9645]

Iusedto watch conjunc4ion junction growing up! That is how I can recite the preamble of the " U. S. Constitution" (which is THE law of the land) and made me take the oath. Before any politicians tried to change my mind! Peace

[@gregwarner3753]

When I was planning to ride a decrepit BMW R75 motorcycle from the West coast of the US to the East coast a friend from Europe said, "If you were starting that trip in Paris France you would wind up east of the Ural Mountains in Russia. The trip was 40 years ago and I still remember crossing the Sonora Desert in the Summer. it was a great ride.

[@jillosiecki3049]

My brother did it on a bicycle. I thin’ it took him 21 or 22 days. Ocean to Ocean, California to Georgia.

[@dan2797]

Now that’s a journey I tip my hat to you sir.

[@johnchandler1687]

Rode a motorcycle from Louisiana to California in 2 days once. When I got off it in Escondito my friend laughed at me for walking bowlegged like a cowboy. 😊

[@bigplanett]

Canada is massive, but there's a reason 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the US border. Much of what is North of that is frozen tundra and you have to build your house on stilts and deal with dark winters and freezing temperatures. Not really desirable.

[@Nan-59]

Exactly!

[@ryanhighberg6931]

90 percent of the Canadian population live below the most northern part of the lower 48 of the United States (international falls in my home state, Minnesota)

[@rickyn.1567]

Same with Russia. It’s also safe to say that the USA has the most arable land (in sqkm/sqmi) in the world (perhaps behind India).

[@zedwpd]

That's why they cheer on global warming so they can use the other 90% of their country.

[@jaybrown4753]

@@rickyn.1567 yet India is still a backward nation full of Bob's on phones.

[@faronrich9381]

I had a "try not to laugh" experience explaining the size of the US to four au pairs from Europe who wanted to visit Tampa, Florida. They lived in Brighton, Michigan. So when they said they were going to Florida for a 3-day holiday weekend, I congratulated them on buying airplane tickets. They then informed me they were going to drive. I had to tell them that it took three days to drive to Florida safely.

[@anewman513]

Get real! It does not take 3 days to drive to Tampa from Michigan. That's a 17~18 hr drive (if you obey all traffic laws) or a 14~15 hrs if you drive like a normal person. You could drive from Los Angeles to New York City in less than 2 days.

[@UnderclockFGC]

@@anewman513 Los Angeles to New York City is about 2,789 miles. That would take about 41 hours to drive with ZERO traffic, and we all know that's not happening. Not to mention driving 41 hours straight is completely out of the question, considering you have to sleep and eat.

[@anewman513]

@@UnderclockFGC - Thanks for your comment. Driving from LA to NYC in

[@misscarp3430]

It wouldn’t take 3 days for most but if you are not from this country, driving 75 south out of Michigan, you would not do that in a day. It’s not a hard drive but for people unfamiliar, especially if they haven’t done distance driving before, they certainly would want to take their time.

[@EQ_EnchantX]

@@anewman513 Um, No. You are not going to drive that in less than 2 days as a normal person with a normal vehicle. The record is 25 hours with a modified car and multiple drivers at a average speed of 110 mph and a 65 gal fuel tank, with 31 mins of stoppage. As a family in a normal car expect 4 days at the least.

[@royalfourever]

I’m from California. When I was younger, I always heard of people “backpacking through Europe”. This always boggled my mind till I realised that these countries were much smaller and only took days to travel to each one. To travel across the US would take longer. Lol 😆

[@ezra7088]

wow I did not realize all of the land mass in Europe is less than the U.S. Maybe if you count Turkey and Some of Russia it isn't, but that's still crazy. I was gonna slightly fact check your comment but I appear to be the one who was incorrect.

[@dianatoburen9555]

My grandson was able to backpack from southern Indiana to Colorado in 3 days! But leaving Indiana was hard until they made it farther east. People are more open or used to backpackers that way. It actually took him longer to get home than when he backpacked.

[@Clickbait86]

Lol me too !!!

[@Dark-ts3ox]

@@ezra7088 I think you confused Europe with the EU. Because Europe is actually a tiny bit larger than the USA.

[@ezra7088]

@@Dark-ts3ox "In terms of size the two are almost even, with Europe only slightly bigger than the US (10.2 million sq km vs 9.8 million sq km) 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚." As I stated, "Maybe if you count Turkey and some of Russia it isn't." Thank you for your confirmation of this, but I'm unsure why you seem to think I confused Europe with the E.U. Maybe try fully reading comments next time before replying to them😀

[@Brad-Harris]

As a father I have to say that I can see your children are so pleasant, and they hold themselves so well. You seem like a wonderful family.

[@askywithanalibi4948]

Your children are so well mannered and quite gracious for little people. Y’all should be very proud. Much love, Charleston S.C. USA

[@btfields323]

That's how they are suppose to be. That's the standard

[@pageribe2399]

It's important to note: 1) Alaska contributes a huge part of the US's official landmass area but is sparsely populated. Compare its size on a map to the lower 48. 2) Canada has a smaller population than the US state of California. (Really!). Roughly, 37 to 39 million, respectively. 3) I live in the US state of Alabama. Our population is approximately the same size as yours in NZ

[@scolack123]

Compare its size on a globe The map exagerrates alaskas size

[@Pipsqwak]

@@scolack123 Little reality check on Alaska's true size: If you cut Alaska in half, Texas would be the third largest state. Alaska, including the Aleutian Island chain that extends across the far norther Pacific nearly to Russia, is absolutely vast on a scale that's inconceivable to people who haven't been there.

[@ew5601]

I live in Alabama, too! 😃

[@geekygamerz2641]

I live in Montana and we finally have just over a million people living in the 4th largest state in the US. There are actually about 3 times as many guns in the state as people. Crazy and a bit sad at the same time.

[@christophermerlot3366]

Canada has a smaller population than Mexico City.

[@francegamble1]

We are huge. My friend from the UK is planning a year long RV trip with us when this is all over. We are going to be touring all Lower 48 states to teach our own children about the USA. Look up accents, the different state parks sights, and some of our national parks.

[@paulbriggs3072]

Good luck in trying to drive through all lower 48 states in any meaningful way in one trip.

[@francegamble1]

@@paulbriggs3072 We are planning it all out still. It will be a 12 or 13 month trip.

[@shanegiggles2108]

just a trip from L.A California. to Phoenix AZ. is 6-12 hours depending on traffic and if you obey speed laws.... ans what time you leave in the day.. note for best time leave at 10 pm

[@francegamble1]

@@shanegiggles2108 We know. I have done the trip from my home in Minnesota to Las Vegas, NV and then I did a trip down to Lake Charles, LA last year to rescue a family member from the hurricane damaged home she (with her kids) was still in. I know it takes a bit to drive. We will be living in our RVs.

[@chrisschilling239]

If you come to Cleveland ohio wear a bullet proof vest is like the wild west here

[@dhernandez1864]

Hey respect to New Zealand!!! Y'all may not be the biggest, but New Zealand is by far one of the most beautiful countries. Can't wait to get back there!!! Keep up the good; I love your videos.......from your fan in Texas.

[@JCResDoc94]

*_despite recent global events (no matter when you happen to be watching this); USA is actually a very welcoming country!_* - JC

[@suzyfarnham3165]

Been so many times from Australia. Seen 39 states so far...but doubt I will ever return after watching the past few years.It really has been an eye opener that there is so much hatred and bigotry? I am NOT a 'see the normal sights' traveller. I eat with the Amish and go off track but NEVER have I met or seen people like I have seen the past few years? I did 8 southern states in Jan/Feb 2020. I don't think I will ever come back after seeing what has happened to a country I totally loved and was obsessed with seeing every part of. It really is a shame.

[@nzlemming]

Yep, that made me laugh too.

[@MyTeamSucks91]

@@suzyfarnham3165 I’m okay with being a bigot as long as I don’t have to deal with Two years to flatten the curve and internment camps.

[@sarahcartwrights8979]

Don’t believe what you see on main stream media. It’s organized disinformation.

[@AdSb51]

@@suzyfarnham3165 You act like we care

[@josephlarrybradley508]

Old man here. 70 this year. For an American well traveled. Whatever you want, America has it. No place on earth could be more beautiful.

[@Trueflights]

I want for everyone to get along... The one thing USA will unfortunately never have, being United.

[@DarqJestor]

Not too much history, compared to Europe.

[@rose.g.]

​@@Trueflights Not exactly true. If you attack us, Americans UNITE in a huge way.

[@aaronburr956]

​​@@DarqJestor Considering we went from not being a nation to being the most influential country in the world in less than 300 years is pretty historic. We dont have a lot of history because we are still making it. I think thats just a little bit more impressive than a few hundred dusty old castles.

[@donkink3114]

I was an over the road truck driver for about 1.5 years and in that time stopped in places in upstate New York to Seattle to San Diego to Southern Georgia, incredible beauty and incredible diversity, very proud to be an American, not blind to it's problems or it's beauty either

[@stevenklein3195]

Same here and we do have our problems, but we have so much beauty and diversity. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

[@tomturbuckle0076]

I think that is a great way yo put it.

[@chrisandrew7577]

If every family was as wholesome as yours, the world would be a better place. Kids, you have really great parents

[@toodlepop]

putting your children on a youtube channel is the new form of beauty pageants. this is not a reflection of good parenting.

[@G-grandma_Army]

Your daughter’s face when she saw the size of India, then China’s military is priceless! Praying for your part of the world (and Australia)! From Texas! So enjoy your family.

[@jennm3321]

@TCarman I 2nd that (also from Texas)

[@baileypaliolonga5620]

I'll 3rd that... from California!!!

[@ChanelStuff]

I fourth that from Oklahoma ❤

[@Fergus_0703]

I fifth that, from the Philippines ♥️♥️♥️

[@nathanfitzgerald6651]

I sixth that, from the whacked-out state, California.

[@pugowner1347]

My job took me to New Zealand in 2001. The place was absolutely beautiful. The entire time I was there (16 days) I think I met 3 people who were in a hurry. I should have accepted the job offer from the company we installed the equipment for.

[@mattdickerson7997]

I’m from the US and I’m so jealous you guys live in one of the most beautiful places on our planet! My dream vacation is New Zealand! Cheers my friends!

[@mikeoxmaul9675]

Seeing y’all react and having respect for the US makes me proud to be an American. I hadn’t had that feeling really in awhile.. thank y’all. Much love to y’all!

[@LA_HA]

Mike Oxmaul: It really is refreshing, which is why so many Americans are drawn to videos and channels like this. Many people assume reasons consisting of the usual American stereotypes. But, also as usual, they're wrong as can be. Funny how Americans are called ignorant about the rest of the world, while the rest of the world is in denial about just how ignorant they are about Us. haha. There are even a few comment threads for this video with much to say about how Americans choose not to travel internationally. Strange that no one has mentioned the obvious -- more Americans don't travel because nobody wants to spend hard-earned money and precious vacation time (yes, many of us get that) with people who behave negatively towards them. I recall a time not too long ago when Americans were so hassled abroad (especially in Europe) that they began telling people they were from Canada just to be left alone to enjoy their trip. But, then Canadians began outing them; even encouraging more harassment. I've read many of those posts; as did a lot of Americans. So, it's nice to have non-Americans take a positive interest in learning a little about Us

[@ronjones-6977]

Let's go, Brandon!

[@lindseybartkowiak9068]

@@LA_HA I definitely agree. My husband (both him and I are American) is stationed overseas in Europe currently and I opt to not go out very much. There is such a heavy military presence where we are, and it makes most of the locals upset. We get dirty looks if someone just hears us speaking to each other. The saddest part about it is that we didn't have a choice to be here or not. It's videos like this that make me feel sort of okay for being an American.

[@LA_HA]

@@lindseybartkowiak9068 I have friends and family in the military and many have described the same thing. So, I get you. It wasn't always like this, but Europe has really become a stronghold of anti-American sentiment over the course of the millennium. Unfortunately, some of it is because there are a lot of Americans that feed into it by being apologetic for being American. The sharks smell the lack of confidence and attack more and more. I wish I could tell you to ignore them, not to let them make you feel bad, to just do your thing and live your life. But, I'm not there and I'm not the one that's getting the nasty treatment. I Can encourage you to never allow them to make you ashamed of being American. There's a reason there's a major military base there and your husband is doing his job - keeping them safe and keeping the peace. They don't have to appreciate it. The protected can be just as ungrateful as anyone, anywhere. Nevertheless, you Are a human being and deserve to be treated as such. If they refuse, go to the places that allow you to be in contact with those who do. Stay in touch with friends and family where you are and back at Home here. Watch videos like these (there are lots) and only engage in positive comment sections (I know they seem to be extremely rare, but they're here. haha) to keep centered, happy, and proud. * Keep your head up. * Focus on your own life and thoughts rather than theirs. * Join groups, get hobbies, self improve. * Learn the language. Even Trying to speak the language could soften some of the antagonism. Plus, you can low-key listen to the people around you to find out why they have the bad attitude and try to make a good impression. More importantly, Come Home Safe, sound, and with an understanding of what's going on because so many people here don't know. Our prayers are with you, your family, and everyone there doing great work

[@brahtrumpwonbigly7309]

@@lindseybartkowiak9068 yea, and then we are inundated with guilt trips by the media when, for instance, we pulled a base out of Germany and it hurt the local economy. They hate us until the money goes away.

[@christinadehnel8687]

*Explaining this very concept to a German* I know I'm a little behind here lol but I'm glad you guys covered this one & the timing for me seeing it is funny because I recently got into a FB conversation with a German who was planning to go on a "US Cities tour". She asked me "How many hours on the train will it take me to get from San Francisco to New York City?" At first all I did was laugh because I thought she was kidding. When I realized she was serious I said, "Um... Idk... Like 125. 🤨 Give or take." She said, "WHAT?! Are you kidding?!" I was like "No lol You have to cross the entire continent for that trip which is about 2,906 miles." 😂 She said "How do you people get ANYWHERE?!" I said "That's why we fly" 🤣

[@donkink3114]

Very funny "hod do you people get anywhere"

[@IaneHowe]

U just made me laugh…

[@joecausey8508]

Made me laugh, too. 😂

[@kelliepatrick519]

I remember as a kid the family would drive from my northern state to a gulf state to visit family. Mom and dad would take turns so we could drive almost continuously except for rest stops. It took 3.5 days to drive it....each way.

[@nathanbriggs4747]

Try $1,000 not kidding trains cost the same as flying 1st class.

[@Kickinwing_85]

I love how you make this a family event. So awesome to see parents educating their kiddos. Awesome 👍

[@ashstjohn-wv3uo]

I have never watched this channel before but just clicked thinking, this is going to be the most wholesome thing I’ll see all day.

[@lycaon7888]

While in the US Army, I was stationed in West Germany (East Germany was still a country) with my wife and very young kids (3 y/o girl and 1 y/o boy - born in Heidelberg). We would travel to different countries in Europe on weekends. It was amazing to hop on a train and be in a different country in 1-2 hours. The longest trip we took together was an overnight train to Rome to see the Vatican and the Pope. We stayed at a convent about a block away. I am in Texas and live in the very southern tip. When we travel by car out of the state, it takes anywhere from 9 hrs (east to Louisiana) to 12 hrs (west to El Paso) and 16 hrs (north Texas panhandle) just to get out of the state. Mexico, on the other hand, is about 10 minutes away from the house.

[@ilenestrong7471]

When I was in Korea one of my coworkers was trying to explain to his new Korean wife how large the US was. He told her they would fly to California then drive five days to New York. She said "Why? It only takes four hours to drive from Seoul to Pusan, the entire length of the country."

[@bretcantwell4921]

My dad was AF, but assigned to Graf in the early 80s. We did two or three trips a year, sometimes within Germany like to the Rhine region or our annual Christmas trips to Berchtesgaden. Sometimes to foreign countries like Scandinavia, Holland or Austria. I would not be the person I am today without those formative experiences.

[@chernoalpha0868]

Thank you for servin our country. I always pay my respect to US Army soldiers.

[@Mr-pn2eh]

Papacy is the antichirst. With that out of the way I hope to go to Switzerland one day. I was just in Japan a few weeks ago

[@kathleenr4047]

Hey, Lycaon me and my ex-husband were stationed in Germany the 80s, Wharton Barracks in Heilbronn. --- We had friends who flew to Moscow for a 3 day weekend. --- Yes, They took a plane, but you couldn't fly to Moscow for the weekend from the United States. --- My husband and I took a weekend trip by bus to Paris, from Southern Germany. The bus drove overnight and we were there. 👍. And otherwise we did a lot of driving around in southern Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Austria.

[@patrick9876]

“Several accents” is an understatement lol Also within some of the accents, like Southern American English, there can be multiple dialects. Using SAE as an example, dialects range from the Appalachian dialect to the Carolina Brogue dialect; each with their own unique idioms, phrases and speech characteristics.

[@NicaB75]

You would probably enjoy Eric Singer's videos about American accents. He's really informative and fun to watch.

[@l.t.1305]

There is no such thing a standard American accent.

[@jimreilly917]

And Texan Southern 😆

[@jimreilly917]

@@robsterlobster6068 forgot yuns.

[@joankelley3772]

Don't forget the Creole in Louisiana!

[@cvabuck5489]

Sitting in the US, watching a family from New Zealand, and noticing a common hobby with those British miniatures and paints on the shelf behind y'all. What a time to be alive.

[@SPEDLOCK]

Nice eye, I totally missed that! You think those are Ultramarines?

[@bbb462cid]

@@SPEDLOCK _ask not what the Emperor can do for you. Ask what you can do for the Emperor_

[@SwampRatNation]

We are geographically huge, but some of that area, Alaska especially is not inhabited. I’ve been fortunate as a son of a US Navy sailor and a US Coast Guardsman to have had the opportunity to have traveled or lived in all 50 of our states, and seen the wide diversity we have to offer. Also my military service took me to New Zealand once and I absolutely loved it!!!

[@Name-nq7tj]

I mean to be fair it's the same with a lot of other places. Look at Canada like 80% of there population is like in one small corner and Russia most of there population is also like right next to the rest of Europe. You also have to keep in mind that Russia and Canada are right next to Alaska and large portions of there land is stupidly cold and unsuitable for growing crops. In fact one of the benefits of the earth warming up in recent years is the possibility that large portions of land that was to cold to grow food can potentially start grow food again.

[@north-roadcaveman5818]

Yeah, it's crazy Alaska has a smaller population than Rhode Island

[@Whitneypyant]

There isn’t a place in Alaska where you can’t get by car. You would have to take the ferry

[@north-roadcaveman5818]

@@Whitneypyant there's many places you can't get to by car, you'll either take a ferry or a small bush plane, born and raised myself

[@engletinaknickerbocker5380]

@@Name-nq7tj Interesting point of view. Growing up in AK, world record holders at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, are 2,000 lb pumpkins, 120 lb cabbages, 19 lb carrots, and 75 lb rutabagas ... root vegetables that grow in rich glacial silt leftovers and 20 hr exposure to the sun. Many folks in the country (and in town, too) have their own hydroponic and regular greenhouses for home-grown tomatoes. Nothing like a home-grown tomato. The University of Alaska Experimental Farm production of wheat and rye in the Yukon River valleys. BTW Yukon Gold potatoes were developed in Ontario, and canola oil is the much publicized Canadian version of rapeseed plants. My husband from Japan, lived in the country, and as a boy he was sent for errands, one to go down the road to a farm that grew and pressed rapeseed.

[@matthewsneed5752]

Just know that most of my fellow Americans consider New Zealand one of the most beautiful places on earth. I have always wanted to visit there! Unfortunately for now I’ll have to settle for the *slightly less beautiful* Oklahoma. 😁

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

I was born and raised in Edmond but moved to Minnesota, is prettier here but dang the fridged long winters are awful !

[@JFairs82]

Oklahoma has more eco-systems then any state except California!! Oklahoma has deserts, Swaps, Plains, Mountains, Mesas and rolling hills!! Oklahoma is a hidden gym in the US!!

[@reuben8328]

@@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123 Wow! I'm originally from Edmond as well, live a few minutes away now. There's definitely not a lot of scenery here in the central part of the state, but I want to visit the Wichita Mountains and the Great Salt Plains. I've been to Minnesota twice I believe, both times to Walker, MN. Very scenic there!

[@jacksonspitsfax4526]

Yo why is it recommending to Oklahomans? I am from Arcadia/Edmond

[@babyhuey1772]

Don’t worry, bud, I’m stuck here too🤣 Tulsa area

[@alanolson6913]

When I was in college (about 100 years ago when I was younger), I remember speaking with a couple from Japan who wanted to drive from where we were (Orange County,CA), to Yellowstone National Park and asked how long it would take. Their jaws dropped when I and my friends told them how long of a drive it is. Just driving to San Francisco was several hours and that shocked them. Folks from other countries aren’t prepared for the immensity of the US. Another part of being here that they noticed was that we could pretty much understand each other no matter where we were. “Could I have a glass of water please?” “Which way is the hospital?” “Are we on the right road to get to Philadelphia?” These can all be asked and be understood- and, as I said, amazed these tourists. We sometimes don’t know what we have here.

[@maguszeal5818]

Big understatment. The fact you can understand people from

[@maguszeal5818]

Big understatment. The fact you can understand people from texas to michigan from san fransisco ti new york is amazing.

[@dullahan7677]

@@maguszeal5818 Well, it'd probably be a good idea to bring a translator here, to Southern Appalachia....

[@dullahan7677]

@@chillyavian7718 For the most part, that is due to the geographical isolation that the mountains provide. Irish and Scottish immigrants would come to the US, speaking only Gaelic, due to the need to communicate with the English speaking inhabitants, learning just enough to get by, and amongst themselves, they would continue to speak their own language. My father was born in 1933, and he always said that during his childhood, it would take around two weeks to bring my grandfather's tobacco crop to the market to be sold on horse drawn trailers. No "real" roads or bridges existed, and there was a half assed ferryman that loved to get black out drunk that always seemed to pass out on the other side of the river, sometimes they would have to wait hours for him to wake up and begin the crossing. The living conditions and trying to scratch out one's survival each day in those mountains were so harsh, that my father told me that when he began his military career, that boot camp was, "Kind of nice."

[@bodine219]

@@maguszeal5818That has never occurred to me (an American) 😮

[@craigfitzy1714]

Your family is absolutely adorable. The education you must be giving your kids is priceless. Keep up the good work.

[@incomitatus]

Love this family and I love the little girl, she the image of one of my twin daughters. My one daughter screeches with delight every time she sees her, "look daddy, I'm on video" she yells.

[@dolphinsupremacy]

Can I just say that your family is so cute and I really appreciate the way you spend the time to seek to educate yourselves TOGETHER. I wish all families could do that like yours. 😊

[@noneofur300]

Your family's reactions are priceless. I'm an American and seeing how normal it is for us compared to your reactions and comparisons are fun

[@ttugrlduck]

As a Texan I love watching these videos knowing our state is going to come up often. But the best part of this video was when it said despite what the news and politics would lead you to believe, we are the most welcoming country by far. I was more proud of that because it gets lost sometimes in the mess of things. But just take a look at how diverse our Olympic Team is to see how diverse we are, and we are very proud of it. We definitely do welcome you to come visit us here, especially my home state of Texas!

[@jonhohensee3258]

Yeah.... can you imagine a black or even a white sprinter on the Chinese Olympic track team?

[@lucretiathompson5397]

I am from Kentucky, but I agree! That statement made me exceptionally proud.

[@sangralknight3031]

Floridian here, Us too! Proud to welcome any and all. But please, see more than Disney. Swim with a manatee.

[@atlantic_love]

@@lucretiathompson5397 From Kentucky here too!

[@cvhcnh]

Fellow Texan here (San Antonio), and I agree. I love watching stuff like this and the same portion of the vid about US being the most welcoming country was awesome.

[@bg3160]

Let's just say that when the pioneers in the 1840's left the East Coast to travel to Oregon by wagon, they really did say goodbye to their families. The chances of ever seeing them again was pretty much nil. The trip was something like 3 months before the railroad came in. The railroad cut it to a couple weeks as I understand it but few could afford coast to coast tickets.

[@indyracingnut]

My love for New Zealand knows no bounds. I worked on the LOTR movies at Wingnut Productions and lived there for over a year. The country may be small, but the hearts of every citizen I ever met there are bigger than anyone's. Love my Kiwi family.

[@JohnBeebe]

Couple years ago I meet a guy from England who told me about how he drove around Australia with his wife, working at ranches and other jobs along the way, they decided to the same thing here in the United States, they started in Boston and made it to South Carolina and realized this idea wasn't going to work

[@Jenny-tm3cm]

I'd like to hear more about this

[@nadogrl]

Why not? No stations (ranches) in S.C.?

[@eucalyptus444]

@@nadogrl They started on wrong side of the Country. Go west start in the west till you reach midwest.You want cowboys even the cattle have multi breeds. Long horns, beef cattle, milk cows, cows from Scotland, part cow part buffalo are just a few. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona. Utah and Nevada are part desert. Idaho grows potatoes. Wyoming, Montana, North Midwest have the ranches, the most beautiful land to see from grass lands, Grand Tetons, Painted Canyon. Salt lands, deserts with beautiful land formations, hot springs, and sand traps. Red wood trees as tall as sky scrapers and millions of years old. You can see dinosaur bones and mine for gemstones, gold, sliver and copper. See and feel bison running they can be close or far but the earth still shakes with the herd running. Camping trip we stopped at a general store outside sat on old man in his tribal clothes. He had a buffalo with him behind a fence this majestic animal had grey hair around him. I asked the old Indian if I might pet this beautiful creature he shook his head yes. It was awesome! The buffalo lay there close enough for me to touch and watched every move I made he had a lot of different textures. Go to the prairie lands and see prairie dogs. Ride a river boat down the Mississippi you can see the spray coming off the huge wheel. This is only part and a tiny part of what you can see and not the middle of the country. See factories where there were paper mills, automobiles, trains, chocolate, syrup, cotton fields and material making. You can go on a history tour. Music in Tennessee. Smoky Mountains and Rocky Mountains. Smokies you can stand in three states at one time. So much more you would need at least six months to see part of it. If anyone comes you need to map it out with what you want to do and where to start. Can’t forget amusement parks and zoo’s

[@nadogrl]

@@eucalyptus444 - Thank you, but I’m a lifelong Californian. I’ve been to over 1/2 of our States, and still working on the rest.❤

[@skilz8098]

That's just a little over a days trip if you don't stop too often

[@udubeats4543]

It can be very surprising for non-Americans to find just how large the US is. My Swiss sister in law wanted to come visit us in Boston and then drive to Miami and then onto Los Angeles- in a week. I told her it's doable but you will be on the road that entire time, no tourism time at all. She was stunned. She stuck to the New England states and was surprised she didn't get to see more than New Hampshire and Maine in that time allotted. We are a very big country- coast to coast is over 3000 miles.

[@micahphilson]

When my family did roadtrips every summer, we would center around national and state parks to visit and camp out at. Otherwise, sticking to the highway, you might accidentally go through an entire state without stopping! Gotta hit at least a park or a museum, have lunch in a city and walk around a bit to say you've actually been there.

[@donnamccoy9946]

Thank you guys for sharing....your warm family makes my heart want to sleep over at your house .. love you guys too.. stay safe

[@sallymcmurray949]

I love the way you educate your children as a family.

[@shanecydrus6591]

I love how you guys are doing videos that your children would get enjoyment out of reacting to. Ohio here and I love the family energy you guys bring.

[@joeburrow9634]

That is what BUCKEYES DO! GOD BLESS

[@kellyjames2700]

Growing up in Dallas, it would take us the first day to get to the other side of Texas when driving to California

[@davidcruz8667]

Yeah, sure feels like it. I drive back and forth between San Diego and Oklahoma to see my kids, and Texas is a big chunk of it. I can breeze through Arizona and New Mexico in a few hours, Texas takes up almost half the trip.

[@BGBG617]

Heck, it takes an hour to drive from one side of Dallas County to the other.

[@merc-svt9701]

lol yep, i live in austin, tx, and it takes us around 8 hours just to get out from either direction

[@BigCountryKracker]

Shi I don’t even live in Texas but it’s obvious God blessed it cause I sure been there and it’s the best place on Earth

[@davidcruz8667]

@@BigCountryKracker God bless Texas! Let me just put my gun on the patio table here, and pass me some of that barbecue y'all...

[@kcain64]

Thank you for having the patients to sit through that whole video. I saw it once and found it difficult to get through all those numbers and facts. And I live here.

[@thomashazlewood4658]

They're not his patients. They're his children! (hehe)

[@samplautz5586]

As an American, as you grow up longer distances seem shorter and shorter. I go to college 8 hours away from where I grew up, and that used to seem long hit now it’s just a usual drive that I make multiple times a year. People in other countries think that’s probably enormous, but for us a giant drive like that isn’t much at all. We go places 3 hours away just for a day trip and come back the same day

[@PositivelyPixelated]

Moved to South Dakota from Ohio. I used to complain about driving to my sister's house because it was about 40 minutes away. Now I drive 1 hour for a 5 minute orthodontist appt. for my kids, 2 hours for a shopping trip that extends beyond just Walmart, and 4 hours to visit my kids in college. Granted, I don't really care for the 2-hour + drives, but the way I feel about that is how I used to feel about driving 40 minutes to my sisters. The 1 hour drive is just a "Meh. It's not THAT bad." Lol

[@micahphilson]

​@@PositivelyPixelatedjust the opposite for me. I come from Nebraska, so driving 2 hours is just going to see grandma and grandpa! But I joined the military and was stationed in SC, and now somehow driving more than half an hour is just too annoying that I spend most weekends at home. And now I'm going to New England... I'll become such a wimp about driving! "It's just half an hour to go to a massive city in a different state? I dunno..."

[@___m___111]

Lol im canadian and it takes me an hour and a half to drive to my school, which i do everyday and it doesnt bother me

[@spenceacherrypicker6320]

​@@micahphilsonim in Omaha

[@critie]

As a USA citizen, I wanna know more about New Zealand! I live in Ohio. so i think it would be entertaining.

[@OcculiMortis]

The best soft serve ice-cream I have ever had was in Marion, Ohio. I was there in 1986, 1987, and 1990 when I marched in a Drum & Bugle Corps.

[@aprilcyphers8350]

I live in Ohio as well

[@stevenbass732]

Now is not a good time to visit New Zealand. They're almost as oppressive as Australia.

[@lovinitall6639]

O H

[@denverbasshead]

@@stevenbass732 it's the most totalitarian shit hole in the world right now.

[@rcrowder85]

I'm from the central states and the plains are basically an ocean of grass and flatness. It's crazy to travel to the larger cities and see the density then drive through the middle and west and not see hardly anything for hours on end.

[@BuckerydogSchmuckeryDog]

My condolences for living in the flatlands. That really sucks dude

[@kylemauseth7579]

Being from the San Francisco Bay Area (and traveling up and down the west coast) I was shocked the first time I traveled to Florida and didn’t see any mountains on the horizon. Everything was flat and the horizon was the buildings across the street. It was such a trip!

[@kyleelsbernd7566]

This is not so at all. You're talking about a vast region larger than all of Europe, with historic river cities built early in the Victorian Era, microclimates, unglaciated regions, the world's largest (by far) fresh water lakes, vast forests. etc. Like parts of France or Germany. Maybe Russia. No one lives alone on empty flat fields.

[@Lando-cb9ol]

I live in one of the Great Plains states. I was driving east at night on a trip back from the Black Hills, but on a State highway and not the Interstate. I stopped, turned my car off and stood outside. The darkness and quiet was extraordinary. Looking up and seeing the expanse of the Milky Way, with no other lights for distraction...really puts into perspective just how small you are in the greater scheme of things!

[@maguszeal5818]

Yah i was educating my city wife to the definition of being nowhere. Out on the prarie at night where the only thing that appeared to exist was what your headlighs lit up. The entire world reduced to a few feet. Beyond nothing but darkness. We were nowhere.

[@kevinfancher3512]

Love how your daughter is so engaged and chatty. Good-on-ya for using tech with your family this way.

[@badguy1481]

I've traveled the length of New Zealand, (both islands) in an RV. I have to say, New Zealand has almost as many topographical features as the USA, in a "compact" size. What a beautiful country. Possibly the most unique.

[@Critical-Thinker895]

As many? Maybe you should study a little more. The family was right. You DO live on a little island way down south.

[@badguy1481]

@@Critical-Thinker895 What!!!??? I live in the USA....In fact, I've lived in ALL parts of the USA so I know from where I speak.

[@Critical-Thinker895]

@@badguy1481 ALL parts? Apparently not.

[@ZAVB3R3R]

@@badguy1481 I've gotta back critical here. The US is famous in geological fields for its diversity of typographical features. Its one of the only places in the world tornados form consistently. And we have most biomes of the planet here in the US, if you include territories we basically have all. The US is incredible with its freephone features and has the most studied geological feature on the planet, and it is also considered one of the most beautiful... the grand canyon.

[@jimgreen5788]

@@ZAVB3R3R, good points. It also is the most spread out country on the planet: the island of Attu (at-TWO), Alaska's westernmost point, is 8388 mi./13,496km. from W. Quoddy Pt., ME-the easternmost point in the USA, compared to Russia’s width of 5592 mi./8997km.). Going north to south it's 3621 miles/5826 km. from Pt. Barrow, AK [the northernmost point of land N of the city of Barrow--now Utqiaġvik = oot-key-AH-vick (rhymes with ‘boot’] to Ka Lae (kah LIE), Hawaii--the southernmost point. Granted, it's not all in 1 piece like Russia, but it's still spread out in a BIG way.

[@greywuuf]

Appreciate your map "gripes" ..,being from Alaska ...that is often portrayed as a small island next to Hawaii somewhere off in the corner.

[@perdidoatlantic]

Down beside Mexico. 🤣🤣🤣

[@cindyknudson2715]

😂

[@TUKByV1]

Tiny Alaska. Sounds like a pro wrestler.

[@eritain]

I thought they towed it down there in the 1950s to get away from Soviet influence.

[@karencostanzo2906]

And if you cut Alaska in half, Txas becomes the 3rd largest state. Go figure.

[@haydencourtney7419]

I love you kiwis so much. You seem like such beautiful people. Cheers from the USA

[@belliot758]

Well done. It's quite nice to see a family coming together to do a bit of learning and spending time with each other. BRAVO!

[@donscheid97]

Years ago, I was chatting (late into the night by then) with some locals in Italy. I described the size of America, and they were astounded. One had said he wanted to go to Texas and ride a horse to California.... until I told him how far it is.

[@marasegal1849]

😂 Ride a horse to California... that is too funny!!

[@BigLifeWithLitlJay]

The famous outlaw, Black Bart, was a cavalryman in the US Civil War and hated horses. When he decided that he had an axe to grid with Wells Fargo, he WALKED from the Dakotas to San Francisco so he could rob their stages. That's astounding.

[@Sk8rRdHd]

My buddy from high school lived as a hobo for years and would only ride trains and hitchhike for rides. It took him 4 days to cross Texas. He said that next time, he'll go around. Lol

[@columbiariverparanormal66]

I know a guy that rode his horse from Boston to Los Angeles in the seventies

[@trajectoryunown]

@@BigLifeWithLitlJay That's not something an ordinary person would set out for. What the heck did they do to him?

[@planedr]

You should do one on physical size. Living in Europe most had no concept of how big the states actually are. They couldn’t fathom driving for 10-12 hours and still being in the same state.

[@tenniskinsella7768]

Does it matter the size of a country

[@michaelmiller5177]

​@@tenniskinsella7768 depends on the context. For Europeans visiting a new country is typically a matter a few hours on a train. For most Americans its days of driving or a day long flight to visit a different country. Shipping goods across the US can be thousands of miles, whereas the UK's longest dimension is 600 miles (less than the length of my home state). It would take a day to cross all of the UK by car and 3 to 4 days to cross the US. As a matter of importance it's not that big of a deal, it's the peop5that make a culture. Greenland for instance is around the same size as the continental US .

[@cathys949]

@@tenniskinsella7768 Mostly it matters if you are planning to go somewhere. You have to know how much time and money it will take you to get to your destination. Small countries can be just as beautiful and interesting as large ones. But if you are coming from England and want to go to New York and Colorado, you have to understand that if your time is limited you will have to fly between them, not drive, because it takes days to get there one way.

[@meganjohnstone3458]

@@michaelmiller5177 3-4 is an underestimate. It takes 2 days to go from MO to FL, 3 to go from MI to FL. Those aren't even polar opposite sides of the USA. To go from the tip of MA to the bottom of CA is 2 days WITHOUT stopping for gas/breaks, so say 4 days. To go from the tip of WA to the bottom of FL is 2.5 days WITHOUT stopping, so say 5 days.

[@kalihia]

Yup. I drove from WA to WI. Only stopped for gas and food. 2 drivers. Left at 5am on a Saturday, got to our destination just before 1am on Monday. Almost 44 hours of (mostly) non-stop driving.

[@Jsmith2024]

I remember driving from St Louis MO to Albuquerque NM with my wife. I drove straight through in 21 hours (@70-80 mph). My immigrant wife was amazed that we drove that far that fast...but still went from the middle of America to someplace else in the middle of America.

[@atlantic_love]

New Mexico is not the middle of America. Might want to give Geometry 101 another shot.

[@blainecounsil660]

Literally a lie. No way it took that long. PA to CO is 25 hours and much further distance

[@matthewstacy5106]

I live in Central Kentucky, and I moved to Albuquerque in 2017. Nonstop drive was 20.5 hours if we were driving the speed limit, we finished the drive in about 19 hours. We passed through St. Louis after about 5.5 hours. Statistically you should have been in Albuquerque from St. Louis in a little over 15 hours. Unless you somehow got lost, it shouldn't have taken 21 hours.

[@WilsonTexasRager]

@@atlantic_love It's in the middle in the south. I would call that the middle of America but not as literal middle as Kansas.

[@TheGavrael]

@@atlantic_love Guess you oughta go back to Geometry, and maybe Geography. Everyone forgets Alaska and Hawaii. Halway from Anchorage to Miami puts you in the Denver area, which is longitudally similar to Albuquerque. The term "midwest" is a misnomer geographically.

[@cbylsma626]

I'm from Canada, Canada is bigger than our friends south of the border by land mass... had an aunt from the Netherlands want to come to visit, she planned for 2 days in Ontario and then drive to PEI for the next day! Dad told them it would take 3 days to drive there! Needless to say they decided to book a couple more weeks so they'd have the time to travel lol

[@E-4]

A slight correction, the United States is actually larger than Canada by land area (3,531,905 USA sq miles to 3,511,023 Canada sq miles). Canada is only larger if you include its water area.

[@mikebiro3148]

We can fix that, discrepancy. We can just ask Canada to surrender or get invaded. Even if the request is in gest your prime minister would agree after a week of being concerned "if" he believed it was an actual threat.

[@cbylsma626]

True, but when you exclude land in the US that is not part of the main land (so you'd have the lower 48 and Alaska) it is smaller, and if you include lakes and rivers... there's a reason Canada is nicknamed the land of lakes

[@cbylsma626]

@@mikebiro3148 Trudeau would sellout LOL, the problem is dealing with the rest of Canadians (war of 1812)... we're just as patriotic as you guys are,we just don't show it 🤣

[@mikebiro3148]

@@cbylsma626 , question is if the people would rather govern themselves more than being subject by a tyrant ? Here the common man of common law comes first " our United States Government " so the common man of God may subject any action before or Addressed to him. We hold the Moral Authority of the United States of America. As the monarchy represents the England's Moral Authority and may not be subject by her subjects. Here that is bestowed upon the common man of common law as he stands with the States to serve all subjects to his Authority.

[@jamesyoder4327]

This wonderful and beautiful family probably knows about my country than myself and my family came here in the middle 1800s. I love your videos

[@TheLastGarou]

Something I always feel compelled to mention, whenever someone watches this video: The US *does* have an enormous expenditure on medical care, but we also produce a full 40% of medical patents GLOBALLY. Edit: Great video, as always, folks! 😎👍

[@Taunic]

That is often overlooked and taken for granted by other countries. The US bears the cost of these innovations.

[@TexanUSMC8089]

Medical costs are a lot because we have nearly 330 million citizens and another 20 million illegals living here. 350 million people can rack up a big medical bill. LOL

[@johnchandler1687]

@Fancy Gem I agree with you, but if people would take care of themselves and quit eating industrially produced mock food and turn off the TV and actually do stuff half the medical people would be unemployed. Also, when Doctors went on strike in California in 1968 or 9 the papers reported that the death rate dropped 53% in 6 weeks. They ended their strike , went back to work and the death rate went right back up. Same exact thing happened in Israel that year. ( from a Reader's Digest article.)

[@katiekawaii]

@@TexanUSMC8089 There is no such thing as "an illegal." People cannot be fundamentally illegal. I hope you will keep in mind that what you're talking about is _people._ Whole human beings, you know? And they're people who on average contribute more than they receive. They pay tens of billions of dollars in taxes every year. They put tens of billions of dollars into local economies every year. They contribute tens of billions of dollars to Medicare and social security every year--services they will never receive. They are not the reason our healthcare system is fucked.

[@corygibson3304]

@@katiekawaii Well nothing you said is true so that's nice. But yes people are illegal immigrants. Doesn't mean they arent humans but it does mean they are inside the country illegally. Countries have boarders and laws. When people enter the country illegally they become an illegal immigrant. That is why there are also legal immigrants. It is a legal distinction not a moral one. Though you could certainly argue an immoral behavior of violating a countries law and boarders. The argument isn't if people are people but if countries are sovereign nations with control of their boarders.

[@joshuabolton3866]

A great video is the best food in every state. I love the videos you guys put out!!

[@CW_9]

Such a cool family. My mom introduced me to your videos when I visited her recently. Now I'm hooked! Cheers from Arizona!

[@9thNazgul]

I used to drive motorhomes for a small dealership, we had two lots. On in southern California and one outside Anchorage Alaska. My longest drive was from western NY to Alaska, I was on the road 9-10 hours per day for 10 days to complete that trip, averaging about 70-75 mph. North America is huge.

[@calendarpage]

For some reason, the behind the scenes videos from 'The Hobbit' have been recommended to me lately and I've been binge watching. It's amazing to see the New Zealand scenery again. Peter Jackson did your country a world of good, giving the landscape such a place of importance in his films. Even the actors constantly commented about how amazing it was to work in such a beautiful place. NZ may be small, but it is fantastically beautiful.

[@atexandude8734]

As a veteran, and, lover of military stuff, and I mean this in the best way possible, don’t get hung up on doing military reactions. Obviously as you said, you’re moving away from it, but, I’m less speaking to you, and, more to the, knuckleheads who demand every video be a military reaction. History and geography are much better for learning and enjoying, especially for kids. I’ll never understand people wanting children to, “react” to military stuff. Anyways, haha, love the channel, keep it up, keep having fun with it, have a good one.🤙

[@aznmochibunny]

Not a veteran, but I definitely agree. Military stuff can get kind of depressing, for lack of a better term, for children (and sometimes for adults too I feel). History, geography, and cultural stuff is way more enjoyable for children.

[@joeykauhi7938]

Of course there are things worth reacting to within the topic of "military", but I too agree. That video of the moments a dying soldier was earning his Medals of Honor was a bit much for even _me_, so it was puzzling to see kids reacting to it. I just chalked it up to a cultural difference. We Americans can often be closed minded to things others think are normal so it's hard for me to judge sometimes.

[@miskaffon]

Military family here: nice to have somewhere to go to escape the issues!

[@robreesor5011]

As long as they dont start reacting to apache gun ship taking out human targets vids and stick to military power type vid's (the medal of honor vid being the exception) I think kids learning about military tech is cool but they should also be taught to understand just how deadly some of that tech was designed to be and the amount of training one needs to be able to operate that tech. Its not just about how cool that apache heli looks...it was designed for a purpose and that is war and to some extent peace keeping. Much like the A-10 being a deturrent making enemies on the battlefeild run for cover just by being there...there is a reason for that...they run because its a deadly peice of equipment and they dont want to be down range of it.

[@nigelrentz4349]

As a vet US Marine I actually love what they do. For being from New Zealand they give Americans a lot of respect 🙌 👏

[@jusjohn]

Beautiful family. Inside and out. Cultured and curious. I envy the life you’ve built for yourselves. Keep it up!

[@jamesmcinnis208]

They need to work on their vowels.

[@retiredtom1654]

You have a wonderful family. It was a joy to watch all four of you!

[@gwav64]

I like how the whole family is involved, has input, and has a voice. Love from the USA!

[@justicewokeisutterbs8641]

What a lovely family you are. Great kids. My only comment as an American is that I think the world can thank Peter Jackson for exposing everyone to the beauty of New Zealand. 👍

[@elaniarkady7351]

I think we're so used to traveling hours to work or to go somewhere it suprises us that other countries are so much smaller. Love your channel!.

[@kirklundberg2503]

I think Washington State is very overlooked, we have a rainforest, mountain range, and a desert.

[@parajerry]

Disqualified due to Starbucks. ;-)

[@kirklundberg2503]

@@parajerry what about Starbucks? We have Dutch Bros.

[@markcollins457]

I should be embarrassed every time I watch you I learn more about my own back yard. ENJOY FROM NEW JERSEY.

[@markcollins457]

By the way New Jersey is one of smallest states and has more people per square mile, more millionaires and also known as the garden state and Jersey tomatoes are Great. Lol

[@ezmoney5087]

Love this family if I'm ever in New Zealand I've got to stop by and say howdy

[@jonathangibson4778]

Agree

[@marialarra5125]

Definitely and I would bring the snacks

[@Wongteasimo]

I really admire how you use this video as a way to teach your kids in a fun way and get them interested in different topics

[@ricksprinkle8396]

Your family is awesome and we love you too! Central Ohio, USA

[@mra2438]

Our founders intended for each state to be own sovereign "mini nation" of sorts and for the federal government to oversee a very few things, with very limited power.

[@JustAnotherConspiracyTheorist]

The federal government sucks at their job.

[@mra2438]

@@JustAnotherConspiracyTheorist And the citizens suck at theirs also.

[@coachbeam3600]

@@mra2438 😂😂 facts. As much as some of our politics give me a headache, I wouldn’t trade the US for the world.

[@perinmolitor2312]

Each state is still its own mini country. Cut it out and they have their own infrastructure and even own army called the National Guard. Some states are as different and diverse as all the European countries

[@fridaylong2812]

@@perinmolitor2312 But bigger.

[@garyslavinsky4201]

We are HUGE. I was born and raised on the East Coast. When I moved to Texas. I was amazed at how large just the state is. Driving from South Texas to North Texas is like driving from Washington DC to Maine. It boggles the mind

[@valg.3270]

Last October, my husband & I vacationed in Maine. As I was planning our trip, my husband asked if I wanted to visit where I had lived for a couple of years as a kid. (Loring AFB a which was between Caribou & Limestone, Maine) I replied that it was all the way in the top portion of Maine. He laughed at me, because we live in Texas & are used to driving long distances. (When our kids were little, we drove from Georgetown to Amarillo so our kids could experience snow. That was 467 miles one way.)

[@parajerry]

My middle-school Texas History book was like War & Peace. It was twice the size of the US history book. The state is huge, but so is its history.

[@debbie4503]

From The USA; I would love to visit New Zealand! (PS I wish we were as well off as that video makes us sound. Most people here live paycheck to paycheck. Meaning you lose your job, your on the street.)

[@latetotheparty4785]

I live in Northern California, and spent 40 years in Sacramento. I’ve never traveled much outside of NorCal because within 90 minutes of Sacramento I could snow ski, visit Napa Valley, soak in Calistoga hot springs, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Reno, beaches and ocean. An additional 60 minutes could get me to Silicon Valley, while another 120 minutes gets me to Yosemite or Mt. Lassen. Drive I80 from Sacramento to Donner Summit, and you’ll drive through 14 distinct ecosystems.

[@mariak.chalmers2577]

Amusing story: when I visited New Zealand I went to a museum that had a globe hanging from the ceiling. You walked underneath it and looked straight up and it said "You are here"

[@ETC_Rohaly_USCG]

As a current USA Coast Guard member of nearly 20 years, I can’t wait to be able to visit NZ… y’all are too cute and wholesome. Cheers from the USA!

[@bradleytindall1766]

That our country exists as stable and secure as it is at all continues to astound me. The key, I believe, is our constitution and Bill of Rights. Many of our politicians want to chip away or outright cancel those rights, and it will be a long fight, but they will never succeed. Almost 250 years of freedom is in our DNA.

[@1pcfred]

What's in our DNA is insanity. All the craziest nuts of the world have come to the USA for one reason or another. Australia has a similar problem. But in their case they were deported to there.

[@paulfarnier3914]

2020 murders in USA, over 20,000. 2020 murders in UK , under 700. 30 times the UK with 5 times the population. Something wrong with American DNA.😱

[@bradleytindall1766]

Ah, a bitter USA hater. How original.

[@bradleytindall1766]

Paul Frederick. Do you include yourself in the crazy nut category?

[@1pcfred]

@@bradleytindall1766 I lack perspective because I cannot see the woods for the trees there. Even if I am not a crazy nut now I could become one. Plus insanity runs in the family anyways. At least one of my ancestors came to American because of legal troubles they were having of a homicidal nature.

[@melaniedeare5427]

It's so sweet, seeing this family learning together. Way to go, Mom and Dad!

[@lissalives1]

I live in Texas, and I love watching your family! Texas is known as “The Lone Star State.”

[@forevergone3637]

And the craphole state lol

[@genxrants]

When I moved here from the North East I found it was like moving to a different country.

[@thisismagacountry1318]

@@forevergone3637 Quiet, Commie

[@dlldll9754]

Out of five stars.

[@dlldll9754]

When your state motto matches its yelp rating...

[@logicsoundinc]

I toured with a semi-popular band and in 3 weeks we covered 8400 miles (13520km) and never left the country. Actually, the entire tour was all on the west side of the Mississippi River. One thing that is fun about the us is how the geography/topography and flora/fauna is so different from one part of the country to the next.

[@spctvl03]

Best part of this video was when it said despite what the news and politics would lead you to believe, we are the most welcoming country by far! VERY TRUE. The whole military thing could also sound scary, but honestly our service-members are so friendly and most sign-up for the right reasons. Dad was military and they treated our family well. I didn't know how much it cost to maintain our off-shore bases that was crazy! Anyway, loved seeing your kiddos' reactions, thank you for sharing!

[@teresareid2830]

What a wonderful family you have! We live in Northern California & love being near Sierra Nevada and the Ocean!